The Expensive Halo by Josephine Tey

The novel follows the story of a young woman, Mary, who is struggling to make ends meet in post-war London. She is desperate to find a job, but her lack of experience and qualifications make it difficult. When she is offered a job as a companion to an elderly woman, she jumps at the chance. However, Mary soon discovers that her employer is not what she seems. She is a mysterious figure who is obsessed with the idea of buying a halo for her dead son. Mary is drawn into her employer's strange world and soon finds herself embroiled in a dangerous game of secrets and lies. The Expensive Halo is a gripping and suspenseful novel that explores themes of identity, loyalty, and the power of money. It is a captivating story of a young woman's journey to find her place in the world.

By Josephine Tey · First published 1931 · Genre: Mystery, Crime Fiction, Thriller · 19 chapters · 58,560 words

First lines

It had been raining all day, but now a wild red sunset flooded the town with uncanny light, so that the dripping black buildings stood glorified and the hurrying crowds turned their heads, half-consciously, in uneasy wonder at the magnificent west.

• Open reader

Similar titles

• The Moving Finger by E. Phillips Oppenheim
• The Shadow Of The Rope by E. W. Hornung
• Cloud The Smiter by Arthur Gask
• Black Market by Arthur Gask
• The Nether Millstone by Fred M. White
• To Bow Bridge by Arthur Morrison

Genres

• Mystery — The Expensive Halo is a mystery novel by Josephine Tey, which follows the investigation of a murder in a small English village.
• Crime Fiction — The Expensive Halo is a crime fiction novel by Josephine Tey, which follows the investigation of a murder in a small English village.
• Thriller — The Expensive Halo is a thriller novel by Josephine Tey, which follows the investigation of a murder in a small English village and the suspenseful events that follow.
• Literary Fiction — The Expensive Halo is a literary fiction novel by Josephine Tey, which follows the investigation of a murder in a small English village and the exploration of themes such as justice and morality.

Tags

mystery · crime · detective · suspense · thriller · literary fiction · historical · British literature · character-driven · plot twist · investigation · murder

What this Textopian page supports

The Expensive Halo is listed on Textopian as a novel by Josephine Tey, dated 1931 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Novel
• Author: Josephine Tey
• Date: 1931 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Mystery, Crime Fiction, Thriller, Literary Fiction
• Length: 58,560 words
• Structure: 19 chapters, 1,679 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for The Expensive Halo by Josephine Tey
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
• Readability and classroom-planning context
• Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

Contents

• CHAPTER I
• CHAPTER II
• CHAPTER III
• CHAPTER IV
• CHAPTER V
• CHAPTER VI
• CHAPTER VII
• CHAPTER VIII
• CHAPTER IX
• CHAPTER X
• CHAPTER XI
• CHAPTER XII
• CHAPTER XIII
• CHAPTER XIV
• CHAPTER XV
• CHAPTER XVI
• CHAPTER XVII
• CHAPTER XVIII
• CHAPTER XIX

More by Josephine Tey

• The Man in the Queue (1929)
• The Daughter of Time (1951)
• A Shilling for Candles (1936)
• The Privateer (1952)
• An Unvarnished History (1929)
• All works by Josephine Tey