Chapter One Summary

Josephine Tey's Daughter of Time is a good, old fashioned detective story with a twist. Alan Grant, an inspector for England's famous Scotland Yard, finds himself confined to a hospital bed after taking an unfortunate fall in the line of duty. Grant's mishap involved plunging through a trap door and leaves him incapacitated, not to mention extremely bored as he recovers from his considerable injuries. Having rejected several books supplied to him by his actress friend, Marta Hallard, Grant spends numerous hours studying the ceiling, and becoming thoroughly familiar with the comings, goings and idiosyncrasies of his appointed nurses. Grant is eager for a mental challenge. Marta suggests he try solving an age-old mystery no one has ever been able to solve. She brings him a collection of pictures, portraits of faces from history, and Grant begins his journey to resolve...