Miss Pym Disposes--visitor to women's training school becomes involved in college life and makes incorrect deduction when a murder occurs. The Franchise Affair--a country town lawyer finds his life transformed when he defends two women accused of having kidnapped and abused a young woman. Brat Farrar--Brat is the double of dead Patrick, can he convince the family that he is the 'suicide' returned?

"Three" by Josephine Tey contains: Brat Farrar, The Franchise Affair, and Miss Pym Disposes. In my opinion, Brat Farrar and The Franchise Affair are two of her best works, which makes this volume worth owning for anyone looking to buy their first Tey... ( )

It's all about good, old-fashioned character building. These three novels are meant to be savored and enjoyed at leisure and their entire cast of characters move into your upstairs room for weeks on end. ( )

"Three" by Josephine Tey contains: Brat Farrar, The Franchise Affair, and Miss Pym Disposes. In my opinion, Brat Farrar and The Franchise Affair are two of her best works, which makes this volume worth owning for anyone looking to buy their first Tey... ( )

I hate Miss Pym Disposes. I remember what's going to happen, and I get sick half-way through - about the time Rouse gets the appointment. The problem, of course, is that Tey writes so beautifully and expresses her characters so perfectly that I feel I know them - I have the same problem Miss Pym does, I can't view them abstractly and with detachment. Rouse is such a louse. I don't particularly identify with any of the students, but I've known people like most of them. It makes it very hard to read the story. But it's such a rich story I do keep rereading - after sufficient interval that I've forgotten the sick feeling it gives me. And I'll do it again.

The Franchise Affair, on the other hand, is lovely. There's much the same cast of characters, but in this case the liar and the criminal are the same person, so there's a firmly-established villain. Also, it ends with said villain properly punished and at least a good chance of a happy ending for the assorted protagonists - there is one person unfairly punished, but she's always been a peripheral character, and they discuss her but we don't see or speak to her afterward. Sad but not nearly as bad as Innes. And Robert's flowering throughout the story is excellent - as absorbing as the mystery itself. Though the final solving is beautiful - chance and persistence and it worked. Love it. Grant is a peripheral character in this - in fact, I don't think I'd count it as one of his. Specifically, we never get inside his head - there's some illumination of his thoughts and feelings in the case, but always by observation from the outside.

And I remembered Brat Farrar as much simpler - a bright four-color story where the deception was done with a good heart and the villain got his comeuppance in the end. Both facts are true, but it's certainly not a simple story. Though I figured out who Brat was quite early on. Simon and Timber - what a pair! The story stops quite abruptly, though not short - the adventure is complete. ( )