January 18, 2016
Gun violence and the ambiguities of justice add a topical edge to British author Nickson’s solid third Tom Harper police procedural (after 2015’s Two Bronze Pennies), set in Leeds in 1891. Shortly after the police discover a dead infant who was packaged and mailed in an anonymous parcel, Harper rushes to a huge blaze accidentally ignited at the city’s railway station. A female body there is partially sheathed in silvery metal liquefied in the fire, but she’s dead by stabbing. Harper’s team identifies her as former servant Catherine Carr, who married an elderly factory owner but fled his abuse six months earlier. Meanwhile, Catherine’s brother, a military veteran institutionalized for violent rages, escapes to begin sniper attacks, possibly spurred by his sister’s death. Subplots involving the unidentified infant, Harper’s failing hearing, his wife’s suffragist awakening, and tensions between himself and his former sergeant, Billy Reed, add appealing warmth. Nickson resolves the mystery of the dead baby in a believable, nuanced way. Agent: Tina Betts, Andrew Mann Agency (U.K.).
Starred review from December 18, 2017
Set in 1736 Leeds, Nickson’s superior seventh Richard Nottingham novel (after 2013’s Fair and Tender Ladies) finds the retired constable in a somber mood on a visit to the graves of his wife and older daughter. Richard’s spirits revive when the mayor asks him to serve in his old position on an interim basis after the unexpected death of the current constable. Richard’s return to duty soon causes tensions with the deputy constable, Rob Lister, his protégé and his daughter Emily’s lover. His immediate challenge is a series of seemingly unrelated murders that places him in the hot seat with the city’s leaders, who fear that the violence will undermine public confidence in them and harm business. When several local pimps disappear, Richard realizes that the players in the Leeds underworld have changed since he left his position. Meanwhile, his nascent efforts to rebuild his family add emotional depth. Nickson is at the top of his game in this fairly clued whodunit. Agent: Tina Betts, Andrew Mann (U.K.).
March 1, 2016
The latest adventure of DI Tom Harper of the Leeds Police sees the detective balancing two very different cases. In the first, he is trying to locate the mother of a dead baby found in a parcel at the local post office. Then a fire destroys a railroad station and discovered beneath the rubble is a woman's corpse, covered in melted steel. As Harper works to identify the murderer of Catherine Carr, he has to partner with a former colleague who had transferred to the Fire Brigade. Harper and Billy Reed had a serious falling-out, and their relationship remains tentative at best. Murder, women's suffrage, madness, and industrial shenanigans all come together in a shocking conclusion. VERDICT Harper is a good copper; he wants justice, but sometimes he is forced to seek it in slightly unethical ways. As an industrial hub, Leeds drew immigrants from all parts of the British Empire, making for a riveting historical setting. Readers of Iain Pears and Will Thomas will enjoy this Victorian series.
Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
February 1, 2016
Nickson's latest DI Tom Harper historical procedural is tautly written and highly engaging, with a keep-'em-guessing plot and plenty of late nineteenth-century period details. Harper has his hands full, what with the gruesome discovery of a parcel containing a dead baby at the post office, a terrible fire at the railway station, and the imminent threat of violence against women in the growing suffragette movement. When the body of a woman is discovered in the aftermath of the station fire, Harper at first believes it's a terrible accident. Then he discovers that the womanCatherine Carr, wife of a wealthy businessmanwas stabbed to death long before the fire started. Meanwhile, pressure is building in Harper's other cases, particularly the problem of attacks against the suffragettes. Historical-mystery readers will find everything they need here, from a fully developed lead character to carefully delineated procedural details to meaty subject matter. Recommend this one to fans of the recent movie Suffragette.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)