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The Franchise Affair (Inspector Alan Grant, #3)

Josephine Tey,

Robert Barnard (Introduction)

Start date: November 1, 2020

Finish date: November 30, 2020

Discussion: Group reads

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What Members Thought

Feb 12, 2008 Nancy Oakes rated it it was amazing

Shelves: crime-fiction-uk, crime-fiction, classic-mystery-fiction

Actually, this is my second time with this book after having read it eons ago, and I enjoyed it much more this time around, since I read it now with more of a focus on character and postwar issues.

The Franchise Affair is just a perfect gem of a novel, based on the real-life case of Elizabeth Canning in 1753 which you can read about here. Moving the case into contemporary times, Tey updated this story to reflect various postwar concerns, as Sarah Waters notes, looking at the "moral panics - ab Actually, this is my second time with this book after having read it eons ago, and I enjoyed it much more this time around, since I read it now with more of a focus on character and postwar issues.

The Franchise Affair is just a perfect gem of a novel, based on the real-life case of Elizabeth Canning in 1753 which you can read about here. Moving the case into contemporary times, Tey updated this story to reflect various postwar concerns, as Sarah Waters notes, looking at the "moral panics - about 'problem' children and juvenile delinquency, for example - of postwar life."

For plot you can click here; what I will say is that
The main focus here is on the young Elisabeth Kane (Betty - 15), who had gone off to a suburb of Larborough to visit an aunt over a school vacation and disappeared for four weeks, bringing an accusation of kidnapping against two women (Mrs. Sharpe and her daughter Marion) of a much higher class upon her return, and their lawyer's search for justice as well as his need to expose Betty for the liar he believes she is.

To say that The Franchise Affair is a good book does it absolutely no justice. To me, it is one of her very best works, and I've read them all. Not only does it shine in terms of plot and plot turns, but Tey is also examining postwar British society here. I can't really divulge much about Betty Kane without ruining things, although what Tey has to say about her in a cumulative way reflects the dangers someone of her sort represented to the social order of the time. The English public is also looked at here -- the tendency for tabloid readers to believe what they read and make judgments based on their impressions with no real facts strikes a chord with our own times of sleazy tabloids in print and online, as well as the non-questioning sheep who believe everything that comes out via social media. Tey's novel also reflects the tendencies of those same judgmental people to make trouble for those under media scrutiny. And then there's Robert Blair, the attorney who is "usually so placid, so lazily good-natured," but discovers that with the Sharpe case, he has a "focus of interest," changing "the pattern of his life." Used to a somewhat prescribed lifestyle "without hurry and without emotion," he finds himself actually feeling alive with this case, quite possibly for the first time. The Sharpes live in a big house that once upon a time had seen better days; now they barely scrape by without servants or money but there are still certain forms that need to be maintained for the sake of appearances. There's so much more to talk about with this novel, but well time and all of that.

The Franchise Affair can be read by mystery/crime fiction readers across the board, except perhaps for those people who trend toward kickass thriller stuff ... it is so well done that it should appeal to pretty much everyone. Tey was a gifted writer, but in this book, she's gone beyond her norm and given readers a book that should, in my opinion, be considered a classic. It is an incredibly superb book that all aficionados of British crime fiction/mysteries should read.
...more

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Oct 14, 2010 Tracey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: england, 1901-1950, mystery

This is most of my blog review: http://agoldoffish.wordpress.com/2012...

I read this thinking throughout "This book would make a fantastic movie. I can't believe it hasn't been adapted – it has everything." But it has been filmed, in Hollywood in 1950 only on VHS at the moment – co-starring Patrick Troughton, which means I really want it. The suspense throughout was amazingly well done – even without a literal life being at risk at any point, the stakes were quite high enough, and my involvement ...more

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Nov 04, 2020 Susan in NC rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was my first read of this Josephine Tey classic and I really enjoyed it.

There are some plot problems that dated the book, which we discussed in the Reading the Detectives group, such as an obsession with not only slut-shaming, but characters saying they’d like to actually torture a character in the book. We all thought this was pretty over the top, along with the classism displayed by the author through her characters. Josephine Tey, however, was a golden age detective writer, and sexism a This was my first read of this Josephine Tey classic and I really enjoyed it.

There are some plot problems that dated the book, which we discussed in the Reading the Detectives group, such as an obsession with not only slut-shaming, but characters saying they’d like to actually torture a character in the book. We all thought this was pretty over the top, along with the classism displayed by the author through her characters. Josephine Tey, however, was a golden age detective writer, and sexism and classism are typical of the era, and often make an appearance, jarring modern sensibilities.

However, this is still an extremely entertaining and enjoyable mystery, in which village solicitor Robert Blair is the star and does much of the detecting. The story begins late one afternoon, as comfortably situated Blair, about to knock off for the day at his long-established family law firm, is enjoying his tea. Marion Sharpe rings up looking for immediate legal assistance; she and her mother have inherited a local house, The Franchise, and Scotland Yard Inspector Grant has shown up with a young girl making a bizarre accusation. Betty Kane claims old Mrs. Sharpe and her middle-aged daughter kidnapped her and held her in their attic, beating and starving her and forcing her to work as a servant for a month. A tabloid rag runs the story, the Sharpe women are targeted for harassment and vandalism, their reputation shredded, and Blair decides he must investigate to clear their name.

The sexism and classism come through as the working class accuser is suspected immediately of lying, because Mrs. Sharpe and her daughter are “the right sort”, ergo, they could not have done it, and the accuser must be an evil, lying slut who must be punished. Not just punished, but various characters say they’d like to mess up her face, or torture her, or “strip her naked” in court - but, Blair insists, not “that way”. Still comes across as rather icky!

But it’s still very entertaining to follow Blair as he breaks out of his comfortable life, and dives into his investigations. A great narrator made the audiobook especially enjoyable for me. Highly recommended. ...more

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Nov 24, 2020 Brenda rated it really liked it

Shelves: golden-age-mystery-etc, on-my-shelf

I believe this is the first book I’ve read by this author, aka Josephine Tey. The police investigation was pretty comical, they’d made up their mind ahead and pushed to have it all wrapped up. I thought it was a fun mystery. I had suspicions at times, but had an idea how it would end up. It was an enjoyable read though.

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Nov 24, 2010 Becky rated it liked it

Shelves: 2014reviews

Robert Blair is a lawyer. He lives a boring life; nothing terribly exciting or thrilling ever happens. And. He doesn't seem to mind that his life is mostly predictable. But then one day he receives a call from Marion Sharpe. She is in need of a lawyer; she needs one as soon as possible. Yes, she knows that his firm doesn't specialize in criminal law; yes, she knows he's never handled any case quite like hers before. Yes, she'd be willing to find another lawyer if necessary--if charges are brough Robert Blair is a lawyer. He lives a boring life; nothing terribly exciting or thrilling ever happens. And. He doesn't seem to mind that his life is mostly predictable. But then one day he receives a call from Marion Sharpe. She is in need of a lawyer; she needs one as soon as possible. Yes, she knows that his firm doesn't specialize in criminal law; yes, she knows he's never handled any case quite like hers before. Yes, she'd be willing to find another lawyer if necessary--if charges are brought against her and if the case were to go to trial. But can he come NOW! He agrees. He rushes to The Francise. He meets Marian and her mother. He meets Inspector Grant. He hears what these two ladies are being accused of. He meets the young woman, Betty Kane, accusing them. He's left a bit speechless. Kane's story: I was waiting for the bus, these two "old" ladies offered me a ride, I accepted, they took me to their home, wouldn't let me leave, locked me in the attic, denied me food unless I worked for them doing some mending, they beat me too! After four weeks I managed to escape! Grant and Blair are speechless as are the women. The story seems weird and unrealistic. Grant's instincts are telling him that the Kane girl is a crazy attention-seeker who is a liar through and through. Blair also thinks the Kane girl is a liar. He also thinks she's immoral. There HAS to be a man involved. Kane had to have met a guy over vacation and run off with him and made up this horrible story when that love affair fell apart. Both Blair and Grant are relying on instincts and making quick judgments. Grant, at the start of the novel, does not want to make a case of this. He does not believe there has been an actual crime.

But. The story will not go away. Kane will tell her story, keep her story alive in the papers. The community will turn against the Sharpe women at the Francise. Things will get uncomfortable and dangerous.

Blair is determined that the best defense is to prove that Betty Kane is a terrible, horrible mess of a girl. She's far from good and honest and respectable. He wants to expose this girl, show her that she can't go around accusing good, honest women like the Sharpes of horrible crimes. She shouldn't be allowed to get away with it.

Grant, Tey's detective, is barely in this one. He is in a few scenes, but, for the most part this is Robert Blair's story, his chance to have an exciting life, to play hero.

The Franchise Affair is not my favorite Tey novel, but, it was a pleasant read. ...more

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Nov 24, 2021 Laurie rated it it was amazing

How has it taken me this long to read a book by Josephine Tey?!

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Feb 26, 2014 Laura Anne rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: british-isles, mystery

A teenage girl accuses two women of abducting and holding her prisoner. Partially inspired by the true story of Elizabeth Canning's disappearance in 1753, the basic premise is intriguing. However, I never became engaged with the characters and was bored by the middle of the book. I've enjoyed other books from Josephine Tey, but this was a bland offering. ...more

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