Hanging on the Wire

Nell Bray #2

by Gillian Linscott

Nell Bray has dedicated herself to the woman's suffrage movement; it's her amateur sleuthing, though, that seems to be attracting the most attention. First, Nell unearthed the truth behind the mysterious death of one of France's most notorious courtesans, and now comes a plea from her old friend Jenny Chesney.
World War I is at its height, and Jenny is hard at work at Nantgarrew military hospital, where Freudian analysis is a specialty. Her efforts are complicated by Mrs. Monica Minter, who is determined to express her disapproval of Freud's theories through petty acts of sabotage. But would Mrs. Minter resort to a pot-shot at one of the patients? It seems unlikely, but someone did.
Nell holds no truck with either Dr. Freud or Mrs. Minter. Neither does she approve of war, but attempted murder is another matter. So she heads for Nantgarrew - where she finds that mysterious behavior is a way of life. Mrs. Minter swoops down like lightning, bent on her schemes. One soldier keeps a handy box of grenades and revolvers under his bed. Another is determined to reach Moscow by bicycle. And the doctors in charge are far less interested in these odd goings-on than in their patients' dreams - be they of sausages or sex.
Nell's bafflement turns to horror when the would-be assassin's aim finally turns true. Nantgarrew - devoted to healing - becomes the site of a murder, and Nell Bray, indomitable and irrepressible, is determined to solve it.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

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

[Christine Lucia Asha · Rating 4 out of 5]

MUST READ BOOKS in every genre:
Thriller Say Goodbye
Memoir The Yellow House
SciFi Murder by Memory
Romance Time Loops & Meet Cutes

This time Nell is called away to a place with five names to help out at a military psychology hospital, circa WWI. The story was easy to understand, as Nell explores and makes conclusion about the various characters. She is her true self of saving people and does just that for more than one lost soul.

Surprise ending included.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another WWI mystery title from Sarah L. Johnson's guide to historical fiction. Read it in an evening and it was the miss after a string of hit titles I found in Johnon's guide. Too many characters and none caught my interest, including the heroine. The ending was a surprise but seemed to negate the whole premise of the story. And Linscott (in my opinion) negated the value of psychoanalysis as an aid to victims of shell shock in WWI. An altogether unsatisfactory read so I won't bother with any of her other titles in this series.

[Kirsty Darbyshire]

Christmas holiday reading.... minimal comments.

This book is probably my least favourite of the Nell Bray series that I've read so far which is what comes of starting at the end. Nothing to put me off carrying on rushing through these books though.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Also could be on a Mystery World War I shelf.

[Bionic Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

First World War and Freudian analysis.

[E.F.Hutchison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this tree stars because the parts of it relating to psychoanalysis and Freud made me laugh - though I'm not sure whether this was the author's intention or not. Or whether this book did much of a favour to a serious subject. I was not sufficiently interested in the main character to read any more books she features in, and I didn't find the period detail convincing.