Torrid times!

Tom Harper has worries. Worry about his beloved wife Annabelle and her dementia, worry about his daughter Mary after her fiancé was killed at the Somme. Worried by the spate of killings that had no rhyme or reason. Turning over Leeds in pursuit of the saboteur, agent provocateur or whatever he might be called, turned up some other criminal rings operating but as far as a saboteur goes, nothing!
Leeds, 1916 and an act of sabotage causes trauma and panic. A munitions factory is the first target, an army clothing factory the next. Tom must reach into darkness to find the traitor.
His best men are gone to the war effort. He’s fighting to hold on to the few he has. An further insight into the war from an organisation that’s been decimated. All their young men gone to fight in the war, the one wouldn’t last beyond that first Christmas. And now—they’re gone.
A tense historical investigative read with Tom all but searching beneath rocks for the perpetrator/s.

A Severn House ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher. ( )

December 1916. While the Great War continues it would seem that Leeds is housing an arsonist. But then a man is shot dead by a sharpshooter. Is he the saboteur? Is he against the war or does he have another motive, and are the two incidents connected. Deputy Chief Constable Tom Harper has put together a team to investigate.
An interesting and entertaining, well-plotted historical mystery. Another good addition to this enjoyable and well-written series with its cast of likeable and diverse characters. ( )

I'm in the middle of my summer historical mystery binge and delighted that Chris Nickson has something new coming out that I can enjoy. Nickson has several historical mystery series. They're all solid reads for lovers of this genre, but I think the DI Tom Harper series is the standout. This series is set in Leeds, England—an interesting change when so many historical mysteries set in England take place in London. The first volumes in the series are set in the 1890s. A Dark Steel Death takes place in 1916, in the midst of WWI. Leeds anticipates zeppelin attacks; the police force is now staffed largely by retirees or newcomers whose physical limitations make them unfit for military service; women are taking on jobs previously held by men; and a significant portion of soldiers returning from the front are suffering from shell shock.

Not surprisingly, A Dark Steel Death is focused on the war effort. It opens with a fire at a munitions factory followed by a possible arson attack on a textile processing site and then by a series of shootings targeting soldiers and war volunteers. The police force is under immense pressure to discover the individual or individuals behind these tasks. Harper finds himself taking on the role of Acting Chief Constable, which means more paperwork, more meetings, and developing the ability to trust officers to get the job done without his shadow hanging over them.

This new title is interesting for a number of reasons. There's wartime media censorship, misreporting of the causes of deaths, and an acknowledgement of police use of force/violence. Harper is also facing a new and devastating personal tragedy—his brilliant, independent wife is experiencing early-onset dementia. A Dark Steel Death keeps readers engaged with this mix of political and personal challenges—and, really, when doesn't life regularly force us to face both of these?

If, like me, you enjoy doing genre-based binge reading, and if historical mysteries are your genre of choice, you'll find A Dark Steel Death to be a very satisfying read. This title will be going on sale September 6, 2022, and you'll want to keep an eye out for it.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own. ( )