Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey

I have always enjoyed a good mystery, and Josephine Tey is a master at her craft.  Robert Bernard wrote in his introduction to the novel, “Tey belonged to the Golden Age of British crime writing (roughly speaking, 1920-1950), and her place in the pantheon of mystery writers is unassailable.”

Tey’s tale takes place at a physical training college for women near a small village far from the hustle and bustle of London.  The main character, Miss Lucy Pym,  is a popular English psychologist who has been invited by an old acquaintance to lecture at the college.  At first she is “a fish out of water;”  however, eventually Miss Pym finds herself energized by the bright, physically fit,  young students and extends her stay.  I don’t want to say too much, because the fun of reading a good mystery is trying to add up all the clues and solve the crime before the last few pages are turned. I will say, that for me, the ending raised some interesting questions to ponder.  If you have enjoyed reading Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, or Ngaio Marsh, you’ll enjoy this whodunit.