For those of you who, like myself, enjoy bizarre stories, "The Strange Case of Hellish Nell" will be your cup of tea. In the style of the non-fiction novel popularized by Truman Capote in "In Cold Blood" and Norman Mailer in "The Executioner's Song", the book traces the extraordinary life of Helen Duncan, highlighting her 1944 trial for "witchcraft", all of this documented by voluminous footnotes, and adds what Shandler calls "constructed" dialogue and states of mind that flesh out and enliven the documented record.

One of the ironic details of the story is that while the driving force behind the criminal prosecution was the fear that her channeled spirit Albert would reveal war secrets surrounding the imminent Normandy landings, the statute under which she was indicted actually accused her of being a fraudulent medium. So the government labored to prove she was a charlatan and phony while secretly fearing she was just legitimate enough to apprehend and reveal real secrets. If she were truly guilty of being a fraud, she would be technically guilty but no real threat to government secrecy. On the other hand, if she were innocent, she might be acquitted of the charges but would represent quite a real security risk. This cognitive dissonance adds humor and complexity to the "strange case".

One interesting sidelight is that even though Duncan was convicted, the preponderance of testimony under oath tended to establish that far from being a fraud, she could actually channel deceased spirits. The book thus adds a bit of second-hand evidence to the life-after-life debate.

My one reservation is that the tone went back and forth between broad comedy and pathos. Many of the dramatis personae are portrayed as stock comic characters, but Helen Duncan was physically and emotinally abused and incarcerated for six months, which are hardly laughing matters. So, is this a comedy or a tragedy? Maybe, like life, it's both.

But overall, this is a fun read and a stranger than fiction truly bizarre tale.

In 1944 as Allied Forces prepared for D-Day, one Helen Duncan was in Britiain's highest criminal court - facing charges of witchcraft. She was the country's most controversial psychic - and a grandmother - and channeled spirits who seemed to know too many military secrets. Strangely her seances were revealing to-secret British intelligence - and authorities wanted her silenced. Her diaries, personal papers, interviews, and declassified documents contribute to psychologist Nina Shandler, Ed.D.'s survey of 'Hellish Nell' and her strange talents.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch