A Rage of Souls

by Chris Nickson

Dark secrets. Perplexing murders. A tangled puzzle.

Leeds, 1826. Thieftaker Simon Westow is watching Frederick Fox – a local crook who recently returned to Leeds with his wife after receiving a mysterious pardon from the gallows.

With the help of his assistants, Jane and Sally, Simon tracks the Foxes to a property in the city – and discovers a body. What is the connection between the dead man and Fox, and is there a link to Fox’s imprisonment?

When a brutal killer strikes again, Simon struggles to make sense of the chilling mystery. Nothing adds up as he is drawn into a twisted maze of murder and deception. Can he solve the conundrum before more deaths occur?

This unputdownable historical mystery set in nineteenth-century Leeds is perfect for fans of Anne Perry, Charles Finch, C.S. Harris and Andrea Penrose.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical

240 pages, Hardcover

Published October 7, 2025

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. The year is 1826, as we once again join thief taker Simon Westow.

This time around, Simon is employed to watch Frederick Fox, a Leeds criminal who was convicted of a serious crime and sentenced to be hanged, strangely though, and to everyone’s surprise, he was pardoned and released. He’s arrived back in Leeds with his wife, and it appears he’s out for revenge.

As ever, Simon has the help of his assistants, Jane and Sally, with the additional help of his wife Rosie, as and when needed. As it turns out, they’ll all be needed to catch Fox. Between them though, they make for a formidable team!

When a body is found, it appears that the dead man had some connection to Fox, and so the mystery begins, with our team being drawn deeper into a mire of murder and deception.

Further to the Fox investigation, the team are dragged into the world of child poverty and homelessness. Some wealthy, dangerous and cruel individuals, believe that these homeless children can be used as sport, but be assured, Simon and his team won’t stand for this in any way, shape or form.

Once again I’ve really enjoyed the latest in the Simon Westow series. I love the sense of old Leeds with its cobbled streets, the houses huddled together against the chill whipping off the River Aire, the friendly community, and the good old fashioned detection work before the advent of technology.
The storyline was gripping, the characters are relatable and come fully fleshed, not least the women, who contrary to expectations for this period in history, are just as independent and capable as their menfolk. Lastly, the author's meticulous research is evident throughout the book, demonstrating a clear commitment to accuracy and detail.
 Another great read from Chris Nickson, who remains one of my favourite authors when it comes to historical fiction.

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

[eyes.2c · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mysterious and dangerous happenings!

Simon Westow, the thief taker is puzzled.
He’d been hired by James Barton to find Frederick Fox. Fox had lured Barton in to trusting him to sell a gold bracelet of his wife’s. Fox seemed trustworthy until the day he wasn’t and absconded with the bracelet. Simon captured him and Fox was for the gallows.
He was due to be hanged but at the eleventh hour was pardoned. No one could work out why. A number of theories were put forward.
Now surprisingly, James Barton employs Simon again. Fox has been following him. Barton wants Simon to keep him safe
However Fox and his wife seem to have disappeared. Is James imagining things or is something else at play?
Neither Simon, his wife Rosie, nor Jane and Sally, the young women who worked with him can find the Fox’s.
Sally has been assisting a group of children who live on the streets. They’ve been terrorised by some young upper class men including Barton’s son Andrew.
Jane and Sally plan to repel the men. They’re successful, but the men return and trap Sally, beating her badly.
There’s a curious relationship between Andrew Barton and Fox’s wife. When she’s found dead matters become graver. Bodies begin to pile up.
Westow’s family, including those he’s brought into the fold, is growing and changing. Wonderful to follow their lives.
A very slippery mystery for Simon and his rag tag group of assistants. They win through, but as Alice says things are, “curiouser and curiouser!”

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

[Viccy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simon Westow is a thief-taker in 1826 Leeds. His job is tracking down criminals for pay He is hired by a wealthy man when Frederick Fox returns to Leeds after a mysterious pardon that took place on the gallows where he was to hang. Simon was badly wounded in a recent case and he must rely heavily on his wife, Rosie, and his two assistants, Jane and Sally. They discover a body where Fox and his wife has been staying, but no one knows where they have disappeared to, which is odd because in the city of Leeds, Simon knows everything and everybody. More bodies begin to pile up, including Fox's wife and the son of Simon's client. What is the link to Fox's imprisonment? How was he pardoned? What crimes are being committed in Leeds, right under the noses of Simon and the watch? This is the end of a superb series by Chris Nickson. Simon is unable to pursue his career now that he is injured. Jane wants to retire to her corner and read and garden. If you are looking for an excellent historical mystery series, you cannot go wrong with any of Nickson's several series, all set in Leeds, covering several periods of history. The research is excellent and the characters come to life. The focus on the common people of Leeds is a nice change from all the mysteries that focus on the aristocracy.

[Elizabeth Sirett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simon Westow knows about hardship: he endured a harsh childhood and had escaped from factory work to build up his reputation as a respected thief taker in his native Leeds. Now Simon is happily married to his wife, Rosie, they are proud of their twin sons and Simon is determined that they shall have the education and opportunities in life that he did not have.

It is 1821, and a year ago, Simon’s plans received a serious setback when he was badly injured. Although the surgeon managed to save his leg, he still suffers constant pain and knows he will have to live with many restrictions on his mobility that will make running and defending himself much harder than before. This could make continuing with his career as a thief taker very difficult. Fortunately, now that their sons are at school all day, Simon’s wife is eager to help with his work, as she used to do before their sons were born. Also, he has two assistants, both young females who have survived living on the streets and have great skills at blending into their surroundings when they watch and follow people; they are both dangerous knife fighters and are ruthless in punishing those that transgress against them, or against those they wish to protect.

Jane, the elder assistant, is now a young woman; she lives with Mrs Shields, a well-born, well-educated woman who has welcomed Jane into her home. Mrs Shields has taught Jane to read, and losing herself in fictional books has become Jane’s greatest pleasure. Sally, the younger assistant, is a very different character, she lives with Simon and Rosie in their home and is like a sister to their sons. Sally still feels great attachment to the children living on the streets and goes out to visit them regularly and uses much of the money Simon pays her to supply the children with food. Despite his lack of mobility, Simon is still the head of the thief taking firm who decides which jobs they will accept and how they will approach the work. All of the team have different skills and different informants, but Simon is in charge because very few clients would accept a woman in the role of thief taker.

When wealthy businessman James Barton employs Simon to retrieve a valuable bracelet the case seems relatively simple: Barton has been unwise enough to allow a plausible conman to take away the bracelet on the pretence of showing it to a prospective buyer. The man has made locating him quite simple by retaining the same name, Frederick Fox, and Simon and his assistants set a trap and capture Fox and his wife and recover the bracelet. Because of the value of the stolen jewellery, Fox has committed a capital crime and is condemned to death. Simon’s client is satisfied and pays well, and they all assume that is the last they will hear of Fox, apart from possibly reading of his execution in the newspapers. They are wrong. In some unknown way, Fox receives a pardon and returns to Leeds. Barton feels threatened and again employs Simon to ensure his own and his family’s safety. Jane finds the task of following Fox and his wife surprisingly hard, and it is evident that the couple are highly skilled at avoiding surveillance. However, when Simon goes to check out a property that Fox and his wife have links to, he discovers a dead body. As well as wondering what Fox’s connection is with the dead man, Simon and his assistants struggle to make sense of why Fox is targeting Barton, and, if he wants revenge, what form it will take. At the same time, Sally and Jane are spending their nights protecting the vulnerable children who live on the streets and who are being attacked by violent, drunk young men. These men have wealth and power and find it amusing to harm those who have very little and, they believe, will be unable to retaliate. In the Fox investigation and in the attacks on the children there are some slight overlaps, then the violence escalates, and more deaths occur. Soon it becomes clear that this could be the most dangerous investigation that Simon and his assistants have ever undertaken.

A Rage of Souls is the eighth novel in the series that features Simon Westow. It is a powerful book, with superb historical details, and strong, believable characters, the core group of whom are very engaging. Also, it has a complex plot that never flinches away from telling unpalatable truths. Although the book is set in the early nineteenth century, the themes explored in A Rage of Souls are timeless and universal. This is an excellent read, which I thoroughly recommend.
------
Reviewer: Carol Westron
For Lizzie Sirett (Mystery People Group)

[David Prestidge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This begins as one of the most baffling and impenetrable of Simon Westow’s cases. We are in Leeds, 1826. He solves a case of fraud, the fraudster is sentence to hang, but reprieved. He then returns with his wife to shadow the man he originally tried to defraud. The man, who calls himself Fox, seems connected to his victim, a Mr Barton, via Barton’s wayward son, Andrew. Westow, like Ulysses in Tennyson’s great poem, no longer has “that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven,” due to a serious wound sustained in a previous case, but his eyes, ears – and legs on the street are provided by his lethal young assistants Jane and Sally.

One of Nickson’s many skills as a writer is to point out the dramatic contrast between the industrial stink of Leeds and the uncorrupted countryside not many miles outside the city. Andrew Barton goes missing, so Jane and the boy’s anxious father make the journey in a chaise towards Tadcaster. Jane investigates the ancient church of St Mary, Lead, solitary and empty in a lonely field. Near the church runs the Cock Beck, which was reported to have run red with blood during the nearby Battle of Towton in 1461, and as she crosses the stream , she makes a terrible discovery.

Quietly, Nickson references the timeless joy of reading. Jane, once an illiterate street urchin, has been taught to read by Mrs Shields, the old lady who has become the mother she never had. Now, Jane spends her spare hours immersed in the novels of Sir Walter Scott and James Fenimore Cooper, borrowed from the circulating library. The printed words take Jane away from the perils and drudgery of her own existence to a world of daring, adventure and hope. In his own way. Nickson does precisely the same thing.

There is a deep sense of poetry in the book, not just in the words, but in the juxtaposition of images. The book begins with Jane witnessing the result of a horrifying industrial accident. A young girl is being roughly carried to the surgeon, her leg mangled beyond repair. This haunts Jane throughout the book, but then, near the end, there is a kind of redemption. One of the regular characters who ekes out a living on Westow’s streets is Davy, the blind fiddler. Jane’s trauma is redeemed:

“Up by the market cross, Davy Cassidy was playing a sprightly tune that ended as she drew close. He gazed around with his sightless eyes and a girl appeared whispering a word into his ear. He lifted his bow and began to play again, low, mournful. Then the girl stepped forward and began to sing. Jane knew her face. She’d lived with it for months. She’d seen it contorted with pain as the girl was carried from the mill, her leg in shreds. Then when it returned night after night in her dreams. Now she was here, one-legged, supported by a crutch, a voice as unearthly sweet as a visitation as she sang about a girl who moved through the fair. She stood transfixed as a disbelief fragmented and disappeared. The pain she’d heard in the girl that day in February had become beauty. The small crowd was silent, caught in the words, the singing while the world receded around them. The last note ended, a stunned silence, then applause and people pushing forward to put coins into the hat on the ground.”

Eventually, by a mixture of judgment perseverance and good fortune, the mysterious Fox is run to ground in a bloodthirsty finale. A Rage of Souls is Chris Nickson at his best – complex, compelling and, above all. compassionate. It will be published by Severn House on 7th October.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

" Where there is anger, there's always pain underneath." (Eckhart Tolle)

Chris Nickson delivers, once again, with his latest book in the Simon Westow Series. There's a theme stitched into this one that carries throughout these pages. When anger is ignited, it flares into uncontrollable rage. That full-out rage stems from the inability to find your footing while fate leans in hard and oppressive. Fairness takes to the wind and you're left empty in its aftermath.

Nickson is like a literary artist who paints the landscape of Leeds in 1826. He does it so well. We sit in almost surround sound as the streets take on their hum around us. The factories with their tall smokestacks emit black smoke into the air. Horses drop their gifts onto the cobblestone roads while windows open up and the slush of chamber pots splash onto the streets. And yet, the inhabitants take to these same streets headed to the market as they begin their day.

Simon Westow, the local thief-taker, has been contacted to find Frederick Fox and his wife. It seems that Fox has a con game of helping himself to other people's riches. His wife has learned the tricks of the trade from her husband. But when Mrs. Fox's body is found in a nearby stream, Fox is the main suspect. Simon works with the local constable in order to find the elusive Fox.

Simon had been injured in the past and his leg is still painful and stiff. He depends on his band of cohorts which include Rosie, his wife, and Jane and Sally who are especially street-wise and aces when it comes to mastering a knife. This crew is also talented at tailing a suspect through the streets of Leeds unseen.

But things will get personal when Sally is attacked by a band of men in the night. She will be left near helpless. Jane takes it upon herself to nurse Sally back to her former self if that's even possible.

A Rage of Souls is a slow burner throughout as Simon and his crew follow the clues. Fox lives up to his name. He's a sly one. Leeds, itself, is filled with dark streets and plenty of hidey-holes for the evil to gravitate towards. And there's another prickly thread dealing with a man with a wayward son. He hires Simon to find the young man. These challenges will leave Simon and his crew ever so close, but not quite close enough......until BAM! Like a cannonball, the action explodes. Just you wait and see.

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.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚A Rage of Souls
✍🏻Chris Nickson
Blurb:
Dark secrets. Perplexing murders. A tangled puzzle.

Leeds, 1826. Thieftaker Simon Westow is watching Frederick Fox – a local crook who recently returned to Leeds with his wife after receiving a mysterious pardon from the gallows.

With the help of his assistants, Jane and Sally, Simon tracks the Foxes to a property in the city – and discovers a body. What is the connection between the dead man and Fox, and is there a link to Fox’s imprisonment?

When a brutal killer strikes again, Simon struggles to make sense of the chilling mystery. Nothing adds up as he is drawn into a twisted maze of murder and deception. Can he solve the conundrum before more deaths occur?

My Thoughts:
Simon Westow has become more of a supervisor than a physical thief-taker, but that just means that Jane and Sally do most of the footwork when it comes to cases. There’s plenty of that in “A Rage of Souls.” But what it comes down to is the medieval equivalent of old-time police work, whereby the return of a dodgy suspect is cause for suspicion, and when the dead bodies start pilling up, Simon has his hands full figuring out the whys and wherefores, with his two assistants working alongside him (with the able assistance of wife Rosie) to solve the puzzling case of why a man that should have been hanged is back in Leeds to cause even more mischief. Simon is worried that his injuries will eventually mean the end of his occupation. Readers worry if Jane can survive the violence and danger that is ever-present around her, most that she seems to invite. And little Sally is trying so desperately to help the homeless orphan she’s vowed to support, even after she’s attacked and left half-dead.
A Rage of Souls is the eighth novel in the series that features Simon Westow. It is a powerful book, with superb historical details, and strong, believable characters, the core group of whom are very engaging. Also, it has a complex plot that never flinches away from telling unpalatable truths. Although the book is set in the early nineteenth century, the themes explored in A Rage of Souls are timeless and universal. This is an excellent read, which I thoroughly recommend.
Thanks NetGalley, Severn House Publishing and Author Chris Nickson for the copy of "A Rage of Soul's, I am leaving my review in appreciation..
#NetGalley
#SevernHouse
#ChrisNickson
#ARageofSouls
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars. A Regency mystery series I had never heard of before, much less 8 books in? What a joy to find and read.

Simon Westow, a thief taker, in Leeds (an unusual location for a Regency mystery series) is tasked with finding out what Frederick Fox, a man mysteriously pardoned from the gallows, is doing back in Leeds with his wife. And why is he following a local business man he fleeced before? Things get even more confusing when a dead body is discovered in the house the Foxes were staying in. Is there a connection?

Simon will need the help of his assistants, Jane and Sally, both former children of the streets to track the elusive Foxes. And what is the tie-in to a group of entitled young men who are terrorizing the poor homeless children. The group will be lucky to escape with their lives before this case ends.

I thought there author provided a wonderful sense of the time and place of Leeds in the 1820s bolstered by his thorough research. This is not a frothy, gentile mystery focused on the aristocracy. In fact there are few people of the ton in sight at all. Simon is not rich and much more at home with the working class than the rich. And his assistants are more at home with poor on the streets. The characters are well developed and the women are very able to take care of themselves being poor and not protected by their men folk while still very much aware of the dangers they face as women walking the streets in the dark.

I love that this is not in London but in Leeds. I spent time there as a teenager and it has a special place in my heart. But it is not just because of that I really enjoyed the location. London and some of the other big cities have been done many times before. Leeds, not so much.

I look forward to reading the previous books in this series and any more that come out. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thank NetGalley and Severn House for an advance reader copy of A Rage of Souls. All opinions and comments are my own.

Since his injury (the reason for that is why you need to follow this series, not just this book – believe me, it’s worth it), Simon Westow has become more of a supervisor than a physical thief-taker, but that just means that Jane and Sally do most of the footwork when it comes to cases. There’s plenty of that in A Rage of Souls. But what it comes down to is the medieval equivalent of old-time police work, whereby the return of a dodgy suspect is cause for suspicion, and when the dead bodies start pilling up, Simon has his hands full figuring out the whys and wherefores, with his two assistants working alongside him (with the able assistance of wife Rosie) to solve the puzzling case of why a man that should have been hanged is back in Leeds to cause even more mischief.

The Simon Westow books are also so important for their characters and settings. Do not read one if you are expecting happiness and light. Simon is worried that his injuries will eventually mean the end of his occupation. Readers worry if Jane can survive the violence and danger that is ever-present around her, most that she seems to invite. And little Sally is trying so desperately to help the homeless urchins she’s vowed to support, even after she’s attacked and left half-dead. And the City of Leeds -- living and breathing. Thanks to the skill of author Chris Nickson, it’s as important as the people that populate these pages.

Rage of Souls is everything a good book should be, with characters and a story that grabs you and doesn’t let go from the first pages. You cannot but wish that Simon will continue to trod the city streets, with Jane and Sally by his side.

[Acantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A convicted thief, pardoned at the last moment has returned to Leeds. It isn't long before the bodies start to pile up and a frantic man hunt is underway.

This story seemed more about the side characters. Despite being called a 'Simon Westow' mystery, the focus is very much on Sally, Jane and the children. This is about them finding their way, their place in the world as much as it is about solving the mystery that is unfolding in the pages.

This is a hard time, a hard life for everyone involved and the book doesn't shy away from the reality of living in that period, no matter your age, gender, class, physical health. We see all manner of people and they are all captured perfectly within the pages. The author has a gift for creating believable characters that leap off the page with very little effort.

The mystery itself was a little weaker than I would have liked when it came to the resolution, but I enjoyed the cat and mouse feel of the chase, the way that the thief Fox seemed to slip through their fingers. He is as good as any of them, and proves a worthy foe for the book to be centred around. At least until the end. And then despite all the horrors and death that have come before, this book manages to end on a note of hope, which was very well done.

~Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review~

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in 1826 Leeds, A Rage of Souls by Chris Nickson is the next in the gritty and raw Historical Fiction series. The novel is dark, gory and violent at times, and jam packed with action. But what drew my heart in and riveted my attention were the phenomenal historical details and marvellous characterization which made me feel I was in the thick of things during the brutal Georgian era when class divisions were worlds apart. Each moment of each day, the impoverished faced constant fear and danger around every corner. The author captures this fear brilliantly.

Simon Westow was a thief taker and therefore placed himself and those around him at risk. His stabbing injury of a year ago caused him physical pain and greater wariness but he remained determined to help those who were most vulnerable and desperate. Sally and Jane's greatest desire was to use their expertise to help street urchins. Simon's wife Jane rounded out the crew, skilled and compassionate. Traps were set and lies were fashioned to catch liars, many of whom were outfoxed.

This novel will envelop you. Do not expect sunshine and roses but multiple layers of depth, believability and atmosphere.

[William Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nickson is still keeping up the suspense in this 8th book in the Simon Westow series.

His writing is excellent--I can feel the sense of Post-Industrial Revolution Leeds in the early 1800s. I can sadly almost smell the odors of the streets (where people empty their chamber pots in the morning and horse droppings riddle the cobblestone streets), and the horrible air with the factories running 6 days a week pumping soot and smoke into the air, and dumping chemicals and waste products into the River Aire.

The characters are well-developed, and the lives children lived seemed horrific. I once watched a Time Team (I believe) episode on Curiosity Stream, where they looked at bones of children that had been found while building. These kids had joints like middle-aged adults now-from all of the labor they performed 12 hours per day, 6 days per week. That is presented in this work as well. We get a sense of how every level of society lived from street-walkers up to the uber-wealthy.

Loved it. This is a series I look forward to. I should probably look at some of Nickson's other series.

[Leigh Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in the 1800’s a “Thief Taker”, his wife and the stealthy women who worked for him are tasked with finding a man involved in various crimes. They are risking their lives as the plot twists and turns with men attacking them around every corner. Will this elusive man be found? Will the hoodlums be brought to justice? Will the women survive?

I found this book to be one I enjoyed reading. The characters were brought to life with detailed descriptions which filled me with compassion for them. Their lives started in the streets and their determination to survive kept me engaged. I read this before realizing it was part of a series and I look forward to going back and starting from the first one!

[Melissa Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another terrific book from Chris Nickson featuring thief taker Simon Westow, and his family and friends. I'm enjoying the character development in this series every bit as much as the rich historical setting in Leeds, 1826.

Westow himself has been critically injured, and is moving more slowly and with a great deal more pain. He is forced to rely on his wife, and the two young women he employs. The women continue to improve their hunting skills, and it will be interesting to see where all of this goes in the next few books!

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

[Arianna Marieee · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really did enjoy this book and i loved the plot. one thing that i wasn’t a huge fan of was the pacing and i do feel like some chapters were not necessary. overall i loved the feeling that the book gave . the time period was a perfect selection in my opinion. it was my first time reading a book like this and it definitely did not disappoint!!! will definitely read more from this author in the future!!!!

[Oana-Maria Uliu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need to thank NetGalley for this volume.

Its focus is on Jane and Sally rather than on Simon and Rosie (even though the latter are involved in solving the mystery, as well).

I must say I didn't care about the Bartons or the Foxes, but I did care about Jane, Sally, and the children.

I feel there are certain details of the story that are still unclear to me. However, given the fact that the mystery itself failed to grip me, I don't really mind that.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

1826. Westow has been employed by James Barton, to watch ex-convict Frederick Fox. As Fox swindled him earlier in the year but escaped justice. But then Westow discovers a body. But this will only be the first. Who is Fox and what is his aim in being in Leeds.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its likeable and interesting main characters. Another good addition to this enjoyable series.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.