On Copper Street by Chris Nickson

On Copper Street by Chris Nickson ISBN-13: 9780727886965 Hardcover: 224 pages Publisher: Severn House Released: June 1, 2017

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Leeds, England. March, 1895. The day after his release from prison, petty criminal Henry White is found stabbed to death at his terraced home on Copper Street. Pursuing inquiries in a neighborhood where people are suspicious of strangers and hostile to the police, DI Tom Harper and his team find the investigation hard going. If anyone knows anything about Henry White s murder or the robbery that landed him in gaol in the first place they are unable or unwilling to say.

At the same time, acid is thrown over a young boy in a local bakery in a seemingly unprovoked attack. Praying for a breakthrough, Harper knows that he must uncover the motive in each case if he is to have any chance of catching the culprits.


My Review:
On Copper Street is a mystery set in 1895 in England. It's the fifth book in a series. You don't need to read the previous books to understand this story, and this book didn't spoil the previous mysteries.

The main character was a police detective who's offered a chance at promotion (involving mainly office work) while he's in the middle of several stubborn cases. It's a grim, gloomy story. Several of his friends died from natural causes, the death-by-murder body count was high, and several innocent people were disfigured, disabled, or died in an accident.

The detectives carefully followed up each lead, but the clues were so vague that they didn't clearly point to anyone. In the end, it was a lucky accident that raised Harper's suspicions. Though this wasn't a puzzle-mystery, whodunit was the only person that I (mildly) suspected. The historical details were a backdrop to the story and involved things like his wife's political activities.

There was no sex. There was a fair amount of bad language (including British bad language). Overall, I'd recommend this story.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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