In five of the mystery novels, all of which except the first she wrote under the name of Tey, the hero is Scotland Yard Inspector Alan Grant. (Grant appears in a sixth, The Franchise Affair, as a minor character.) The best known of these is The Daughter of Time, in which Grant, laid up in hospital, has friends research reference books and contemporary documents so that he can puzzle out the mystery of whether King Richard III of England murdered his nephews, the Princes in the Tower. Grant comes to the firm conclusion that King Richard was totally innocent of the death of the princes. Does sand sing? It does at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve! "Singing" or "booming" sands are caused by avalanches moving down the face of sand dunes. An audible vibration can develop when sufficient amounts of sand avalanche and compress the air within the moving sand. Henderson, Jennifer Morag (2015). A Life: Josephine Tey. Dingwall: Sandstone. pp.91–93. ISBN 978-1-910985-37-3. The grains of sand actually squeak or “sing” when you drag your feet or rustle the sand with your hands. It’s actually the high content of silica and quartz in the dry sand particles that rub together and create the “music”, if you can call it that.

The Singing Sands on the island of Islay aren’t a result of consuming too much whisky, no. When walking along this beach, if you slide your shoes against the sand, it will make a singing sound. This is the one Tey I’ve not read and have no interest in reading, but I can’t deny the quality of her prose. For all her faults as a plotter and unraveller, she had an astonishing gift for description. Now if only she could have matched it with an infernally ingenious crime writer’s mind…! In the 1940s, one of Bing Crosby's musical hits was "The Singing Sands of Alamosa" - a love song based on the sounds of Great Sand Dunes. This humming sound continues to inspire people today! Tey gives us quite an in depth picture of the emotional toil Inspector Grant’s condition has on him. For instance soon after seeing the dead man, Inspector Grant seeks a ‘temporary death,’ seeing such a thing as an escape from his troubles. Moreover, his discomfort leads to him thinking about hell:

Cornelia (First performed, Glasgow Citizens' Theatre, 1946) [as F. Craigie Howe]. [15] Revived, 1963, as by Gordon Daviot [16] A bridge over the outlet connects the smaller white sandy beach to the south with the larger main beach which runs for miles. It’s a popular spot for doing the “Bridge Run”, jumping into the waters from the bridge, but it can be dangerous as the water can be deceptively shallow at times. I also think Tey uses Inspector Grant’s character as a vehicle for discussing the English class system and on the issue of Scotland’s union with England, with Inspector Grant being in favour of it. To begin with the English class system, Inspector Grant dismantles a number of stereotypes an American character has about the upper class. For example Inspector Grant refutes the idea that all upper class people have ‘beaky noses… specifically provided for looking down,’ suggesting that this is more likely to be found in ‘the suburbs.’ Inspector Grant also asserts that ‘there never has been separate and distinct classes – or an aristocratic class,’ with people mixing from all levels. I’m not sure this argument is entirely convincing but it did make me wonder what Tey’s views were on class. Scottish Referendum

well (as historically my re-reading of Tey’s work has not yielded positive results, except with The Singing Sands (1952)). I will also of course be trying to read the next issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine […] The Daughter of Time (1951) (voted greatest crime novel of all time by the British Crime Writers' Association in 1990)

Walk Statistics

Imagine walking along the beach and hearing strange musical tones. You might think you’re going a little crazy, but actually the Singing Sands are the source of this extraordinary phenomenon.

Brat Farrar (or Come and Kill Me) (1949) (the basis, without on-screen credit, for the 1963 Hammer production Paranoiac) All as Josephine Tey. These novels are set in the same fictional 20th-century Britain as the Inspector Grant novels. Singing Sands beach is located on the Oa peninsula, behind the Carraig Fhada Lighthouse. It’s a popular place for birdwatching, sunbathing or having a picnic while watching the boats sail into Port Ellen. However, Tey’s one-sided dogmatism on the topics of Scottish nationalism and classism is a little grating and mars the book in my opinion.The Singing Sands is also a novel which provides a vivid picture of how times and society were changing. For example Inspector Grant notices how cafés and eating places have altered: ‘service, he thought, had lost its starch and its high glaze.’ Furthermore, the increased use of exported goods is also apparent when Inspector Grant is staying on some remote Scottish islands, where the majority of what he eats is not locally produced but from all corners of the globe. Glad you enjoyed the review. This is the only Tey novel I have re-read which I enjoyed. The other re-reads did not go so well. That and I never enjoyed Miss Pym Disposes the first and only time I read it. I am not sure if my reading tastes have changed since I first read the Tey novels and that’s why I was less keen on them the second time round. I have another Tey re-read this month, hoping it turns out like The Singing Sands and it is one that I enjoy. I agree with you about The Singing Sands – it is a book enjoyed more for its writing style and look at Grant than for its plot. I wasn’t aware of those details surrounding the publication of the book so thanks for sharing! It definitely does shed a different light on the state of the book and why there is quite a focus on Inspector Grant recovering from his not easily visible illness. Tey's Brat Farrar is mentioned extensively as a work vividly remembered and imagined by the narrator in the first section of Gerald Murnane's 2009 novel Barley Patch. The Daughter of Time influenced later mystery writers, notably Barbara Mertz. Mertz, writing as Elizabeth Peters, refers explicitly to Tey in The Murders of Richard III (1974) which sets a country house murder mystery among a group who believe that Richard III was innocent.

also of course get to see deeper layers to Inspector Grant, different to those revealed in The Singing Sands. In this tale much is shown about Grant in his friendship with Marta. His thoughts frequently show […] Home to Scotland's Big Five, red deer, golden eagle, otter, red squirrel, seals and so much more. A Wildlife Adventure Awaits. I first read this book MANY MANY years ago, while on a loosely-planned visit to the UK. I remember being sufficiently taken by the notion of “singing sands” to get myself onto a MacBrayne Steamer ferry to the island of Eigg in the Hebrides, where there were said to be such sands – I seem to remember a distinct humming, despite a nasty rainstorm. Later re-reads of the book have been less enchanting, mostly because, as you say, the puzzle element really wasn’t very satisfactory, and the ending appeared rushed at best. I do like Tey, however, and think of her as a very elegant writer indeed.

Terrain

The heroine of Mary Stewart's The Ivy Tree (1961) uses Tey's book Brat Farrar as a model when impersonating the missing heir to an estate. She describes the book as "the best of them all". How long does it take to get there by foot from the pier? I've got an hour and a half on the island, what's in range by foot and by bike? Would I have time to get there by kayak, assuming they can be hired four near the pier? Although his claustrophobia is his main problem, I think another issue with Inspector Grant also surfaces in the novel and that is with his relationships, which suffer due to his addiction to work. On the one hand solving this case does benefit Inspector Grant: ‘the dead young man, who could not save himself, had saved him.’ But on the other hand his dedication to his work leaves no room for love or romantic relationships. I think Laura is very telling when she says to Inspector Grant: An enjoyable walk to the beautiful Singing Sands at Gortenfern in the Ardnamurchan, skirting around the southern edge of Kentra Bay and then through coniferous plantation. Kentra Bay contains a large expanse of mudflat at low tide and small fragments of salt marsh, sand dune and machair. The Bay is particular lovely in Spring and Summer when the salt marsh is awash with the pink hues of flowering thrift ( Armeria maritima). Very nice review. I’ve always liked this one, it’s probably my second favorite of her books. Not for the puzzle/mystery, which is basically a subplot, but for the state of Grant’s mind and the dreamy, philosophical quality of much of the prose. One of the commenters here described her writing as elegant and that’s a good term for it. The opening sequence on the train is one of my favorite book openings ever. There is also elegant humor in this book, such as Murdo Gallacher, Grant’s young cousin Pat, and the guest house on the island.