Leeds. December 1916. Deputy Chief Constable Tom Harper is called out in the middle of the night when a huge explosion rips through a munitions factory supplying war materials, leaving death and destruction in its wake. A month later, matches and paper to start a fire are found in an army clothing depot. It’s a chilling discovery: there’s a saboteur running loose on the streets of Leeds.

As so many give their lives in the trenches, Harper and his men are working harder than ever – and their investigation takes a dark twist with two shootings, at the local steelworks and a hospital. With his back against the wall and the war effort at stake, Harper can’t afford to fail. But can he catch the traitor intent on bringing terror to Leeds?

Well, this is the way to start, a starred review from US trade publication Publishers Weekly, which says the book “reinforces his place in the front rank of historical mystery authors.” Yes, I’ll gladly take that. You can read the entire thing here (and I hope you will!).

Kirkus Reviews says the book is a “gritty police procedural with well-drawn characters.”

The Go Buy the Book blog has a wonderful review, saying the book “deliver[s] an engaging and tense plot where you really don’t know what is going to happen next”. You should read it all and you can do it here.

Booklist notes “this one is a sure bet for the PBS crowd, who love their British historical mysteries.” (it’s a very complimentary review, in case you’re wondering.)

The Promoting Crime Fiction blog gives a lengthy review that concludes: “It is a dark, compelling story with authentic historical details that captures the essence of a brutal and debilitating time in British history. It explores grief and loss in many different forms and the cruel reality of shell shock, as well as the surprising courage and resilience of so many ordinary people, and, on the other hand, the despicable opportunism of war profiteers. Harper and his family are engaging protagonists and the plot is tense and involving, created by an author who excels in blending a compelling historical crime novel with incisive social commentary.” Read it in full right here.

Yorkshire Bylines has a long, glowing review that seems like a dream in its praise: “Nickson has the knack of being able to sum up the feel of an era perfectly; the wet cobbles, the dirty bricks, the smog and the “smell of the wet wool from the damp overcoats”. We get a real sense of the shortages and the disillusionment, and the reality of the war hero returned home, often with life changing injuries…makes the reader care about each character, even the villains, and so many of the issues raised in this book are relevant now, over a hundred years after it was set. It may be a crime thriller but it’s a social commentary too; for example, the reality of the war hero returning home with shell shock. Reading this book, you get a real sense of Harper’s inner conflict, his loyalty and patriotism mixed in with cynicism and a weary acceptance of the things he can’t change. Even when the situation is resolved it feels that it never really will be.” Wow. You can read it all right here. I have, several times.

A glorious review, too, from the Fully Booked blog, which calls the book “breathtaking, powerfully written” and includes this

You can read the entire review right here.

The Morning Star seems to like it, too: “This is a police procedural in the shape of a tense manhunt, with an engaging central character and an author who uses a light touch to convincingly recreate a place and period.”
I’ll take that. Read the entire thing here.