Published
by Severn House,
3 Sept 2024.
ISBN: 978-1-4483-1440-9 (HB)
The story is set in Leeds in May
1825. Simon Westow is a thief taker who is employed to track down stolen goods
and retrieve them, although whether he turns over the thief to face justice
depends on his employers, many of whom prefer confidentiality to the
satisfaction of judicial punishment. Simon’s current client, Sir Robert Foley,
is one of those who prefer discretion: his valet has stolen four antique cups
crafted over a century ago by a Leeds silversmith, Arthur Mangey. Mangey was a
superb silversmith but came to a sad and shameful end when he was executed for
coin clipping, which was a treasonable crime.
This is the second
time Simon has heard mention of Mangey recently, because the silversmith’s
house is due to be demolished and Porter, the Leeds constable, has invited
Simon to be present. Simon is mildly interested and plans to attend. His wife,
Rosie, and his new young assistant, Sally, are not interested in exploring the
house prior to its demolition and so Simon invites his former assistant, Jane,
to join him. Jane had been his valued assistant for many years but some time
ago she decided she no longer wanted to live the violent, demanding life of a
thief taker, although she promised to help Simon at any time he needed her.
Until recently Jane had been content with this decision, and she is still happy
living on the money she saved in the modest house of her dearly-loved, elderly
friend Mrs Shields. However, recently Jane has been haunted by horrible dreams
stemming from her earlier life as a destitute child living on the streets,
surviving by her sharp wits and equally sharp knife. Jane has learned to read,
and she is fascinated by history, and she is happy to accept Simon’s
invitation.
Outside the
building, Porter introduces Simon and Jane to Mr Armistead, a scholarly
gentleman who has studied Mangey and is convinced that there is a secret room
beneath the building. This proves to be correct, and they discover the hidden
room and break into it, but it is obvious that the secret room was not such a
secret after all because in the room they discover the corpse of Foley’s valet
but no sign of the stolen silver cups.
It is Porter’s job
to track down the murderer, but Simon still has to find the missing cups. The
best way he can think of achieving this is to discover who knew how to access
the secret room. Sally, his new assistant, had also been a child barely surviving
on the streets, but unlike Jane she has no desire to learn to read. Simon asks
Jane to read through all the notes Mr Armistead has made about Mangey to see
who else knew about the secret room and whether any of Mangey’s descendants
live in or near Leeds and she agrees to do so. Although initially daunted by
the task, Jane soon begins to enjoy it.; far from despising her lack of
knowledge, Mr Armistead is kind and welcoming and eager to share his
information with her.
Out on the streets
Simon has always been swift and skilled with a knife and confident in his
ability to defend himself but now he is plagued by uncertainty and fear. Twice
in as many days Sally has to save his life by her alertness and knife-skill and
Simon begins to second guess himself and worry about what will happen to Rosie
and his sons if he is killed. The death of the valet is only the start of a
vicious deluge of violence and murder, which engulfs Leeds. For both Jane and
Sally the hunt for revenge soon becomes deeply personal and for Simon, still
crippled by self-doubt, doing his job becomes even more dangerous.
Them Without Pain is the seventh
novel in the series featuring Simon Westow. It is an excellent addition to a
superb series that portrays without flinching the sordid crime and violence of
life in 19th century Leeds but also shows the kindness and decency of many of
its people. Simon can be a ruthless opponent, but he is also a loving husband
and father and a good friend who treats his assistants with respect and
generosity. Both Jane and Sally have the iron determination that allowed them
to survive when many other children died, and they have the highly honed
instincts which can sense the presence of evil. They can kill without
hesitation or regret, but they can also be kind, loving and generous. In Them
Without Pain all the characterisation and scene setting are excellent, and
the plot is complex and cleverly crafted. This is a brilliant, fast-paced,
historical novel which I recommend.
------
Reviewer: Carol
Westron
Chris
Nickson was born and raised in Leeds.
He is the author of the Richard Nottingham books, historical mysteries set in
Leeds in the 1730s and featuring Richard Nottingham, the Constable of the city,
and his deputy, John Sedgwick. The books are about more than murder. They're
about the people of Leeds and the way life was - which mean full of grinding
poverty for all but the wealthy. They're also about families, Nottingham and
his and Sedgwick, and the way relationships grow and change, as well as the politics,
when there was one law for the rich, and another, much more brutal, for
everyone else. Chris has penned a further six series, and to date has
published 31 books. For full details visit his web site. In addition to this Chris is also a music journalist,
reviewing for magazines and online outlets
http://chrisnickson.co.uk/
Carol Westron is
a successful author and a Creative Writing teacher. Her crime novels are set both in contemporary
and Victorian times. Her first book The
Terminal Velocity of Cats was
published in 2013. Since then, she has since written 8 further mysteries. Carol
recently gave an interview to Mystery People. interview
www.carolwestron.com
To read a review of Carol latest book click on the title
Death and the Dancing Snowman
