Absent Friends

In 1918, 17 women stood as candidates in the first general election in England in which women could vote. In her eighth Nell Bray adventure (following 1998's Dance On Blood), Linscott adds her fictional heroine to their number. The months following the end of WWI are hardly an auspicious time for women to enter the political arena, for the Tories and Liberals that ran the government together during the war have decided to put up Coalition candidates instead of competing against one another. But Nell would run for a seat in Parliament anyway, if she had the money. Her wish is unexpectedly answered when an affluent widow offers to fund her campaign on the condition that Nell look into the sudden death of her husband, who was blown to bits by a suspiciously powerful firecracker. Lucinda Sollers believes her deceased ex, who was the Coalition's candidate for MP, was murdered by the local potato farmer who usurped his place on the ballot. So Nell heads off to Duxbury (near the Welsh border) with her ally and former lover, Bill Musgrave, for an election campaign and an investigation. Both prove dangerousAand exciting, as Linscott captures the bustling activity of political work as well as the intricacies of Nell and Bill's sleuthing. Complicating matters is the slow rekindling of the duo's relationship, after a four-year hiatus. The campaign is marred by more than the usual minor violence, with attacks directed at all the candidates; a cruel hoax also figures in, before the election is concluded and the mystery solved. Linscott successfully animates rural Duxbury with a bevy of curious charactersAtanners, farmers, magistrates, etc. Her deft blend of social and cultural history with artful mystery makes for another worthy entry in a solid series.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In the 1918 general election, after the war, English women finally get the vote. Nell Bray, a London suffragist, is looking for a district where she can stand for election. Lucinda Sollers, from rural Herefordshire, asks Nell to run in her husband's district. Sollers thinks her husband's "accidental" death was murder and asks Nell to investigate while campaigning. This eighth Nell Bray mystery is loaded with interesting history, unique characters, and vivid descriptions of the English countryside. Linscott offers a surprising murder case while weaving in sobering thoughts on the cost of World War I and a realistic, witty view of politics; she also has fun with psychics. The suffragist angle should appeal to fans of Miriam Grace Monfredo's Glynis Tryon series. John Rowen

Its 1918. The Great War is over, and, in England, a general election has been called. Suffragette Nelly Bray (Dance on Blood, 1998, etc.), thrilled to be part of the first womans vote, is eagerly looking for a constituency and financial backing to enable her to be one of a handful of female candidates. An unexpected offer comes from a Mrs. Lucinda Sollers in Duxbury, a friend of Nellys sculptor friend Moira. Lucindas manufacturer husband Charles, one of the two Duxbury Coalition candidates, was killed by a firecracker stuffed with explosives at the end of a celebratory tow bonfire. His rival Jonas Tedder had been present but left before the fireworks display. Now Charless young nephew Peter Chavis has convinced Lucinda (by very unconventional means) that Tedder killed her husband. Nelly accepts Lucindas offer of money support, as well as the offer of Captain Bill Musgrave, an old love presently on leave, to act as her agent. The two check into The Kings Head and meet Mr. Wilby, a taciturn guest who eventually adds a gruesome puzzle to a series of violent happenings in the town. Theres more, much more, before Sollerss true killer emerges and Nelly heads back to London, mission accomplished. Linscotts style has a nice, easy swing; her feel for time and place rings true. But all is blighted by the hydra-headed, patience-testing overflow of plot. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.