The Scream of Sins

Simon Westow #6

by Chris Nickson

Leeds, October 1824. Thief-taker Simon Westow's job seems straightforward. Captain Holcomb's maid, Sophie, has stolen important papers that could ruin the family's reputation, and he's desperate for their return. But the case very quickly takes a murderous turn, and it becomes clear the papers are hiding a host of sins . . .

During the search, Simon's assistant, Jane, hears a horrific tale: men are snatching young girls from small towns for use by the rich. Those who are unwanted are tossed on to the streets of Leeds to survive among the homeless. With the help of an unlikely, deadly new companion, Jane will do everything to discover who's responsible and make them pay.

Can Simon and Jane recover Holcomb's letters and get justice for the stolen girls? It becomes a battle that might result in them losing everything . . . including their lives.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery

240 pages, Hardcover

Published March 5, 2024

About the author

I'm a novelist and music journalist, the author of many books set between the 1730s and 1950s in Leeds, as well as others in medieval Chesterfield and 1980s Seattle.

Above all, though, its Leeds I love, the people, the sense of the place changing with time. Yes, I write mysteries, but ultmiateoly they're books about people and their relationships, and the crime becomes a moral framework for the story.

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leeds in the North of England, October 1824. It’s 7am and Simon Westow, thief taker, waits amid the silent eerie fog, the cobbles damp and slick beneath his feet, his back leant against a soot laden wall by the chill River Aire. He’s been summoned to meet someone unknown as yet, but waits to see who will emerge through the fog.

Simon is a thief-taker - he recovers stolen items and returns them to their rightful owner for a fee. He received a note the previous evening asking for his help and to meet at this spot, but the letter was unsigned. Nevertheless, Simon is early, giving him a chance to check for anyone lying in wait, he’s also well armed, just in case this is someone with ill intentions.

The letter writer turns out to be former military officer Captain Holcomb. It appears that a bundle of sensitive letters and documents pertaining to his father had gone missing from a drawer overnight - added to this, his maid had vanished overnight too.

Simon is also made aware by his tough and streetwise assistant Jane, of some very young girls being snatched from the streets of Leeds, resulting in Simon and Jane being drawn into the dark underbelly of Leeds, into the dark forbidding courts, derelict buildings and alleyways - scary places where the sunlight never penetrates, and where all manner of criminal activities occur, but young girls being taken is something that both Simon and Jane are absolutely determined to make the perpetrators pay for.

Though the topic was dark, it was another great read from this accomplished author. His research, as always, is impeccable, and accurately captures a time and place in history when crimes were solved without the aid of forensic science. This was a suspenseful storyline, with rich and vibrant characters, including new character Sally, a homeless child who is the one to bring attention to the fact that young girls were being abducted. Chris Nickson is my absolute go to author when it comes to historical fiction, and if you haven’t read any of his books you’re really missing out.

*My thanks to Severn House for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *

[eyes.2c · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and vengeful!

Wow! Chris Nickson once again transports us back to 1824 Leeds. Atmospheric and stark reality color every page.
Simon Westow (the thief-taker) has a new client, an ex cavalry officer, and son of one of Leeds most notorious magistrates, who’s proving to be evasive and high handed. He wants Simon to find some stolen papers of his dead father’s but will give him no clues. It turns out others are on the trail and the dead bodies begin to stack up.
Something dark is happening in the lanes and alleyways of Leeds.
Jane has befriended a young girl, Sally, in whom she sees herself at that age. Sally feels protective of the children who live on the streets. In particular one small girl, Emma, who doesn’t quite seem like the others. Jane and Sally discover she and her sister were grabbed from a park when they hid from her governess. Emma was released because she was too old. Harriet, all of four, was deemed suitable.
Both Simon and Porter the Constable are shocked. They will become more so. Power and money are at work.
Sally comes more into the picture as Jane decides to only help when Simon really needs her. Her relationship with Simon has not been the same since he intervened in her planned revenge. Jane hasn’t really come to terms with Simon’s actions. She’s become more distant from the family.
Nickson’s portrayal of life on the streets for the forgotten and lost children is harsh and unforgiving.
Street justice is paid out for some of the child snatchers.
This latest novel in the Simon Westow arc has endings for some and new promise for others.
I was captured by events as they unfolded, horrified on many levels, and constantly admired Nickson’s ability to capture the terror of situations his characters faced and the driving search for justice and revenge they sought.
A challenging topic brought into the light, revealed by the power of the very talented Nickson’s pen.

A Severn House ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

[Ink · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Scream of Sins by Chris Nickson is a short read, but an exceptional one. This historical mystery is centred on the investigations of Simon Westow, thief-taker in Regency Leeds

A maid has stolen papers that could destroy Captain Holcomb and his family and so he employs Simon Westow to recover them. However, the course of an investigation rarely runs smooth and when it takes a fatal twist, the papers reveal a litany of evil secrets of members of the upper echelons of Leeds soceity, who pay to use young girls who have been snatched from their home and trafficked, being discarded on the streets when there is no more use for them

One of the things I really like about this mystery, is that Simon Westow has a female assistant who is equaly important in the investigation, ,able to go places and investigate in areas where SImon cannot and this was reflective of the time, albeit for the most part unreported (I adore a mystery based in the Regency era)

The writing is authentic to the times, the atmosphere on point and the character building phenomenal. The grit in Chris Nicksons writing is a fantastic reflection of the times and I will absolutely be looking for more books from this writer

Thank you very much to Netgalley, the publisher Severn House and the Author Chris Nickson for this outstanding ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this the best in this series and I couldn't put it down as I was fascinated by the historical background, the social remarks, and glad to catch up with the characters
A well plotted, twisty and gripping historical thriller I thoroughly enjoyed.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

So much to say about this book. It showed a deal of promise that was not really delivered, due to various shortcomings, not the least of which was the character of Jane Bristol.

In Jane, we have yet another in inverted 'strong' woman. It seems inevitable these days with modern fiction, that there will always be a woman who feels she needs to kick against the traces of traditional womanhood. However, I wonder how much these writers realise that all they are doing is perpetuating yet another female stereotype. I’m really striving to find a likeable female character in modern fiction. All we seem to get is women who are eating up by bitterness or some kind of grudge. They are never very nice personalities because, of course, those traits do not make for a comfortable mindset or conscience. It’s really wearing and just as bad as the simpering, stay-at-home type. Jane is a young woman with a tortured, troubled mind, filled with homicidal thoughts. It is a shame to read about a young girl whose mind is eating up with a pointless hatred. Simon Weston stopped her from taking someone’s life. however necessary and vengeful she had thought this., She seems eaten up by the fact that he stopped her doing this. Such a young girl should understand that this was a good, not a bad thing. It seems like her whole life will be eaten up by thoughts of vengeance and resentfulness against Western.

As is usual with this kind of female character, their actions are incredibly stupid. Jane is quite foolish to believe that a young girl like her could pit herself alone against a full-grown man who is well-known to be violent, as well as strong and ruthless. Jane Bristol grew up on the streets and was supposed to be street-savvy but not savvy enough to know that this was practically a death wish.

The book is not particularly well paced. Sections and stages of the investigation are very sketchy and disjointed and the story seems to flit from one scene to another without much seaming.

The implication of children on the street having to kill to survive is a little fanciful. Having to fight for their lives yes, but to cold-bloodedly kill? And more than once? This seems unlikely, even for street urchins. One can imagine that that sort of life can be hard for children, but surely not as hard as all that.

Characters are just thrown out at the reader throughout the story, as and when the author seems to need them. The background of these characters doesn’t come out much, so ultimately there is no depth to the characters, just the surface that we are presented with. You know nothing about them and so have little incentive to invest any interest in them, and therefore in the story . The patchy sporadic nature of the tale adds to this, making for an unsatisfactory read for any who might be interested in reading more about these characters, possibly in further books in a series. This almost makes one hope that this book is only one-off, and that there is not more of the sketchy same

There is far too much tell-not-show. We are shown the actions of some characters, but with such as Rosie, we only hear what she has been up to. Yet more sketchiness and patchiness.

An entirely unrealistic and foolhardy situation - two young girls living on the streets so presumably looking out for themselves and wary of danger, both falling over each other to rush headlong into a very dangerous situation, namely to confront two men, known for violence and the abduction of young children – girls just like them. A totally ridiculous scenario. Equally ridiculous is the belief that a seasoned thief taker like Simon Westow would put his trust in the physical fighting abilities of a young woman, like Jane. The author seeks to qualify this by stating that Weston trusts her in such a situation because he knows how she fights. Their adversaries are are two strong, probably martial men who take no prisoners and are utterly ruthless. However, well she fights she is a young woman and these men are twice as strong as she she could ever be. Unless she had a gun and shot them, it is unlikely that physically she could get the better of them. Possibly they are going to break out into martial arts, as that is the only way that a young girl could ever overpower these men in a physical battle.

The casual violence that this book has these two young girls perpetrating is extremely distasteful. Life on the streets was hard, but albeit vague., the implication of two young women torturing two men - which must be what happened otherwise how else did they get the information from them - is appalling. It is bad enough when men do it; putting such deeds into the hands of young girls is even worse. Is this where literature is going? Is this what equality gives us ? Are we saying that women want to be the same as men - their good traits as well as their bad? they could traits and their bad traits? If men are prone to casual violence as part of their testosterone-fuelled nature, women must be allowed to be the same? If that is the case, I want no part of it. The one good thing is that women do not have the violent, bestial nature of men, and that is a good thing. We want no equality there.

Self harming – a very modern concept. No evidence at all that 17th or 18th century citizens did any such thing.

Seems ridiculous that Simon doesn’t seem to put 22 together regarding Holcombe‘s papers. He has a group of Highborne. People involved in stealing children for illicit purposes and he has a client who is another gentleman who is very worried about what his father might have done and might be written about in some papers. Can he not see that Holcombe clearly has read the papers knows that his father has been implicated in the illicit stealing of the children and this is why he is so desperate to get hold of them. Any fool could see where the story is leading .


Simon‘s wife, Rosie seems to be quite an accomplished, espionage agent herself. As no backstory for any characters, we don’t know how or why. Again, just tell no-show.

When Jane gets captured, she gets hit on the head so much so that she passes out and then this happens twice more. In real life, she would have been dead, probably after the first blow, but she takes three blows that knock her out (all within hours of each other one assumes) and she lives?

Mrs Shields spoke the truest words in this whole book, when talking to Jane after her ordeal of being captured. “Child, this life is going to kill you“. No one in this book has spoken a truer word. There is no pleasure in reading about people who will not take a decent way out of a bad life or see what is good for them. Jane constantly hankers after trouble, so is it any wonder that she finally found it?

This book has too many tortured, minds almost unwilling to heal, to be a comfortable and enjoyable read. When I read a book of this type - a historical mystery - this is not what I’m looking for. I am looking for escapism of a different, a more pleasant kind. If this is a series, I shall not be reading any more. This one is definitely not for me.

[Lizzie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is set in Leeds in October 1824. Thief taker Simon Westow has always been aware of the divisions between the wealthy and powerful and the helpless suffering of the poor. Every day as he goes about his work, he sees the children who are struggling to survive on the cold and grim streets of Leeds. Simon can only be glad that he has risen from the poverty of the workhouse to a position where he and his wife, Rosie, have a comfortable home and he can employ a tutor for their two sons so that they can have better prospects than he did. However, he is always aware that one false step could result in him angering somebody with the power to bend the Law and all he has worked for could be wrenched from him.

Another person who has risen from living on the streets is Simon’s assistant, Jane, a young woman who can blend into her surroundings so that she becomes invisible and is swift and deadly with her knife, which she sharpens every day before she goes out. After years of not allowing anybody into her life, even when she was living in Simon and Rosie’s house, Jane is now living with kind Mrs Shields who has taught her how to read and write. Despite Jane’s bitter, self-contained and angry personality, she has learned how to love the frail old lady and is happy care for her, although sometimes their roles are reversed, and Mrs Shields has to tend Jane when she has been injured. Jane has discovered the empowerment that reading and writing has given her and revels in the joy of losing herself in a fictional world. Jane knows how much she owes Simon for enabling her to make her new life and will always help him if he asks for her assistance. However, she has not forgiven Simon for preventing her from killing a man who had wronged her, and a gulf has grown between them, even though she knows he did it to prevent her from being arrested and executed for murder.

When Simon is summoned to meet an unknown client in a remote location, he goes fully armed, aware that it could be a trap, but the person who meets him is the wealthy and influential Captain Holcomb who wishes to employ him to recover some papers that one of their maids has stolen from his house before she ran away. Simon thinks this is odd, as the maid is unlikely to be able to read and will be unaware of any value the papers may have. Captain Holcomb is annoyingly non-committal about the papers’ contents although he admits they were written by his late father, a magistrate hated for his cruel treatment of poor people whom he considered were not staying in their suitably subservient situations. Despite this lack of information, Simon agrees to work on retrieving the papers. However, as he investigates, violent deaths occur and Simon has to tread carefully, caught between the demands of his client and those of Constable Porter. Soon Simon’s search for the papers is driven by his belief that those who have been murdered deserve justice even if they are poor and powerless.

Although Jane helps Simon with his investigation, she has another even darker matter to look into. She discovers that men are kidnapping very young girls from respectable homes and selling them to other men who are wealthy and outwardly respectable. Any girls who are too old to meet the predators’ requirements are thrown onto the streets where they lack any of the street urchins’ ability to survive. This is a crime that unites Jane, Rosie, Simon, Constable Porter and an untried new helper, and they are determined to save the lost children if they can and get justice for them, although they know it could cost them all they have, even their lives.

The Scream of Sins is the sixth book in the series featuring Simon Westow and his team of thief takers. It is a dark and deeply disturbing evocation of the lives of the poor in nineteenth century Leeds. What has happened to the abducted girls is appalling but equally cruel is the number of small children who struggle to live on the streets, possessing no hope or any ambition other than to survive. The characters are an engaging mixture of ruthlessness, courage and integrity; the plot is fascinating, and the historical atmosphere is superbly depicted. This is moving and exciting novel which I wholeheartedly recommend.
------
Reviewer: Carol Westron
For Lizzie Sirett (Mystery People Group)

[David Prestidge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leeds, Autumn 1824. Simon Westow is engaged by a retired military man, Captain Holcomb, to recover some papers which have been stolen from his house. They concern the career of his father, a notoriously hard-line magistrate.
Westow takes the job, but is concerned when Holcomb refuses to reveal what might be in the missing papers, thus preventing the thief taker from narrowing down a list of suspects. As is often the case in this excellent series, what begins as case of simple theft turns much darker when murder raises its viler and misshapen head.

Jane, Westow's sometime assistant, has taken a step back from the work as, under the kind attention of Catherine Shields, she is learning that there is a world outside the dark streets she used to inhabit. The lure of books and education is markedly different from the law of the knife, and a life spent lurking in shadowy alleys. Nevertheless, she agrees to come back to help Westow with his latest case, which has turned sour. When Westow, suspecting there is more to the case than meets the eye, refuses to continue looking for the missing documents, Holcomb threatens to sue him and ruin his reputation.

More or less by accident, Westow and Jane have uncovered a dreadful series of crimes which may connected to the Holcomb documents. Young girls - and it seems the younger the better - have been abducted for the pleasure of certain wealth and powerful 'gentlemen'. Jane, galvanised by her own bitter memories of being sexually abused by her father, meets another youngster from the streets, Sally.

Sally is a mirror image of Jane in her younger days - street-smart, unafraid of violence, and an expert at wielding a viciously honed knife. Jane hesitates in recruiting the child to a way of life she wishes to move away from, but the men involved in the child abuse must be brought down, and Sally's apparent innocence is a powerful weapon.

As ever in Nickson's Leeds novels, whether they be these, the Victorian era Tom Harper stories, or those set in the 1940s and 50s, the city itself is a potent force in the narrative. The contrast between the grinding poverty of the underclass - barely surviving in their insanitary slums - and the growing wealth of the merchants and factory owners could not be starker. The paradox is not just a human one. The River Aire is the artery which keeps the city's heart beating, but as it flows past the mills and factories, it is coloured by the poison they produce. Yet, at Kirkstall, where it passes the stately ruins of the Abbey it is still - at least in the 1820s - a pure stream home to trout and grayling. Just an hour's walk from Westow's beat, there are moors, larks high above, and air unsullied by sulphur and the smoke of foundry furnaces.

The scourge of paedophilia is not something regularly used as subject matter in crime fiction, perhaps because it is - and this is my personal view - if not the worst of all crimes, then at least as bad as murder. Yes, the victims that survive may still live and breathe, but their innocence has been ripped away and, in its place, has been implanted a mental and spiritual tumour for which there is no treatment. Two little girls are rescued by Westow, Jane and Sally and are restored to their parents, but what living nightmares await them in the years to come we will never know.

I have come to admire Nickson's passion for his city and its history, and his skill at making characters live and breathe is second to none, but in this powerful and haunting novel he reminds us that we are only ever a couple of steps from the abyss.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thank NetGalley and Severn House for an advance reader copy of The Scream of Sins. All opinions and comments are my own.

It’s 1824 in the dark and dreary streets of Leeds. Thief-taker Simon Westow, six books in, as good as he is at his job, knows he must ever be vigilant. Hired by a wealthy man to retrieve a stolen packet of historical family papers, Simon finds that the real story hides a sordid tale (a note for readers -- eventually involving children), in The Scream of Sins.

The City of Leeds is as usual brought to life, every trash-chocked alley, every soot-laden, creaking dwelling laid bare to scrutiny. Always, a character in itself. And its inhabitants; be prepared for the sadness of the stories that Jane – reluctantly working for Simon again – encounters among the ragamuffin children she deals with as she searches for information. Jane, and a new character that’s being introduced, are caught up in this story as the pages fly along, and you will be as enraged as they are by what’s found out.

The case gets personally complicated, for Simon. And for Jane, there’s personal danger, in a gruesome way that many may find unsettling. Eventually, as there must always be an end, the truth of it all comes out. In an Author’s Note Chris Nickson mentions that this is a very dark book. And it is, no doubt about it. But author Nickson takes a sordid topic and uses it to remind us that as horrific as the truth can be, there are fictional people like Simon Westow and his contemporaries to see that justice is dealt to the perpetrators.

The plotting is impeccable as always, the characters clever, complicated, and finely drawn, and the book offers up a skillful reveal by an author experienced at his craft. The Scream of Sins is not an easy book to read, but readers will enjoy it just the same.

[Viccy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simon Westow, thief-taker in 19th century Leeds, is hired to find some documents stolen from an Army officer. The suspect is the missing upstairs maid and her boyfriend. However, when Sophie's body is found and then the missing boyfriend, Simon suspects there is more going on than his employer is telling him. During the search, Westow's assistant, Jane, begins to hear rumors of a ring of men kidnapping very young girls and selling them. Simon is horrified. He resigns his job and devotes himself to finding this ring of slavers. But, then his family is threatened and Jane is badly beaten. Simon knows he must uncover not just the ring of slavers, but the truth behind the missing documents that seem to be at the center of the murders. Another fascinating entry in this well-researched and written series.

[MDM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scream of Sins is the sixth of the Simon Westow series. Simon, his wife Rosie, and their partner Jane are on the hunt for a thief, but their client won't give them enough details to do the job. In the course of their investigation, they turn up someone even more evil than a document thief. Someone is kidnapping little girls and horribly misusing them.

This is a very dark story, and should probably come with trigger warnings for some. The characters in the series continue to develop nicely, and a new street urchin joining the Westow team promises to introduce an interesting new back story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[... Lost Bookland... · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but immensely impactful, The Scream of Sins by Chris Nickson delivers a gripping historical mystery set in the dark, atmospheric streets of 1824 Leeds. The novel follows Simon Westow, a dedicated thief-taker, as he is hired by Captain Holcomb to recover stolen papers that could ruin his family. As the case unfolds, it reveals a horrifying web of deceit and murder, exposing the abduction and exploitation of young girls by the wealthy. With his assistant Jane, who brings her own dark past and street smarts to the table, Simon delves into the city’s dangerous underbelly. Nickson’s vivid portrayal of the period, combined with complex character development and a suspenseful narrative, makes this a standout read that leaves a lasting impression.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC for this book for an author I have been wanting to read for a bit and I am so glad I finally did!

The atmospheric historic mystery takes place in Leeds. Simon the thief taker is assisted by an unusual group of helpers in solving the loss of some missing family papers for a client.

There is a lot of action and the characters are fun to read. There are allusions to other incidents in the characters’ lives which makes me want to read more of the books in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Severn House for an entertaining ARC from this author.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leeds 1824. Simon Westow is hired to find some missing documents of Major Holcombe. Suspicion fall on a maid that went missing at the same time. But events accelerate as people go missing, and bodies are discovered. Has Westow unearthed a possible network of child abductions and abuse.
An interesting historical mystery of a dark subject, with its cast of likeable characters. Another good addition to this enjoyable series.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Avril Hemingway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read from this author. His research accurately captures a time and place in history with authentic descriptions and the character's are clever and finely drawn. It was a short read on quite a dark topic which is still around today ie human trafficking. Which sadly shows we haven't come as far as we think from regency times. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lori D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leeds 1824

An atmospheric somewhat dark mystery with ties to what is actually going on in the world today.
This is the first book I have read from this author but will not be the last! I need to catch up on this series.

Thief taker, Simon is applied named as he finds and takes back items that have been stolen. This one leads him to an underworld that is unexpected, but with the help of Jane, who can go places he cannot, the journey is on..

Excellent.

[Emily Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not up to this author's usual higher standard. The book ran too long and had multiple typos such as missing quotation marks, "her" instead of "him," and similar errors. Hopefully author's next book is better.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book in the Simon Weston series. This was even darker than the others but it always is when abducting children is involved. It was well done. I liked the ending with Jane and the introduction of Sally

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Consistently interesting and exciting historical mysteries.

[William Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this historical mystery series. The characters are well-developed and engaging.