Brat Farrar is an orphan with no family who is approached by a stranger who notices his resemblance to the Ashby family, whose eldest son Patrick disappeared as a boy and was presumed dead. The stranger proposes that Brat pose as Patrick and claim the family's fortune. Brat studies the family's history and returns to the Ashby house, where he is accepted. But Patrick's twin, Simon, who would have lost the inheritance, is wary, and the plot turns on what happened to the real Patrick.
Josephine Tey wrote a psychological mystery that depends on character rather than on police work. It suits readers who like classic British crime fiction and horse-country settings, and who prefer a puzzle of identity to a gory one.
Balanced in tone; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Curious Generalist. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1949
- Language
- EN
