The Birling family sit down to an evening celebrating the engagement of their daughter Sheila.

The doorbell rings, and the family's maid brings in a police inspector. He informs the family about a young woman who has taken her own life.

The news itself puts a damper on the evening, but as the inspector questions the family members, it transpires that each of them knew the woman, and their actions could have lead to the woman's suicide.

What is revealed during the inspector's call will have lasting repercussions for the family. Even more so, when there is one final shocking revelation at the end of the play.

Anyone who enjoys reading or watching plays

This was the first time since secondary school (high school) that I've read a play.

I hated reading plays in school, as I could never get my head round reading all of the stage directions and descriptions of the stage setup.

However, Priestly has written all of this effectively and easily to follow. The fact he has kept this to a relative minimum also makes it easy to read this play and allows the reader to focus on the dialogue.

The way the "one final shocking revelation at the end of the play" comes about.

It is just casually mentioned in the dialogue, as though there was no thought behind it. There should have been some build-up or foreshadowing during the play, but there was nothing.

John Boynton Priestley, OM, known by his pen name J.B. Priestley, was an English novelist, playwright, scriptwriter, social commentator and broadcaster.

His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction. His first major success came with a novel, The Good Companions (1929), which earned him the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction and made him a national figure.

Priestley had a deep love for classical music especially chamber music. In 1941 he played an important part in organising and supporting a fund-raising campaign on behalf of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, which was struggling to establish itself as a self-governing body after the withdrawal of Sir Thomas Beecham.

Priestley snubbed the chance to become a lord in 1965 and also declined appointment as a Companion of Honour in 1969. But he did become a member of the Order of Merit in 1977. He also served as a British delegate to UNESCO conferences. He was honoured by the universities of Birmingham and Bradford, and the city of Bradford granted him Freedom of the City in 1973.

As a police drama goes, it not bad. It's nothing that will blow you away, but the character of the Inspector is worth the read on its own.

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Created Feb 26, 2018 at 1:50pm • Submit your own review...