1824 and the Industrial Revolution means that Leeds is expanding rapidly. When a 10 year old girl's body is taken from a cemetery in Leeds, the employer of the father hires Westow to find the men responsible.
Westow is determined to ensure that the men are caught and punished even though at this time it is a minor offence. The gang are clever and one is particularly brutal plus there also seems to be a link with a rich society woman from humble beginnings. Can Westow and Jane catch the gang before they strike again?
This series is one of my favourites, set in Leeds as the city starts to grow into the thriving industrial metropolis of the 19th century. Here the crime is committed early and the book is really about the hunt for the gang and the bringing of them to justice. There is a lot more focus on Jane, Westow's sidekick and her development through reading juxtaposed with her readiness to kill. The plot is tight and writing not too flowery, all in all a great, quick read. ( )

The title should sound familiar to most people. “The dead will rise again” is to quote the bible literally and invokes the Abrahamic concept of how the dead will be brought back to be judged on the day of judgment. You’d be forgiven for thinking that this implies the book may have a supernatural bent to it; it most certainly doesn’t. To invoke G. K. Chesterson, the crime novelist, in order to stay a crime novelist, must not hit above the body, and so our dead men stay dead men in this book.
The Dead Will Rise is a historical mystery set in Leeds in the 1820’s. It’s the 5th book in the Simon Westow Mysteries series by the author and came out on the 7th of March and was published by Severn House. It focuses on two characters, Jane, a teenage girl with a dark past and Simon, the local thief taker or PI. Simon and Jane are called to investigate the disappearance of little girls body from her grave, at a hand of some resurrectionists.
This was, unfortunately, a more common occurrence than one would imagine. Medical schools in the UK were only allowed to use the bodies of convicts (which weren’t very many) and so body snatchers (or resurrectionists) would steal dead bodies from the grave in the night to sell onto a medical school to make a bit of money. Opening up a grave was not considered a serious felony under the law and so thieves also knew that they themselves, at worst, would be imprisoned for some time. Medical schools rarely asked where the bodies came from, and it was hard to track down body snatchers, meaning most people just got away with it.
That being said, Simon and Jane take on this case knowing that the girl was wearing a £2 dress that made this a theft with more serious punishment. As they go on they realize more powerful people are involved and there are more bodies that have been stolen and are attacked.
I liked the book and the slightly spooky vibe. You don’t know who is responsible and how things will turn out in the end. Jane is a phenomenal character and I loved how she wanted revenge so badly. I lowkey want to read the other books in the series just to get a bit more about her. However, I’m not sure I appreciate the deaths at the end of the book and how they were done. They didn’t make sense to me. I would read this author again! ( )

The Dead Will Rise by Chris Nickson narrates an interesting tale of death mystery and death. Set in history, the plot revolves around narrow lanes and throws light on some dark corners of the society. The leading characters, Simon and Jane, intrigue us with their methods. The climax came as a surprise and it was really a fun reading the book. I would surely recommend the book for beginners of mystery and thriller genre.

Definitely, 4 stars for the book. Thanks to Random Things Tours and Netgalley for providing me with an opportunity to be a part of the blog tour. ( )

Chris Nickson is one of my favorite writers of historical mysteries. He's solid and reliable, and I mean those words as a very sincere compliment. The world of historical mysteries if full of books that begin with a clever premise, but can't follow through or that read like a child's story "and then... and then... and then." The balance between characters and mystery vary, and all to often the solution to the mystery becomes clear well before the book's end.

I know I won't get any of those weaknesses when I start a new Nickson book. He has a number of mystery series. The one I know best is the DI Tom Harper series, set just before the turn of the 20th Century in Leeds, and featuring a main character who has managed to work his way into the hierarchy of the police department despite his humble origins (as they say). There are so any details I would love to share about that series, but the characters have developed so richly over time that I worry I'd let slip something that would deprive readers of the pleasure of encountering events "as they happen."

The Simon Westow series is also set in Leeds, in the 1820s. The lead character is a thief taker. His two partners are his wife Rosie—she's got a mean hand with a knife, but you'd never know it just looking at her—and Jane, a former street child with rigid ideas about justice and rigid rules for her own life as compensation for the years when her life was a rule-less struggle to survive.

In this volume, resurrection men (who dug up recent burials and sold the bodies on to medical schools) have just arrived in Leeds. A wealthy factory-owner who still works alongside his employees has asked Simon and company to investigate the disappearance of the body of Gwendolyn Jordan, the ten-year-old daughter of one of his employees. There's a particular horror around this event because it's not just the dead being disturbed, but the child of a family still mourning her unexpected death.

I encourage you to spend some time with Simon, Rosie, and Jane—and with Tom Harper and his coworkers and family. You'll find satisfying mysteries and casts that grows increasingly complex as the series continue. I can't personally vouch for his other series, but I would most definitely pick one up with confidence, knowing I'm in for an engaging ride with Chris Nickson in the lead.

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

Gripping Victorian Noir!

1824. Leeds has a new low in crime!
Nickson has blown me away with this episode of thief-taker Simon Westrow. The abused Jane, his very damaged partner who is making slow steps and is not cutting herself anymore, although her trusty honed blade never leaves her side is of course present, and Rosie, Simon’s wife, mother of his children and partner until motherhood shifted her attention to their boys. This time however she’s more than ever up for the chase.
Bodysnatchers have struck in Leeds. The population is aghast. The body of a ten year old child has been stolen. The parents are bereft. The population is angry. Rosie is incandescent with rage. This has become personal for her.
The owner of a Foundry, Joseph Clark, a close friend and employer of the father, has asked Simon to find the degenerate grave robbers. For a finders fee of course
At the same time a Mrs Amanda Parker has asked Simon and Jane to attend her. She wants them to find a man who stole 50 pounds from her. Jane is suspicious of the widow, doesn’t like her. Simon says they’ll try for 3 days. If they can’t find the man they’ll stop. Simon and Jane both sense something a little off key. But what?
The search for the resurrectionists lead them all over Leeds. They find them, but then two escape custody, the third dies. Mob emotions have come into play.
Now the chase is on—again! Jane confronts the Irishman. It doesn’t go well. She is shaken and angry. She’s felt fear for the first time in a long time. That doesn’t sit well with our Jane. To conquer that feeling she becomes more determined than ever to settle things with the Irishman. Jane becomes a silent wraith, even more than before, as she and Simon track their quarry.
Extraordinary times, and extraordinary measures taken by all three.
I love Nickson’s knowledge of old Leeds, of its alleyways and streets, all mapped out in Jane’s head.
I admire his craft as a storyteller, weaving history and fiction.
Tense, darkly imagined reading, makes this a favorite.

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