3.5
The Franchise Affair
ByPublisher Description
Robert Blair was about to knock off from a slow day at his law firm when the phone rang. It was Marion Sharpe on the line, a local woman of quiet disposition who lived with her mother at their decrepit country house, The Franchise. It appeared that she was in some serious trouble: Miss Sharpe and her mother were accused of brutally kidnapping a demure young woman named Betty Kane. Miss Kane's claims seemed highly unlikely, even to Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard, until she described her prison -- the attic room with its cracked window, the kitchen, and the old trunks -- which sounded remarkably like The Franchise. Yet Marion Sharpe claimed the Kane girl had never been there, let alone been held captive for an entire month! Not believing Betty Kane's story, Solicitor Blair takes up the case and, in a dazzling feat of amateur detective work, solves the unbelievable mystery that stumped even Inspector Grant.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Franchise Affair Reviews
3.5
“This is one weird, perfect little book. It's a period piece post - WWII, and it feels it. The way things are said, the way people act, we are very aware of this being what it was.
The Case itself is unpleasant and uncomfortable at first, when you're reading it. A 16 year old girl is kidnapped, held illegally and beaten and starved of she won't do chores for two women in the big house outside town? This is an awful crime. We should be sympathetic. But we never are. Not one bit. If Alan Grant, part of whose series this book is, doesn't quite know what to think, why should be believe Betty Kane? It's so strange that he doesn't show up again, but Tey gave us something else instead. The best compensation I've ever seen for loss of a main character I like. She gave me Robert Blair. More on him later.
As for the crimes and the Truth, it was a serious case, and extremely interesting. It being a small town outside London, everything is dealt with in a very down-to-Earth and serious way by the main characters most of the time. We see sensationalism from the yellow press, and the citizens acting out really badly, but the Sharpes, Marion and her mother, Just live with it. They get on with things in this so, so English way. Kevin Macdermott brings the city to bear, with his fast thinking and definite courtroom appeal. He's only in the case because he's Rob's friend, though. His defense of the Sharpes is brilliant and I love it, even though it's quite a short chapter. For a book with a legal story as the plot, there's very little time in the courtroom.
Betty Kane is a revelation. She is a lovely girl, and looks so incredibly innocent, and Rob never believes her over the dark and mature Marion Sharpe, whom he has no reason to trust over her. It takes 80% of the book and the chance liking of a Copenhagen hotelier for English idiom to prove she was elsewhere, but he never doubts it. His one desire was to end her in court, with his avatar Kevin Macdermott, and he gets it. This perfect little girl's facade is shattered and she never admits a thing. She really does not. The jury just takes the evidence Kevin presents and gives the verdict that the Sharpes are innocent. She has nothing to say though, so it truly is a victory.
The other supporting cast, Rob's cousin Aunt Lin, his cousin Nevil Bennett, the mechanics at his garage, Bill and Stanley and the private inquiry agent of Kevin, Alec Ramsden, are all there to help the Sharpes and provide the borders of life in Milford. And they belong to Rob, one way or another, even if the connection is Ramsden feeling he has failed Rob when things get difficult, and wanting to spare his money. He does his best for his clients, like Rob does for his.
Marion Shrape is mature, down-to-Earth and in her way as caustic as her mother. I like her very much. I think she's completely perfect for Rob, and he does too. I love her intelligence, her keep calm and carry on, and the fact that she called a man she's never met to come and stand with her and her mother when Grant first comes to the Franchise because he seems to be their type of people. She won't stand for wishy-washyness, and I think she did know his feelings, although it never says.
Robert Blair. He is stolid, dependable, trustworthy, calm Saxon action from sentence one. Englishman all the way down. He is a country lawyer in a quiet suit, he has his firm and he likes his place in the world and he falls for the one woman who isn't like anyone he knows, just as you'd want him to. There's something so ordinary about him, and he's out of his depth but he moves forward regardless. Even when it's hopeless he fights to the last minutes. He regrets the things he's done that weren't helpful, he's jealous of those that communicate better than he does, like Nevil and Kevin, and he accepts being a crutch too. As long as he's useful. He is so far down the hole of having a crush on Marion Sharpe it's surprising it takes three quarters of the book for him to think of her in terms of his marrying her. We know from the start that it's love. If not, I don't think his kindness or conviction would have shone for us like they do. He will do anything to help ease Marion's burden, even if it's not what she would want him to do. He also has that one desire, to strip Bwtty Kane bare of all her lies in open court, and that makes him a lawyer like the ones I love. That shining pride of his. I can't get enough. It's such a pity this was only one book.”
“Josephine Tey could be a new favorite author added to.my long list of favorites. This book is full of twists, change of fortune and multiple surprises. I think it is a 5-star read. Try it for a smashing detective story and a thrilling courtroom scene that rivals Perry Mason.. Highly recommended.”
“Not quite what I expected. I really liked how this book plays with preconceptions, but I could have done without the Casual misogyny. The MC is so convinced of Kanes guilt I thought there would be a Twist, but no. I guess it wouldn't be much better if the two spinsters actually did it, huh?
It entertained me and that's pretty much what I want from a good mystery. I will check Out more from Josephine Tey in future for Sure.”
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