A Dark Steel Death

It’s December 1916, and the Great War is raging at the Front. The storyline begins in the suburb of Crossgates, Leeds, in the North of England. Deputy Chief Constable Tom Harper has been called to a munitions factory, (Barnbow), where there has been a massive explosion in one of the sheds. The factory was producing shells for artillery. This was war work and the factory was run by women, as most men of fighting age were overseas with the armed forces.
(*Incidentally, on a personal note, this tragic event was real and is well documented. My great aunt worked at Barnbow during this period, and had been on the previous shift prior to the explosion, leaving for home less than 15 minutes before it happened*).

The worry for Harper is, was this explosion deliberate?

Shortly after, there was an attempt by persons unknown, to start a fire at a local Royal Army Clothing Depot. Harper suspects that both these incidents are attempts at sabotage - someone wants to damage the war effort.

With Harper’s team badly depleted, (most of his officers had been called up early in the war, or volunteered), this won’t be easy to investigate, but there’s a traitor loose on the streets of Leeds, and Harper will stop at nothing to bring the perpetrator to justice. However, things are about to get worse!


As ever, with Chris Nickson’s Tom Harper series, the author has carried out meticulous research, coupled with a great storyline, very tense at times, with good old fashioned policing before the advent of technology. Harper is now acting Chief Constable of Leeds, but he’s still down to earth, likes to get involved when the opportunity arises. He has a loving family, - there’s Mary, his grown up daughter, who has already lost her fiancé in the fighting, and wife Annabelle. Sadly though, wife Annabelle takes something of a backseat this time around due to ill health.

A great blend of fact and fiction, together with a gripping storyline, from an author who was raised in the city of Leeds, and researches every detail included in his novels (his love for this great city shines through). All the above make this series a must!

The enemy without and the enemy within.......

Chris Nickson brings us into the throes of World War I in Leeds in the UK. It's the cold winds of December of 1916 and the war efforts are taking a toll on the private sector as well as in the military. Men of an older age and females of all ages are working in the factories and in the warehouses to provide assistance to the soldiers sent to the front lines.

Nickson sends a spark into this one from the get-go. Without any warning, there's an explosion and a subsequent fire in the Barnbow munitions factory. Deputy Chief Constable Tom Harper and his men are alerted immediately. What lays before them are the injured and the dead who never made it out of the building. Could this just be a careless accident?

Not long after in January of 1917, a watchman finds paper and matches left inside the Army Clothing Depot. Someone was chased away before setting a fire that could have been a tinder box. And in the coming weeks a military guard is shot dead in front of his post at the East Leeds Military Hospital. From all indication and the precision of the shot, it looks to be the work of a sharpshooter. There's sabotage within the community of Leeds. But who? And why?

We'll visit the changing roles of the people of Leeds brought about by the demands of war. Tom's office has had a great impact with his own men being called up to serve. This weighs heavily with sabotage in the making. And Tom's own family suffers from his daughter Mary's husband serving in France. To add to all of this is the health challenges being visited upon Tom's wife, Annabelle. It becomes more evident as the days unfold.

Chris Nickson never disappoints. His research into the main streets and the back roads of Leeds is flawless and intriguing. The tension kept tightening from the first pages onward. Don't shy away when you spot the #10 on this one. A Dark Steel Death reads perfectly as a standalone due to the precise shaping of this storyline by Nickson. Once again, another winner in the hands of this fine, fine author. Bravo!

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Severn House and to the talented Chris Nickson for the opportunity.

A Dark Steel Death is the latest book in the Tom Harper series. Set during World War One, Tom must find out who is the saboteur threatening Leeds. With a thinning team of Police officers, Tom must marshal his forces. His wife's health is failing, and his grown up daughter has lost her fiancé who was fighting in France.

This book is well researched. You certainly get a feel for Britain in World War One. Tom Harper is a likeable character, well drawn by the author. The events in this book are based on a real life incident. A blast at an artillery munitions factory that killed a great number of the women who worked there.

The book is an enjoyable tense romp through wartime Leeds. It gives a light on policing in that period. It's not the policing we have today. The standard of writing is very good. The tension in the storyline keeps building throughout the book leading to a thrilling climax. Can't wait for the next Tom Harper novel.

A cracking crime novel.

The First World War is in its third year and Deputy Chief Constable Tom Harper is called out in the middle of the night when a huge explosion rips through a Leeds munitions factory. When fire making material is found a month later in an army clothing depot, Harper realises that they have a saboteur in their midst, one who is not afraid to kill to achieve his aim. With life at home occupying his mind and pressure doubling at work, will Harper find the saboteur before he leaves too much destruction in his path?

I’ve followed this series from the beginning and have become very fond of the characters and the ways in which they have developed. Tom has now progressed to the upper echelons of the Leeds police force although his actions in A Dark Steel Death clearly show how he is still keen to do his share of regular policing. This has become even more essential now that many of the force have been called up to help with the war effort.

As always, the research is spot on, taking us back to wartime Leeds and introducing us to some of the real events of the time. Fact and fiction are merged really well, Chris Nickson, once again, delivering an engaging and tense plot where you really don’t know what is going to happen next.

Like all good series, eventually there is an end point and I have read that there is only one more to go after this book. There is definitely an air of building up to this as we see Harper contemplating the end of his career and, sadly, see the decline of his much-loved wife Annabelle. Her story arc has been one of my favourite parts of this series and I wait with bated breath (and trepidation) to see how it concludes.

This strong new mystery for Acting Chief Constable Tom Harper is set in Leeds in 1916 during the First World War. Is there a saboteur or traitor in the area, and are various suspicious incidents linked? We are in the early days of forensic science; no cell phones; no internet - just old fashioned policing, examining evidence, never taking anything for granted and leaving no stone unturned. Clichés from this reviewer? Yes, maybe, but also high praise for a narrative that entertains you from the first page. And because the author creates such a strong picture of life at the time, you really do find it hard to put this book down and turn out the light. Highly recommended.

It's 1916 and Deputy Chief Constable Tom Harper has a lot on his plate already when there's an explosion at a munitions factory. Leeds is struggling to cope with WWI- young men are at war and there's someone out there who is causing problems. One thing after another leads Harper, who is standing in for the Chief Constable, to realize that there's a treasonous saboteur. He's a treat, as are his colleagues. And then there's his wife, Annabelle, who has early onset dementia. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It's a well done, atmospheric historical mystery that was fine as a standalone.

Deputy Chief Constable Tom Harper is having a lot of difficulties. First, there is an explosion at a factory making war supplies. Then there is a fire at a clothing factory. Is someone trying to sabotage the war effort in Leeds? Chief Constable Parker is down with pneumonia and the paperwork of a bureaucracy never ends. Harper has to keep the police force functioning with the few remaining bobbies and constables that he has, as well as the volunteers, who are taking the place of coppers off fighting the war in Europe. It is 1916. A sniper then kills two men, one at a factory and one at the hospital. And at home, Harper is having to deal with the decline of his wife, Annabelle, as dementia takes her further and further away. Nickson does such a good job in describing Leeds and the war effort. His research is always stellar and really informs the plot of this series, as well as his Simon Westow and other series. Recommended reading.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of A Dark Steel Death, the tenth novel to feature Tom Harper, Deputy Chief Constable of Leeds City Police, set in 1917.

An explosion in a munitions factory followed by matches and paper found at an army clothing depot raises the spectre of sabotage. Tom Harper is determined to find the perpetrator but his job is made harder by a series of shootings that he thinks may be linked.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Dark Steel Death, which is a straightforward police procedural, albeit without all the bells and whistles of a modern day investigation. Still, I found it absorbing as Tom and his team battle to save the city from further carnage.

As with all procedurals it starts with everyone being a suspect as there are no clues, in fact they have to consider, shock, horror, that the perpetrator could be a woman now that in times of war they are in the workforce and perfectly capable. Their suspect pool narrows after the shootings, but not enough to make it easy, so it’s record sifting and interviewing, which I found interesting. What does that say about me? I like the professionalism and experience based judgements involved in it as it seems to ring true. I also thought that the tip leading to a viable suspect which came from a neighbour of one of the detectives seems realistic. The final showdown is brutal with several of the main players scathed by events, showing that the author is remarkably unsentimental about his characters, discarding any he no longer needs.

I like this series because it progresses through time as Tom Harper matures and gains promotions. In this one he is Deputy Chief Constable and finds it hard to abandon investigating for paperwork and policy. Obviously with a war on and the suggestion of sabotage/treason he has to lead from the front, or so he tells himself. I like that delegating is difficult for him as it offers insight into his character, as does his wife’s early onset dementia. He’s tried burying his head in the sand, but she’s getting worse. I think she and her condition are sympathetically portrayed and it’s heartbreaking as she was such a busy, vibrant character.

A Dark Steel Death is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Another excellent book in the DI Tom Harper series taking place in 1916, in Leeds, England. The police department is stretched almost to breaking point because of the call-up of eligible men to fight on the European front. Even the Chief Constable is laid low while trying to recover from pneumonia. He is helping Harper as much as he can by having the routine paperwork sent to his home leaving Harper and his men searching for a saboteur and traitor responsible for terrorist acts in the city.

People often wonder if they can begin a series with any of the available books in a series. I can most often give an unqualified *yes* answer to that question, but that's not quite so easy with book #10 in the series. If you do decide to begin here, you will be saved many a furrowed brow by being told that DI Tom Harper and his family own The Victoria pub and they live in the apartment above the bar. This is just one of the many different slants author Chris Nickson has woven into this series that makes it different from most police procedural crime novels. Investigations during this time had to come through leg work, intellect, luck, and general cussedness to solve a crime. All of the returning characters in this series are fully developed and the sense of the danger and uncertainty prevailing in England at this time is like a throb of tension running throughout the novel. This is another excellent addition to the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House Publishing for an e-galley of this novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for this opportunity to review “A Dark Steel Death.” All opinions and comments are my own.

War doesn’t just mean a fight on foreign soil; it might mean a battle raging at home, and that is what is confronting Deputy Chief Constable Tom Harper as he and his policemen battle to find and take down a murderous sniper plaguing their city of Leeds in “A Dark Steel Death,” the tenth in the historical mystery series by Chris Nickson.

The war (in this case, WWI) has been going on for a while, taking its toll on everyone. And now there’s a possible saboteur on the loose, targeting factories. The investigation into this must be done quietly, national security and all that. Tom Harper takes the lead on this and all cases, as his boss is out on sick leave. And regular crime never takes a holiday, of course, and there’s never enough policemen anymore. Then -- there’s a shooting at a military hospital, one of the guards. The shooter has been adept at leaving no clues. Is this part of a larger effort at undermining the war effort? Was the guard targeted? They’ve got to figure this out, and quickly.

The author lays it all out for us, that’s for sure. Tom Harper is a consummate professional, we’ve seen that through ten books now, and readers are along every step of the way of the investigation. And along that journey we get the glimpses of his personal life that those who have followed the fortunes of the Harper family have come to know; the triumphs, and the heartbreak. For there is heartbreak here; for that which is plaguing Annabelle Harper, Tom’s wife, there’s no turning back from. And daughter Mary -- the war has seen to it that her happiness is gone. At least she is helping her father somewhat with her participation in Volunteer Patrols.

This is not a book to read if you’re looking for something quick to pass the time. It requires your full attention, and will engage all your feelings. This man hunt is intensive, with lead after lead promising, then leading to nothing. The threat to call in Scotland Yard hovers over Tom’s head, especially when he becomes acting Chief Constable. And when other shooting deaths occur, the pressure becomes even more intense.

He gets information, more leads, finally, an understanding of what and who to look for. Now, they have a real suspect. The net tightens, there’s confrontation, one that comes with a cost. But the case can be closed, although no one can ever know what really happened.

And Chief Constable Harper -- no longer acting Constable -- can go on to the next crisis, getting through surviving the war at home, with two more years to go. Chris Nickson really knows how to make you care for these people and their lives, and this book certainly exemplifies those efforts. “A Dark Steel Death” is one of those books that will keep you turning the pages, engrossed in the story and the characters.

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.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Set in Leeds in December 1916 this is Book 10 in the DI Tom Harper series and our protagonist is now Deputy Chief Constable Tom Harpe. It is the middle of the War and Tom is still living above the Victoria pub with his wife Annabelle (now suffering from Alzheimer’s) and his daughter Mary who combines her secretarial agency with Spotter duties at night to look out for Zeppelin attacks. Well written historical police procedural with a great plot-line

Briefly, not long after an explosion in a munitions factory matches and paper ready to start a fire is discovered in an army clothing depot. Harper sets his detectives to find the culprit but then there is a shooting with two fatalities and it becomes clear there is a sniper on the loose. Harper uses all of his team, who are mainly war veterans, and demands a quick resolution. Suspects come and go in quick succession and meantime the saboteur continues to cause havoc with the war effort

Using the backdrop of wartime Leeds with food shortages etc this becomes a battle of wills between the two protagonists. I love to see the old school policing methods (my father was a police officer from 1946 for 30 years) before all the scientific and technological changes of today. The historical facts are clearly meticulously researched and interesting. A clever slow burning book building up to a shocking climax.

This is the 10th book in Chris Nickson’s DI Tom Harper series, but the first for me. Thanks for Severn House and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this early edition in exchange for a review.

The book is set in 1916 Leeds in the midst of World War I. Deputy Chief Constable Tom Hardy is called in the middle of the night when a massive explosion destroys a munitions factory, killing many of the female plant workers. Soon after a fire damages an Army clothing depot and then a soldier manning a sentry post is shot. It appears that a saboteur is at work in Leeds and Hardy finds himself under enormous pressure to find the culprit or culprits.

The book was well researched and filled with period details. It was fascinating to see how the detectives worked in the days long before modern technology. They used good old fashion police work, such as knocking on doors, pouring through files and asking questions. All of this was very accurately portrayed.

It took me a lot of time to really get into this story. Part of that was the antagonist here was rather vague. Not so much that we didn’t know the identity until late, that was understandable, this is a mystery after all. It was more that we didn’t know why. What were they after? It is much more effective when the villain is someone that you can really hate, but here I didn’t hate the villain, but in some ways felt sorry for them. Also for me the story of the wife’s illness was a distraction. For those reasons I give it about 3.5 to 4 stars, however I did like it enough that I would like to read some of the earlier books in the series.

This certainly was a dark book, set in the 1st World War following the Deputy Chief Constable as he tracks down a saboteur/sniper.

I’ve read war stories before, but they’ve always been from a soldier or woman’s perspective so to follow a policeman and experience the war from being at home trying to solve crime with limited resources was really good. It took me a little while to get into the writing style but once I did, the story really flows.

There is so much more going on during this book too, the deterioration of the main characters wife, his daughter coping with grief and more besides. The author has really captured the lives of “ordinary” folk during the war and how things were for them, as well as writing a great crime novel.

This is book 10 in the series but a great standalone nonetheless.

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.

Thanks to Chris Nickson, Severn House and NetGalley for this incredibly exciting 10th Book in the DI Tom Harper series. It was almost impossible to put down, but of course life does go on!

"Leeds. December, 1916. Deputy Chief Constable Tom Harper is called out in the middle of the night.." Well that sounds a bit familiar, but this ends up being a months long stretch of terror for law enforcement and citizens alike. There is a terrorist, with a possible accomplice, wreaking havoc just as his team is depleted due to the ongoing war and manpower losses.

Harper's back is to the wall as this streak of terror keeps on and he has his own personal woes continue. His daughter Mary is recently widowed, but is out on the streets with the war effort and his wife Annabelle has her own battle within her mind.

Thanks to Chris Nickson for the Afterword, where he assured readers like myself how much it means to him that we will be coming along with Tom, Annabelle and Mary. Which, of course, means they are not done with their story yet! So glad to hear that!

A Dark Steel Death is set in Leeds in December 1916 and an act of sabotage causes trauma and panic. A munitions factory is the first target, an army clothing factory the next. This is Book 10 in the DI Tom Harper series and our protagonist is now Deputy Chief Constable Tom Harper. It is the middle of the War and Tom is still living above the Victoria pub with his wife Annabelle (now suffering from Alzheimer’s) and his daughter Mary who combines her secretarial agency with Spotter duties at night to look out for Zeppelin attacks.

Using the backdrop of wartime Leeds with food shortages etc this becomes a battle of wills between the two protagonists. I really enjoy the old school policing methods before all the scientific and technological changes of today. The historical facts are clearly meticulously researched and interesting. A clever slow burning book building up to a shocking climax.

A tense historical investigative read which and a well written historical police procedural with a great plot-line.

Chris Nickson's long running saga about  Leeds copper Tom Harper continues with our man now Deputy Chief Constable. We are in January 1917 and, like in other major cities, patrols are on the look out for the silent peril of Zeppelins, while Harper has a possible act of sabotage to investigate after a pile of newspaper and kindling is found inside a warehouse used for storing military clothing. The book begins, however, a month earlier with a true historical incident.

In nearby Barnbow, a huge munitions factory had been established from scratch in 1915. Its prime function was the filling of shells. With the constant drain of manpower to the armed forces, the workforce at Barnbow became over 90% female. On the night of 5th December 1916 a massive explosion occurred in Hut 42, killing 35 women outright, maiming and injuring dozens more. In some cases identification was only possible by the identity disks worn around the necks of the workers. It is believed that the explosion was triggered by a shell being packed with double the required amount of explosives.

With the Barnbow investigation ongoing, Harper has more problems on his hands when a sentry outside a barracks in the city is shot dead with, it turns out, a SMLE (Short Magazine Lee Enfield) .303 rifle, adapted for sniping, which was stolen from the barracks own armoury.

There are so many things to admire about this series, not least being the meticulous historical research carried out by the author. One example is the development of police investigative techniques. Back at the beginning, in Gods of Gold (2014), the idea that people could be identified by their fingerprints would have been seen as pure fantasy but, as we see in this novel, it was an essential tool  for the police by 1917.

Back to Tom Harper's current case. As he and his detectives sift what little evidence there is, they seem to be chasing their own tails. Harper's worries don't end as he closes his office door each evening. In an earlier book, we learned the grim news that his vivacious and beautiful wife Annabelle, a tireless campaigner for female equality, has developed early-onset dementia. Harper has employed a Belgian refugee couple to run Annabelle's pub, and keep a close eye on his wife, but he never knows from one day to the next what state she will be in. If he is lucky, she will show glimpses of her old self; when she is having a bad day, she inhabits a totally imaginary world and slips from all the anchors of reality. The most painful moments for Harper come when Annabelle believes that he is her late first husband, Harry.


Eventually the case breaks. Harper and his team are astonished to find they are facing not just one killer, but a partnership. Two former soldiers, Gordon Gibson and James Openshaw were virtually buried alive when a shell exploded near them on the Western Front. Openshaw was a sniper and Gibson, not much of a shot but with superb eyesight, was his spotter. Both men were invalided out, but Openshaw, after a spell at the famous Edinburgh hospital, Craiglockhart, remains under constant medical care at Gledhow Hall, a Leeds stately home used as a hospital for the duration of the war. It seems that for whatever motive, Gibson smuggled Openshaw  and the rifle out of the hospital to commit the murder of the sentry. Now, Gibson is at large with the rifle and, despite his poor marksmanship, has shot at Tom Harper's official car, and badly wounded a policeman.

The endgame takes place as Gibson uses all his fieldcraft to find his way into a heavily guarded Gledhow Hall to liberate Openshaw and resume their killing spree. The finale is breathtaking, powerfully written - and deeply moving. A Dark Steel Death is published by Severn House and is available now.

I think that Tom Harper mysteries are amongst the best historical mysteries. I love this series and I'm always glad to catch up with the characters and travel back in time to Leeds.
The historical background is well researched and vivid, the characters are interesting and I like the developments and how they are aging.
The mystery is solid and gripping as usual and kept me guessing.
Can't wait to read the next one.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Rated 4.5 stars. Thanks to Chris Nickson for asking me to review and arranging this with his publisher.
This is a book with atmosphere, right from the foreboding cover, onwards and steeped with history and policing.
Deputy Chief Constable Tom Harper is based in Leeds, Yorkshire and with the time being December, 1916, the book shines a light on this era during war times. Within it, there is also mention of Chesterfield in Nottinghamshire and other places have links in various ways.

It’s interesting as, recently there has been lots on tv showing Yorkshire in many ways in present times, so this is a way to delve into its past, as well as readers getting a compelling historical police procedural.

From the first page, it oozes a dark atmosphere out with flames from a large fire at the munitions factory.
Time naturally progresses to January 1917 and the investigation gets off to a quick start and Tom Harper also has Brigadier Fox working with him on the case. As well as the investigation, there are nuggets of the way things work that were brought in then, such as the government bringing in summer time for the clocks, that continues and works for present times. Nickson gives good insight into historical detail that generally isn’t in the day to day knowledge or thinking of people, which adds an extra layer of interest, heritage and grounding, as well as an authenticity to the characters stories being told and the timeline used. There are also small moments of poignancy that give pause for thought.

A soldier had been murdered and as for other people in the midst of the war, grieving, there is a sense of what they are going through and the views, especially from Tom Harper. There’s a sense of community and of people doing their job with people knowing each other and especially Miss Cliff, since she knows everyone. There are also other intriguing characters  to discover their positions in the war and their involvement and how sinister they can become.
There are many truths and lies to be unpicked along the paths readers are led down as many people are met.

The mystery itself is interesting, but so are all the strands and people that weave through it, making it a very compelling read, and in time, a very involving page turner.

Tom Harper has risen to the rank of Deputy Chief Constable but is coming under increasing pressure. The Chief Constable is suffering from pneumonia and is eventually hospitalised, leaving Tom notionally in charge. Police resources are under severe pressure; so many young men are at the front he is left with a force of old men and walking wounded. At night much reliance is place on women volunteering as police auxiliaries, something Tom’s daughter Mary as done.

Initially there is a search for a saboteur, an arsonist, who Tom is determined shouldn’t be allowed to undermine the war effort. This takes an unexpected turn when shots are fired, and people are murdered. Leeds is Tom’s city, and he feels a responsibility to its people to catch the killer as soon as possible and at all costs. The question is the saboteur and the shooter the same person or are there two traitors in their midst? The nature of the shooting indicates a sniper or sharpshooter, which means someone who has been in the army, one of our own. To track them down he will have to get the army onside with all their bureaucracy and prejudices.

One of the great strengths of the novel is the author’s imagining of Leeds during 1917. The gas light and the trams, the wounded in their special uniform and the women auxiliaries. There are privations to be suffered as U-Boats make inroads into merchant shipping, but nothing like the rationing of WWII, people can still eat in cafes and the pubs are reasonably stocked. All of which is vividly brought to life.

Here we are on the home front well away from the battles, but the author is clear the pain of war is never far away. The men that remain are those too old to fight or the discharged wounded, unless they are in a reserved occupation vital to the war effort and even some of those men have enlisted. The slack is taken up by women, who by sheer necessity are finally being allowed to take an active role in society. All of this is subtly woven into the storyline, a detective missing a hand blown off in active service, the surprise of women unchaperoned and smoking. Through Tom’s eyes the reader can see that once the war is over society will be changed forever.

The pacing is steady, fittingly so, this is case which is solved by doggedness and determination with many dead ends and red herrings. Interestingly the story is told through the perspective of Tom Harper, incidents are relayed to him rather than played out, so the reader learns of the developments as Tom would.

Loss is the central theme that runs through the novel. First, there is the loss felt across a city still reeling from the death of so many of its sons from the Leeds Pals regiment on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. We see the loss felt by the wounded returned to Leeds, the friends no more, as well as the loss of normality as physical and mental scars must be come to terms with. There is suffering within the Harper family itself as daughter Mary is still mourning the loss of her fiancé Len. There is also a special kind of loss felt by the Harper’s as wife and mother Annabelle battles premature dementia. Annabelle has good days, but she also suffers bad days locked within her memories of the past and unable to make sense of the current, her family being a stranger to her. A situation becoming all too familiar to more of us as life expectancy increases.
The narrative style places much emphasis on the central character and Tom Harper is well drawn, a complex man who is honourable and determined, working his way to the top of his profession through hard work not patronage. The scenes with his wife as she struggles with her dementia are caring and rather touching, adding real depth to the story.

A Dark Steel Death is convincingly portrayed historical police procedural tackling the weighty problems of the day. Entertaining throughout but unflinching with the messages at its heart.

Chris Nickson loves his city. It's a love that shows up in the way he's portrayed it through his multiple suspense series set during various periods of English history. I was introduced to Nickson’s work through his “Regency Noir” series set in the early nineteenth century, but A Dark Steel Death is one of the Tom Harper novels and set over 100 years later. I’ve not read any of the earlier books in this series, and I’ve since learned there will be just one more book after this one. But are these facts important when it came to my reading of this title?

The first thing to say is I love the cover. First, there’s the silhouette of Leeds Town Hall, recognizable to anyone who knows the city. It’s in contrast to the molten steel being poured that looks like a sunset behind the building. The opening pages of the story consist of the real-life explosion at the Barnbow munitions factory in December 1916. Nickson’s protagonist attends the scene. Future events have Tom Harper wonder if it’s part of a larger sabotage conspiracy.

Nickson’s plot expertly weaves fictional suspense with the cold hard reality of life during World War One. Harper’s daughter is mourning her fiancée after his death in the war. Injured soldiers, home from the Front, are dealing with what we now recognize to be PTSD. There are manufacturers out to make money from government contracts, and black-market suppliers to be tracked down. Harper must also deal with issues of a personal nature; his household has taken in a refugee family from Europe and his wife is facing long term health concerns, with which some readers may be familiar. Leeds in wartime is also a city of contrasts and transition. Those who are well off now have access to motor vehicles, deepening the divide between the wealthy and the poor, and women are entering the workplace to cover for the men who are now fighting in mainland Europe. And all the while, the tension builds bit by bit.

Do you need to have read the earlier nine books in the Tom Harper Mystery series? I don’t believe so. I knew what I needed to know, and my enjoyment of A Dark Steel Death wasn’t lessened because I didn’t know about previous events. I’d like to read at least some of those earlier novels before the eleventh - and apparent final - book in the series is released, but I won’t consider it a huge problem if other books get in the way!

Disclaimer: Although I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher, the opinions above are my own.

A DARK STEEL DEATH (HistMys-Chief Constable Tom Harper-Leeds, Eng-1916)
Chris Nickson – 10th in series
Severn House, Sep 6, 2022, 224 pp
RATING: VG+/A

First Sentence: The car slid quickly through the streets.

In the midst of WWI, critical war-effort manufacturing sites are attacked by a saboteur. First, an explosion at the munitions factory, then a fire at the army clothing depot. This is followed by two shootings, one at the steelworks, and the other at the hospital. With his superior down ill, it is up to Harper and his team, to stop the terrorist, while at home, dealing with his wife’s dementia, and his daughter Mary’s grief after losing her fiancé in the war.
Nickson is such a good writer. Although this is the tenth book in the series, it is easily read as a standalone, or an entry point into the series. As with all of his books, the characters, are multidimensional and highly relatable.
Harper comes to life. He has his responsibilities as a policeman, but also his responsibilities with his family. One feels his concerns and, at times, his fatigue. Harper knows when it is important to act with the cooperation of others, particularly the Army. He is an excellent leader with Ash, his second, perfect in that role. One can’t help but admire Miss Sharp, Harper’s wonderfully efficient secretary. At the same time, there is a lovely humility to Harper…”He’d be the first chief constable to live in Sheepscar, not one of the green suburbs, and certainly the first to make his home above a pub. The thought cheered him.”, while feeling empathy for those in the trenches.
The author’s research of Leeds, its history, and its participation in the war effort are impeccable. He doesn’t try to paint Leeds as a pretty place, but as one of the early industrialized towns filled with dirt, grime, workers, and the poor struggling to get by…”Sometimes Harper found it hard to recall if there had ever been any bright colours in Leeds.” His sense of realism is strong. The inclusion of historical figures, such as Neville Chamberlain, at the time the head of the Department of National Service, is appropriate and well done.
Although the focus is on capturing the Saboteur, there are other cases the police need to address as well, such as an accident between a tram and a lorry with three dead, adding veracity to the story. Nor does Nickson short the details of the times…”The café at Leeds Market had bacon, and proper buns… He sat back and relished the taste, slathering everything in HP sauce and washing it down with hot, dark tea.”
A DARK STEEL DEATH is an excellent police procedural with very good characters and good, realistic relationships. It’s nice to have a procedural where the police follow the clues. There is very good suspense with excellent plot twists and bits that tug at one’s heart.

Fans of historical crime fiction will be gripped by Chris Nickson’s atmospheric, engrossing and entertaining new novel, A Dark Steel Death.

Leeds, 1916 and Deputy Chief Constable Tom Harper is called to a munitions factory in the middle of the night after a huge explosion rips through the entire building leaving a trail of chaos and destruction in its wake. As the factory supplied war materials, this explosion could have serious repercussions for the nation’s fight against the enemy. However, Harper is about to discover that things are about to get a whole lot worse when matches and paper are discovered in an army clothing depot. There is a traitor hiding in plain sight on the streets of Leeds and it’s up to Harper to find him. Will he manage to discover who the saboteur is? Or will Harper just end up stumbling down one dead end after another?

With many of his men doing their duty for king and country in the trenches, Harper is up against it trying to find out who is responsible for the explosion. With challenges round every corner, Harper is doing his utmost to ensure that justice is served- but it’s not easy. With each passing day, this case ends up becoming more and more perplexing and when two shocking shootings occur in quick succession, Harper realises that time is of the essence and that he must arrest the traitor intent on putting England in jeopardy because if he doesn’t, the consequences simply do not bear thinking about…

Chris Nickson skillfully evokes the tension, jeopardy, fear and struggles of wartime Leeds and weaves an action-packed, fast-paced and hugely enjoyable historical crime thriller that will keep readers eagerly turning the pages late into the night.

In Tom Harper, Chris Nickson has created a brilliant detective who uses his instincts, humanity and intelligence to a find a dangerous criminal in extraordinary times.

A high-stakes historical crime thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats, A Dark Steel Death is the latest must-read by Chris Nickson.

A Dark Steel Death is the tenth book in Chris Nickson's Tom Harper series and the third I've read so far. I'm a little annoyed with myself because I'd somehow missed the previous two books and so have skipped from the events that occurred in 1899 in The Leaden Heart to wartime Leeds in 1916/17. I look forward to catching up with the earlier novels, but A Dark Steel Death can easily be read as a stand-alone so even those completely new to the series can start here.
It was really quite touching to realise just how much life has changed for Tom Harper and his family over the years. Harper himself has risen through the ranks of the police force and is now Leeds' Deputy Chief Constable. One of the most enjoyable aspects of his series has always been seeing Tom at home with his family as well as following his police work and like so many others, they haven't escaped loss and grief. His daughter, Mary is now a grown woman and has joined the Voluntary Women's Patrols, while Annabelle, his wife, faces a very different, heartbreaking issue which will resonate with a great many readers who have experienced similar in their own lives. Without going into too many details, I thought these parts of the book were written with such empathy and understanding of the emotional and practical challenges that families have to come to terms with.
While this is a police procedural and not a war story, the Great War casts its long shadow over everything that occurs here. This was before the Americans had entered the war and there are some poignant reminders of the scale of the tragedy throughout the book. The police force has been decimated by the war, many of the younger officers have been called or joined up meaning most of those left are past their prime and so have to rely on special constables and the Women's Patrols to keep order. It's a fascinating context in which to set a murder mystery, particularly one as difficult and politically sensitive as the case which terrifies the city and almost consumes Harper and his colleagues.
As they fear a saboteur is on the loose, they have to try to keep the news quiet for fear of what it might do to the already low morale of a community reeling from its losses. However, as the investigation chills and frustrates in almost equal measure, it gradually becomes evident that this isn't a black-and-white case at all.
There's a scene when it's suggested that Harper has become more Conservative and it's certainly true that some of his attitudes to law and order are authoritarian and retributive; however, this series is always strong on its social commentary, and I thought his growing understanding of the motives behind the murders emphasised the kind of man he is superbly. Tom Harper has been through some extraordinary changes since he first joined the police and it's clear he is still adjusting to a role which takes him away from the streets and into the more political arena expected of the higher ranks. He experiences huge change in both his personal and professional life in A Dark Steel Death and the pressures weigh heavily on him.
Wartime Leeds, which is still divided by areas of affluence and abject poverty, is vividly brought to life, the suspense levels are compulsively ratcheted up until the nail-biting conclusion – Chris Nickson impressively combines the sense of time and place expected in historical fiction with the tension and dark drama of a crime novel. The result is a book which intrigues, informs and moves; the authentic, gripping storyline enthralled me from start to finish and I highly recommend it.