It was an amazing book, with two separate story lines being woven in quite seamlessly. I savored it, and read slowly as I hated for it to end.
It was 1897 in Leeds and women in Leeds had been able to vote in some local elections since 1873. Nationally since 1894, ( per the historian-author Chris Nickson), women were being voted to some local offices.
When the book opens, Annabelle Harper and 6 other female candidates were standing for Poor Law Guardian in Sheepscar, and the campaign was three days old. Opposing parties hoped to have some ambitious young men run for those posts instead.
What will transpire rises far above politics and becomes life threatening, even life ending. Bombings of rallies, personal threatening letters, physical attacks and more became the order of the day. The continual violence and threats consumed the entire police department, especially Tom Harper as Superintendent, as his wife was particularly targeted and his young daughter briefly abducted.
The "calling cards" of the perpetrator were excerpts of folk songs about death to women. An expert, Frank Kidson, who was consulted about the folk songs was an actual person.
The second story line or dual mystery added a very interesting dimension to the book, in the person of Billy Reed, formerly assistant to Harper. He is now head inspector at the police department in Whitby,on the coast.
Smuggling has come to his attention with the appearance of "Terrier John" a Leeds character with contacts still there. He collaborates long distance and successfully with Harper about a Leeds connection, adding dimension to this tale.
Chris Nickson is an amazingly skillful author with a love of Leeds,its varied and deep history,and demonstrates it with each book he writes. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for this ARC
No comments:
Post a Comment