Inspector Alan Grant

First published in 1929. A young man is stabbed in the back with a stiletto dagger while waiting in the queue for standing room at one of the final West End performances of a hit musical comedy. None of those near him in the queue noticed him until he collapsed, or appear to have any motive for killing him. The dead man carries no identification; the only item found on him is a service revolver.

A man stands in line for a London theater performance. Moments later, he collapses-murdered in plain sight, yet no one saw a thing. Thus begins The Man in the Queue, Josephine Tey's masterfully plotted debut mystery that introduced the sharp, quietly brilliant Inspector Alan Grant. Set against the bustling backdrop of 1920s London, this gripping whodunit blends classic detective fiction with psychological depth and subtle wit. As Grant digs into the victim's shadowy past, what first appears to be a random act of violence becomes something far more intricate-and far more dangerous. With no clear motive, no witnesses, and a trail that twists through the streets of London and into the highlands of Scotland, Grant must rely on intuition, patience, and determination to solve a case that defies easy answers.