Nell Bray is a no-nonsense, passionate suffragette living in turn-of-the-century London. She also happens to be a superb amateur sleuth. Nell leaves London for a visit to the family home and, naturally, becomes involved in a murder case. Davie Kendal is due to hang for killing local mill owner Osbert Newbiggin. Davie's lawyer, a charismatic man named Bill Musgrave, has tried every trick in the book to save him, but all the evidence points to the young man's guilt. Davie's sister and Musgrave beg Nell to help prove Davie's innocence. The case is difficult and baffling, and it's only when Nell probes the relationship between Osbert Newbiggin and his pretty young ward, Laura, that she finds the key to the killer's identity. Teaming up with Musgrave and her longtime friend Rose, Nell races against time to find enough evidence to save Davie from the noose. An original and intriguing plot combined with Linscott's eye for period ambience and authentic detail result in yet another fine historical mystery. Emily Melton From Booklist