Josephine Tey

Biography

Josephine Tey was the pen name of Elizabeth Mackintosh (1896–1952), a Scottish mystery writer whose detective novels are among the most admired in the genre. Born in Inverness, Mackintosh trained as a physical education instructor and also wrote plays under the name Gordon Daviot, achieving considerable success with the historical drama Richard of Bordeaux (1932). Her mystery fiction, published under the Tey pseudonym, features Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard and is distinguished by its literary quality, psychological insight, and independence from genre formulae. The Franchise Affair, The Daughter of Time, and The Singing Sands are considered among the finest detective novels ever written. The Daughter of Time, in which Grant investigates the historical mystery of Richard III from his hospital bed, has been repeatedly voted the greatest mystery novel of all time. Tey published only eight novels before her early death from cancer, yet her reputation has grown steadily. Her debut, The Man in the Queue (1929), introduces Inspector Grant.