Crown Witness

Nell Bray #5

by Gillian Linscott

Detective heroine Nell Bray once again finds herself in the midst of a mystery as she and her fellow suffragettes organize a procession. The movement has decided to take advantage of the cheery atmosphere surrounding George V's coronation to promote their cause with a peaceful five-mile-long march culminating in a rally at the Royal Albert Hall.
All goes well until Nell spots an unusual float at the tail end of the procession. As she and her hapless friend Simon Frater move in to investigate, a fire breaks out on the float, confusion follows, and a shot is heard. When the crowd clears, Simon is left holding the gun and examining the body of the victim as the real suspects escape.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction

218 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Gillian Linscott introduced her popular suffragette/sleuth, Nell Bray, in the critically acclaimed Sister Beneath the Sheet. A BBC reporter turned full-time writer, she lives in Herefordshire, England.

Linscott has also published several titles under the pseudonym Caro Peacock.

Reviews

[Len · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is nothing wrong with this nice little tale of anarchistic plots, murders, false imprisonments and artful detection, it's just that there is nothing outstanding in it either. Nell Bray, the suffragette sleuth, is a winning character: brave, intelligent, and quick witted. Perhaps the problem is that she is not pitted against much in the way of adversaries or rivals. The author sits firmly in the “aren't men stupid” camp so we know Nell is bound to win as British society in 1911 is almost totally male dominated when it comes to positions of power and influence.

For the police there is the slow, almost avuncular Inspector Merit who would struggle to work out who had stolen his lunchtime sandwich; and the creepy Mr Brust who delights in his plain-clothes role in the newly established Special Branch – as playful as a sadist allowed into the Gestapo and as smart as a dog chasing a stick. Nell's academic friend, Simon Frater, is like a great big puppy. He appears for a short time, just long enough to be wrongfully arrested for murder, and affirms Nell's view that while he is always well meaning he needs a woman's firm hand to keep him from self-immolation.

As for the villains, it is difficult to see how they have managed to keep out of the hands of the police for so long. They live as a commune in an old mansion somewhere just to the north of Muswell Hill. I had the impression that if one had asked any of the locals, “Do you know where the anarchists hang out?” They would have replied immediately, “Yeah, that big house up the lane there. The one with the armed guards by the gate.” Individually they are a mixture of the violently incompetent, the incompetently drunk and a police spy who seems to do anything rather than tell his superiors what's going on.

As I said, it's not a bad story. The escape from Holloway Prison is implausibly straight forward and Nell has the good fortune to find a string of criminals and their accomplices who tell her all she needs to know with the mildest of interrogation techniques. It's easy reading to turn to when Dorothy L Sayers seems a bit too complex. And within that limitation enjoyable enough.

[Kirsty Darbyshire]

Anotherout of print Nell Bray story that I found lurking in the library.Enjoyable as always but not one of the best ones. I found the high jinxto be all a bit silly.

[Tara Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable enough but nothing special. I like the character of Nell Bray and the early 20th century setting but the plot was a bit thin.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting period mystery set in Britain's Suffragette movement. Compelling period detail and a smart, spunky investigator.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nell Bray tries to help a friend who has been falsely accused of murder. Interesting look at women in England belonging to the suffragette movement and attempting to be seen as persons.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good read with detective suffragette Nell Bray, these early books are well written and engrossing.mi prefer them to her later novels which she wrote under another name.