Published by Severn House,
21 March 2019.
ISBN: 978-0-7278-8879-2
21 March 2019.
ISBN: 978-0-7278-8879-2
It
is July 1899 and the city of Leeds is in the grip of a heatwave. Detective
Superintendent Tom Harper is relieved that the crime figures are lower than
usual, but soon the period of relative tranquillity ends. The first indication
of trouble comes when Harper and his detectives are plagued by a clever and
daring burglar that is targeting wealthy householders and escaping without
leaving any clues. Because the robbery victims are rich and powerful, Harper is
under a lot of political pressure to solve the crimes.
Worse is soon to come. Harper’s old
friend and colleague, Billy Reed, returns to Leeds to help arrange the funeral
of his brother. Charlie Reed committed suicide because of massive rent
increases and intimidation by his new landlord. To his horror, Harper realises
that there is a protection racket in his city, which is closely allied to a
scheme to buy up properties in areas that are about to become profitable. It is
clear that some very powerful councillors are involved in the property scheme, which
hides behind the name of the North Leeds Company. Although Harper knows who
these men are, the law protects them, and he cannot legally get access to their
names to prove their involvement in dishonest dealings.
As soon as it is clear that Harper and
his men have become aware of the evil that is going on in the city and that
they plan to fight it, the villains take ruthless action to cover their traces and
people begin to die at the hands of violent thugs. Soon Harper finds that not
only is his superior under pressure to dismiss him, but also his life is
threatened.
In the meantime, Harper’s wife,
Annabelle, is struggling to discover the truth behind the deaths of two little
girls at the hands of their father. Annabelle is one of the first female Poor
Law Guardians in the city and she is determined to discover whether any of the
workhouse officials were at fault when dealing with the family. Even if nobody
was to blame, Annabelle wishes to ensure that the Poor Law Guardians do
everything they can to prevent such a tragedy happening again, but she is
frustrated at every turn by intransigent men who resent her position and will
not do anything that a woman suggests.
As Harper and Annabelle struggle to
ensure that justice prevails, the weather grows hotter and hotter and the city
of Leeds becomes more hideously stifling and oppressively dangerous.
The Leaden Heart
is the seventh book in the series featuring Tom Harper. It is an excellent
historical police procedural, beautifully plotted and with a superb sense of
place and time, as the old century draws to an end. However, it is the
characters which are the heart of this book. Tom and Annabelle Harper are both
strong, tenacious people who are determined to fight for the underdog and
support each other in their various endeavours. They are both grateful for
their blessings in having such a happy family life with each other and with
their clever little daughter, Mary, and this is interwoven skilfully into the
narrative and provides welcome patches of light amongst the dark crimes that
they encounter in their roles as detective and Poor Law Guardian.
This is an enjoyable and thoroughly
engaging book, which I recommend.
------
Reviewer: Carol Westron
http://chrisnickson.co.uk/
Carol Westron is a successful short story writer and a Creative
Writing teacher. She is the moderator
for the cosy/historical crime panel, The Deadly Dames. Her crime novels are set both in contemporary
and Victorian times. The Terminal Velocity of Cats the first in her Scene of Crimes novels,
was published July 2013. Carol recently gave an interview to Mystery People. To
read the interview click on the link below.
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