A Rage of Souls (A Simon Westow Mystery, 8)
Leeds, 1826. Thief-taker Simon Westow has been hired by James Barton to catch con artist Frederick Fox. Simon, having sustained a leg injury in a previous case, is now reliant on his team, which comprises his wife, Rosie, and former street urchins Jane and Sally. All the members of this intrepid team know how to handle themselves in a knife fight, a skill that is continually called into use. In addition, Jane is a chameleon, well suited to following suspects unnoticed. She is an avid reader when she gets the chance, and at home she loses herself in book after book – an escape from her work and from the recurring dream that haunts her. Sally, a more recent recruit, spends her free time protecting other homeless children, but this involves exposing herself to even more danger.
Despite an abundance of violence and vengeance on the streets of early nineteenth century Leeds, the pace of the main plot is slow; there’s a lot of hiding in shrubbery and brandishing of knives, and in spite of the team’s efforts, very little information about the case is gained; meanwhile, the body count begins to rise.
However, I found the slow pacing didn’t really matter in such a short novel. There is still plenty to enjoy in the descriptions of city life, the city itself and the surrounding countryside. The character development of the two girls is also interesting. However, I did find the culmination of the plot a little unsatisfactory in that some things weren’t sufficiently explained and others were a little implausible.
This is the eighth book in the series, and there is a sense that it might all be drawing to a close, but I think fans will want at least one more.
