‘A Rage of Souls’ by Chris Nickson

Published by Severn House,
7 October 2025.
ISBN: 978-1-4483-1629-8 (HB)

Simon Westow knows about hardship: he endured a harsh childhood and had escaped from factory work to build up his reputation as a respected thief taker in his native Leeds. Now Simon is happily married to his wife, Rosie, they are proud of their twin sons and Simon is determined that they shall have the education and opportunities in life that he did not have.

It is 1821, and a year ago, Simon’s plans received a serious setback when he was badly injured. Although the surgeon managed to save his leg, he still suffers constant pain and knows he will have to live with many restrictions on his mobility that will make running and defending himself much harder than before. This could make continuing with his career as a thief taker very difficult. Fortunately, now that their sons are at school all day, Simon’s wife is eager to help with his work, as she used to do before their sons were born. Also, he has two assistants, both young females who have survived living on the streets and have great skills at blending into their surroundings when they watch and follow people; they are both dangerous knife fighters and are ruthless in punishing those that transgress against them, or against those they wish to protect.

Jane, the elder assistant, is now a young woman; she lives with Mrs Shields, a well-born, well-educated woman who has welcomed Jane into her home. Mrs Shields has taught Jane to read, and losing herself in fictional books has become Jane’s greatest pleasure. Sally, the younger assistant, is a very different character, she lives with Simon and Rosie in their home and is like a sister to their sons. Sally still feels great attachment to the children living on the streets and goes out to visit them regularly and uses much of the money Simon pays her to supply the children with food. Despite his lack of mobility, Simon is still the head of the thief taking firm who decides which jobs they will accept and how they will approach the work. All of the team have different skills and different informants, but Simon is in charge because very few clients would accept a woman in the role of thief taker.

When wealthy businessman James Barton employs Simon to retrieve a valuable bracelet the case seems relatively simple: Barton has been unwise enough to allow a plausible conman to take away the bracelet on the pretence of showing it to a prospective buyer. The man has made locating him quite simple by retaining the same name, Frederick Fox, and Simon and his assistants set a trap and capture Fox and his wife and recover the bracelet. Because of the value of the stolen jewellery, Fox has committed a capital crime and is condemned to death. Simon’s client is satisfied and pays well, and they all assume that is the last they will hear of Fox, apart from possibly reading of his execution in the newspapers. They are wrong. In some unknown way, Fox receives a pardon and returns to Leeds. Barton feels threatened and again employs Simon to ensure his own and his family’s safety. Jane finds the task of following Fox and his wife surprisingly hard, and it is evident that the couple are highly skilled at avoiding surveillance. However, when Simon goes to check out a property that Fox and his wife have links to, he discovers a dead body. As well as wondering what Fox’s connection is with the dead man, Simon and his assistants struggle to make sense of why Fox is targeting Barton, and, if he wants revenge, what form it will take. At the same time, Sally and Jane are spending their nights protecting the vulnerable children who live on the streets and who are being attacked by violent, drunk young men. These men have wealth and power and find it amusing to harm those who have very little and, they believe, will be unable to retaliate. In the Fox investigation and in the attacks on the children there are some slight overlaps, then the violence escalates, and more deaths occur. Soon it becomes clear that this could be the most dangerous investigation that Simon and his assistants have ever undertaken.

A Rage of Souls is the eighth novel in the series that features Simon Westow. It is a powerful book, with superb historical details, and strong, believable characters, the core group of whom are very engaging. Also, it has a complex plot that never flinches away from telling unpalatable truths. Although the book is set in the early nineteenth century, the themes explored in A Rage of Souls are timeless and universal. This is an excellent read, which I thoroughly recommend.
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Reviewer: Carol Westron

Chris Nickson was born and raised in Leeds. He is the author of historical mysteries set in Leeds. The Richard Nottingham books are set in the 1730’s. 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 37 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 Golden Age expert who has written many articles on the subject and given papers at several conferences. She is the author of several series: contemporary detective stories and police procedurals, comedy crime and Victorian Murder Mysteries. Her most recent publications are Paddling in the Dead Sea and Delivering Lazarus, books 2 and 3 of the Galmouth Mysteries, which began with

The Fragility of Poppies. 

www.carolwestron.com