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Simon Westow Mysteries #4
The brutal deaths of two young boys and a young man connected to a mill in Leeds propel thief-taker Simon Westow into a disturbing, twisty mystery that recalls his own traumatic past.
Leeds. November, 1823. When a doctor from the infirmary tells thief-taker Simon Westow about the brutal deaths of two young boys at the hands of a mill overseer, Simon's painful memories of his childhood reawaken. Unable to sleep, he goes for a walk - and stumbles upon the body of a young man being pulled from the river.
Simon and his assistant, Jane, are drawn into investigating the deaths, seeking a measure of justice for the powerless dead. But the pursuit of the truth takes them down a dangerous and deadly path. Can they overcome a powerful enemy who knows he stands above the law in Leeds - and the shadowy figure that stands behind him?
"Nickson's stellar fourth mystery featuring thief-taker Simon Westow finds Simon, who's recuperating from a devastating illness, not in the best shape to embark on a crusade...Nickson does a superb job using the grim living and working conditions for the city's poor as a backdrop for a memorable and affecting plot. James Ellroy fans will be enthralled." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A gritty tale of perseverance, cruelty, rage, and redemption not for the faint of heart." - Kirkus Reviews
"A fine choice for fans of British historical mysteries." - Booklist
This information about The Blood Covenant was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Chris Nickson has written since he was a boy growing up in Leeds. At 21, he moved to the US, and spent the next 30 years there, returning to England in 2005, and finally full circle to Leeds. He's made a living as a writer since 1994, initially as a music journalist, specializing in world and roots music. These days there's far less of that, but he still produces a few articles and several reviews a year. He authored The NPR Casual Listener's Guide to World Music, a volume that's now long out of date.
His first novel, The Broken Token, came out in 2010, featuring Richard Nottingham, Constable of Leeds in the 1730s (there was a real Richard Nottingham, and that was his post, although it was probably largely ceremonial). There have been eight books in this series. Cold Cruel Winter was ...
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