Absent Friends [Hardcover]

Gillian Linscott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1999

December 1918. The vote has been won at long last, the Great War is over and suffragette Nell Bray is standing for election. Everything seems to be falling into place for the dedicated activist. Yet, with a month to go to the first general election, Nell is still without party backing, writing desperately to friends and contacts to drum up support for her cause. Further, the former Conservative candidate has been blown up by a firework while celebrating the Armistice, his widow is certain that he's sending her messages about his killer through a haunted piano, and at least one person in the constituency has a murderous hatred of all politicians. To add to Nell's troubles, two men from her checkered past are home from the war.

Nell finds herself in the middle of a baffling case, with the odds most definitely against her--both for election victory and survival. The suffragette turned amateur sleuth must then show a dedication to the truth as strong as her loyalty to women's rights to solve the mystery and come out on top.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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.

From Booklist

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

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (March 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312207654
• ISBN-13: 978-0312207656
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,780,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great historical mystery, May 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Absent Friends (Hardcover)

In 1918 England, feminists rejoice that for the first time women can vote and run for public office. Nell Bray wants to be one of the few female candidates, but one month before the election Nell remains an independent, still seeking party support and the backing of her friends. Without a party, Nell knows she has no chance of winning a seat in Parliament.

As Nell tries to obtain backing, a member of Parliament Charles Sollers sets off fireworks at a celebration. However, a tragic accident occurs and Charles dies. Charles's widow Lucinda believes the political rival of her spouse murdered him. Lucinda backs Nell with financial support. Meanwhile, even as she runs for office, Nell begins to investigate what really happened to Charles.

The Nell Bray historical mysteries represent some of the sub-genre's best works of this decade. The current tale, ABSENT FRIENDS is an entertaining look at the point where success has visited the suffragette movement in England. Nell remains a warm, intelligent protagonist who cannot resist amateur sleuthing. Though the story line may meander a bit too long from its main plot, Gillian Linscott brings to her readers the detail and fervor of the era wrapped inside an enjoyable novel.

Harriet Klausner