This is one of Tey’s stand-alone mystery novels. Though it is set in the same “world” as the Inspector Grant books, he does not make an appearance.

The plot is told from the point of view of Brat Ferrar, an orphan, who is recognized by a young member of the local well-to-do as a dead ringer for a long-dead heir to the Ashby estate. Once Brat (nee Bartholemew) convinces himself to go along with the idea of defrauding the Ashbys, he makes contact with their lawyer, and is then welcomed into the Ashby family with open arms as the long-lost Patrick. The only exception is Simon, his twin brother. It is clear from the outset that Simon knows this is not Patrick. In addition, by the arrival of the eldest son and heir, Simon is now no longer slated to inherit the estate.

Excellent characters, strong clean writing. The story is unsentimental yet evokes deep feeling and suspense. There is enough discussion of horses for those so inclined (it had moments where I was reminded of early Dick Francis). Brat is a strong, plausible main protagonist whose choices, though hard, are clearly understood by the reader.

What Tey does so well in this book and [b:Miss Pym Disposes|243399|Miss Pym Disposes|Josephine Tey|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348697101s/243399.jpg|517557] is to show the difficulty the protagonist has when confronted with a deep moral dilemma and in coming to a decision about which action to take. With the protagonist-point-of-view narration, you participate in his/her thoughts and concerns and reasoning process, and it adds tension to the plot. It also makes the main character deeper, richer and more believable. You feel for them in a way that one doesn’t usually for many characters found in mysteries.

Loved it. ( )

The story of a missing heir and an "orphan" is an old trope, but Tey puts a few twists in it, enough to keep turning the pages. The characters are better than cardboard, within the bounds of the plot. Billed as a "mystery" by the publisher, but not a whodunit, just some curious questions to be answered.
Author's real name is Elizabeth MacKintosh, and she also wrote as Gordon Daviot. ( )

I loved it! Very satisfying mystery. ( )

Oh, Josephine Tey... Why you gotta be so dark? You write such interesting people, and then there are the psychos. I mean, I like mysteries, but this is too sad and evil. ( )

A slow but entertaining read, although I'm not sure I really follow Brat's realization near the end. ( )