The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey (Inspector Alan Grant Book Five)

Publication Date:

January 1, 1951

Genre: 

Historical Mystery, Classics

Length:  

206 pages

Series:

Inspector Alan Grant Mysteries

Book description courtesy of Amazon books:

Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard, recuperating from a broken leg, becomes fascinated with a contemporary portrait of Richard III that bears no resemblance to the Wicked Uncle of history. Could such a sensitive, noble face actually belong to one of the world’s most heinous villains – a venomous hunchback who may have killed his brother’s children to make his crown secure? Or could Richard have been the victim, turned into a monster by the usurpers of England’s throne? Grant determines to find out once and for all, with the help of the British Museum and an American scholar, what kind of man Richard Plantagenet really was and who killed the Little Princes in the Tower.

My Thoughts:

This book is legendary in the circles I "run" in. Meaning, if you have any interest in Richard III, the fate of the Princes in the Tower, or the belief that the Tudors controlled the narrative completely about their fate, then you have to read this book. I think it took me a long time to get to because I generally enjoy my mysteries to be more of the cozy type and this was more investigative. But it was almost required reading for me and so I'm glad I finally got around to it.

I thought Inspector Grant's quest to prove Richard III wasn't the monster everyone thought he was made for a great story. He stumbles upon the historical record that continues to prove Richard's motives for murdering his nephews just aren't there and in fact that he stood to actually lose by doing it, or having it done. By the end of the book his research concludes that the man with the most to gain from the disappearance and demise of the boys was Henry Tudor himself, thus explaining the reason for vilifying Richard and cementing his place in history as the deformed, wicked uncle. 

The Red Prince: The Life of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster by Helen Carr

 

Publication Date:

May 25, 2021

Genre: 

History, British Medieval History

Length:  

304 pages

Series:

No

Book description courtesy of Amazon books:

Son of Edward III, brother to the Black Prince, father to Henry IV and the sire of all the Tudors. Always close to the English throne, John of Gaunt left a complex legacy. Too rich, too powerful, too haughty… did he have his eye on his nephew’s throne? Why was he such a focus of hate in the Peasants’ Revolt?

In examining the life of a pivotal medieval figure, Helen Carr paints a revealing portrait of a man who held the levers of power on the English and European stage, passionately upheld chivalric values, pressed for the Bible to be translated into English, patronised the arts, ran huge risks to pursue the woman he loved… and, according to Shakespeare, gave the most beautiful of all speeches on England.

My Thoughts:

This is the first book I've read by this author and I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. It had a narrative style and although there were some parts that I skimmed over and got a little bored with at times, I think that is because some of Gaunt's life includes details of how he handled the governing of England, Parliament, Richard II's reign, etc and it's hard to make some of those parts super exciting. Carr did an excellent job of making him seem human and giving us real reasons why he made the decisions he did. I had read about John of Gaunt but mostly as a precursor to the Wars of the Roses, or as the love of Katherine Swynford. This was the first book that delved into just him and his life.

The most unique part for me was his obsession with becoming ruler of Castile. I'd never heard about this, probably because it didn't relate to either of the two topics I mentioned above. But it is worth reading about in its own right. He just couldn't get the outcome he wanted to materialize and because the claim came through his wife, Constance of Castile, and not himself directly, it made it all the more improbable. He did manage to marry their daughter, Catherine of Lancaster, to the man who would become the future King Henry III of Castile, thus securing the throne through his bloodline indirectly, but having to give up all rights to any rule of Castile himself. I found this story fascinating and wonder why it isn't told more often. The attemped invasion, family dynamics, and loss of his dream are quite a tale.

Throughout the book it is clear that Gaunt was a devoted family man, despite fathering children outside of wedlock with Katherine, who sincerely wanted to preserve the royal bloodline and do what he thought was best for the country. When his nephew Richard II sends the country into chaos he attempts to salvage things through his son Henry, but dies just months before knowing how it all played out in his family's favor.

I have been very interested in the Hundred Years War, and the period in England between Edward III and Henry IV. It took this book to make me realize that I only need to study the life of John of Gaunt to get a glimpse into the entire period. He was there for almost all of it and his accomplishments and chivalric legacy are remarkable. Not everyone loved him and some saw him as arrogant toward the common man at times but I think he was a man of his age and status and did the best he could with what he was given. Carr's book covered it all thoroughly and I admire her for taking the subject on as there are very few books dedicated to this time period. 

Can't Wait Wednesday: Murder at Enscombe Park by Vanessa Kelly (Emma Knightley Mysteries Book 3)

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Murder at Enscombe Park, by Vanessa Kelly. I haven't started this series yet but it looks really cute. Even though I am not a huge Jane Austen aficionado I understand her popularity and it makes sense why these mysteries would appeal to those who enjoy a cute "what if" spin on her fictional life. 

Cozy Mystery, Historical Mystery

November 24, 2026

Book description courtesy of Goodreads:

When Jane Austen’s Regency-era heroine Emma Knightley visits her pregnant friend Jane and her husband Frank Churchill at their Yorkshire estate, a proper country house party soon becomes the site of a ghastly murder . . .

Emma, her husband George, and her father and his new wife have journeyed to Enscombe Park, the grand estate where Jane and Frank live with his uncle, who adopted Frank as a boy.  Upon their arrival, they are concerned to find Jane wan from her condition, Frank bruised from a mysterious accident, and Mr. Churchill in an ill temper, as well as surprised by additional houseguests including Miss Caroline Bingley and a distant cousin from the West Indies.

Emma worries this might all be too much for Jane, but it is Mr. Churchill who is decidedly out-of-sorts, possibly due to his heart medication. When Frank’s uncle is found dead in the library, it appears he’s fallen victim to heart seizure. But Emma—despite George’s admonitions to stay out of it—begins to wonder if he may have been poisoned.

Experience has taught Emma that her matchmaking instincts may not always be spot-on, but her sleuthing skills are as sharp as ever. As a recently altered will and secret debts come to light, suspicion falls on Frank Churchill of all people. Now it’s up to Emma to save her friend’s husband from the gallows . 

Stacking the Shelves #110

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Happy reading y'all!

Click on the cover to learn more about the book!

Sceptred Isle by Helen Carr: A New History of the Fourteenth Century

Paperback purchase: $17 (not available in the U.S. on Kindle that I could find)

I am finishing up Carr's bestseller, The Red Prince, and it is so well written. I have been really interested in the Hundred Years War lately but I don't like books that are written about it because they tend to always get bogged down in military history. I think this new book of hers will give me a lot of insight into things without just focusing on battles. It covers the 1300's when the war was happening so I know it will also explain the why behind it all and that is what I really like to learn about with history topics. 

Lionessheart: The Life and Times of Joanna Plantagenet by Catherine Hanley

Hoopla Digital borrow: Free

This book has been highly recommended by people in the medieval podcast world. Hanley has written many books on subjects I'm interested in but her books are hard to borrow or buy with any sort of a discount here in the U.S. I was excited to see this one about the sister of Richard I free to borrow with my Hoopla account. 

A Marriage of Fortune by Anne O'Brien 

Kindle purchase: 99 cents this week

I started O'Brien's book about Cecily Neville but I'm still working on it. This one I probably won't get to any time soon but at 99 cents I jump on those deals! It is about the Paston family, whom I know nothing about, during the Wars of the Roses. The family tries to survive during this tumultuous time by making advantageous marriages and avoiding scandal. I like historical fiction that focuses on real people and not so much on fictitious characters. 

Happy Halloween 2026

 

I have been a little behind on my reading and blogging lately. And so this post is not anything profound except to say Happy Halloween however you celebrate it (unless you don't) and have a safe and fun evening. I miss going trick or treating with my kids who are now in college and aren't here to do that anymore. But I still love the fall decorations, the excitement at school this past week, and I'm so grateful to be back after a rough year physically last holiday season. 

I have always considered Halloween to be the kick off to the holidays and so even though it isn't my favorite one, I still enjoy it. I will be watching my son play his trombone in the UT Austin Longhorn Band in tonight's game against Mississippi State and eating Texas BBQ with my family. I am so excited for all things coming....Thanksgiving and Christmas! Can you believe October is already over???