The Daughter of Time

 For those who don't know, this is a 'crime' novel by the author Josephine Tey, which considers the life of Richard III and the fate of the princes in the Tower as if it was a criminal cold case. It is a golden age novel that predates the 'King in the Car Park' discovery, which is consistently heralded as one of the greats and in 1990 was actually voted number one in a poll of the greatest crime novels of all time, organised by the Crime Writers' Association. I was introduced to it by my history Teacher while still at school, and have been a confirmed Ricardian ever since.  

In the book Josephine Tey's series detective, Alan Grant, is in hospital, confined to bed with a broke leg and a spinal injury after falling through a trap door in pursuit of a suspect. Not sure about the spinal injury but with a broken leg these days he would be hopping about with a cast, but things were different in 1951. To help with boredom, glamourous actress friend Marta Hallard brings him a set of pictures of famous people with mysteries attached to them, for him to choose one to 'solve'. Caught by the conviction that the portrait of Richard is not one of a malformed murderer Grant starts a cold case, with the help of friends and researchers. The book makes a strong case for the death of the princes at Richard's hand as a piece of Tudor propaganda supporting Henry VII's rather shaky claim to the throne. It's stood up remarkably well to the discoveries made in the intervening years. I'd recommend it if you are interested in history and cold case research. 

And now it has been translated to the stage, for a run at the Charing Cross Theatre in London. I saw it the week before last, and I loved it. The dramatic version is true to most of the book although the ending and the conclusion of who might have been responsible for the murders was changed. Apparently this was on the basis of the playwright's own research and interpretation of events, but not sure I'm convinced.  Didn't stop the enjoyment though. There was a new romantic sub plot which involved Grant being the subject of a Much Ado About Nothing type plot to make him realise that he is in love with Marta which was fun and broke up the investigation a bit. The set and costumes were simple but fabulous, as was the acting. I had a great evening, worth the trip to London and an overnight stay. If you are planning to go and have not read the book it might be a idea to read it first to enhance the enjoyment but probably not essential provided you enjoy history, know a little about the time period and keep your wits about you!

Note - The Daughter of Time is Truth.