1823 The thawing of the winter weather reveals a body. That of thief, Lawrence Poole, a man that thief-taker Simon Westow retrieved goods from quite recently. Westow is concerned that Constable Williams will use this as an excuse to arrest him. Poole's fence is Charlie Harker, and what does Harker mean by 'To The Dark'. Soon danger comes to their lives.
Another entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its well-developed and likeable characters. A good addition to the series.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

As the snow melts a body is revealed, a man murdered and thief-taker Simon Westow knows exactly who he is. The man is a petty thief and his fence, Harker, is terrified that he will be next. Westow is engaged by the local constable to solve the murder and quickly finds out that two soldiers for the Leeds barracks are responsible, but bringing them to justice will not be easy.
I really enjoy Nickson's various novels as they are all set in Leeds. In this Westow series the date is 1822 and Leeds is expanding rapidly, becoming the industrial powerhouse of the late 19th Century. It is fascinating to read about areas such as Kirkstall being referred to as in the country. Here the plot skips along nicely with a couple of parallel plots to add interest, it isn't all wrapped up too neatly which I also like as questions can still be asked. ( )

Christopher Nickson is one of my favorite writers of period mysteries. His series cover multiple historical periods, but most are set in Leeds, a city whose history Nickson knows in detail. In his description of his own work on GoodReads, Nickson explains that "Yes, I write mysteries, but ultimately they're books about people and their relationships, and the crime becomes a moral framework for the story," and it's this fact (along with the period detail) that makes his titles so engaging.

To the Dark is set in early Nineteenth Century Leeds. Simon Westow, this series' central character, is a thief-taker, with a wife who has done some thief-taking of her own, and a young work partner, Jane, a girl who grew up alone on the streets of Leeds and can travel the city nearly invisibly. This novel opens with the discovery of a murder victim—Laurence Poole, who Westow recently nabbed for a major silver theft. It turns out that Poole, and at least two others who fence some of his goods, were all desperate to flee town, but Poole never made it. Westow takes it upon himself to hunt down Poole's murderer, a task that brings him into contact with local leaders and law enforcement, as well as the local cavalry unit.

One of the things I love about this series (and the other Nickson series I've read) is that the female characters are as strong and fully fleshed-out as the male characters. Women are never decorative or background material in his novels. They're independent, intelligent, and capable, often able to pull off moves that would be impossible for the male characters—and not because they're pretty, but because they have real skills that Westow doesn't.

You can pick up Westow's story right here, in the third novel in the series, but trust me, you'll want to read all the Westow titles and then move on to some of Nickson's other engaging series. I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions are my own. ( )

Dangerous opponents for the thief-taker!

A different hunt for thief-taker Simon and his cohort—his wife and love, Rosie and his helper Jane. Silver spoons have been stolen and the thief tracked by Simon. Now the thief's turned up dead and the game takes a turn. Powerful people in the Leeds of 1823 are involved. Constable Williams is a player and things are changing.
But Jane! What is it about the feral girl Jane that calls to me? She is a killer when the need arises, swift and merciless. Yet she is that innocent waif robbed of childhood. And a new addition, Martha. What is it about the child Martha and why does Catherine Shields, the woman who’s taken Jane in, warn Jane about the girl child? Jane sees her younger self, but what does Catherine see? Alongside this is, a subplot of Jane being threatened by and in turn threatening a bully, Big Tom. This too plays into the overall story.
There’s the death of a thief, a sniff of the army and some mysterious articles, indeed startling objects are discovered.
Things are coming out of the dark and being revealed, others remain a mystery or the property of the dark they’ve always been.
Once again this Nickson mystery series set in Regency / Victorian Leeds is a tightly woven, stimulating and addictive read.

A Severn House ARC via NetGalley ( )