The Hocus Girl

November 15, 2018
Simon Westow is a thief-taker in nineteenth-century Leeds, England. For a fee, he can be hired to recover lost or stolen property, and his success has helped him build a thriving business. So it's not surprising when wealthy businessman John Milner approaches Simon to ask him to find Milner's daughter, who has been kidnapped. Simon's never been asked to find a person before, but for the two gold sovereigns Milner offers, he's willing to try. Unfortunately, he can't find a trace of the girl. Simon eventually learns, to his shock, that Hannah's kidnapping is part of a much larger plot planned by Julius White, an old dangerous enemy who was convicted of murder on Simon's evidence and transported to Australia a decade earlier. Simon thought White was gone for good, but it appears he's back and out for revenge against everyone in Leeds who ever offended him, particularly Simon. This gripping read offers authentic period ambience, vivid characters, crisp dialogue, and plenty of twists.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

November 1, 2019
Leeds, England, 1822. Thief-taker Simon Westow finds stolen items, in return for which his customers pay him handsomely. But he also rights wrongs and tries to keep his city free from crime and corruption. When his good friend Davey Ashton is accused of sedition and jailed, Simon can't believe it. Davey is sometimes outspoken in his views, but a seditionist? Never. As Simon tries to free his friend, he hears rumors that a government spy is behind Davey's imprisonment, as well as that of others, also falsely accused of sedition. Then Simon's friend George Ericsson asks for help in finding a valuable ring that was stolen by a girl who hocussed him by spiking his drink. As Simon and his assistant, Jane, investigate, the two cases begin to converge into a dark plot that threatens not only Simon and Jane, but also Simon's wife and their two little boys. Nickson's latest combines multiple twists, vivid descriptions of life in the early nineteenth century, strong characters, and a surprising ending. A perfect read-alike for David Liss' popular series starring another British thief-taker, Benjamin Weaver.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

Starred review from November 25, 2019
Set in 1822 Leeds, British author Nickson’s outstanding sequel to 2019’s The Hanging Psalm finds thief-taker Simon Westow helping Emily Ashton and her brother, Davey Ashton, who rescued Simon from the streets in the previous book. When Davey is arrested on sedition charges, Emily fears Davey could be transported to Australia for life under a new law enacted out of the British government’s fear of domestic unrest. An ambitious local magistrate accuses Davey of seven instances of incitement, including one for which Simon knows Davey is innocent. As the investigator looks into what lies behind the accusations, aided by his capable and deadly young assistant, Jane, the inquiry turns violent. Simon also lands an affluent client, a timber merchant who was fleeced of his valuables by a “hocus girl,” who drugged his drink, and who becomes more of a threat when Jane learns that the mystery girl has identified Jane’s most vital secrets. The clever plot, which doesn’t center on a whodunit, is based on real events. Historical mysteries don’t get much better than this. Agent: Tina Betts, Andrew Mann Agency (U.K.).

Starred review from November 1, 2019
A thief-taker--someone hired to "find what had been stolen and return it for a fee"--and his assistant risk their lives to help friends. In 1822, Leeds is already crowded with factories staffed by the desperately poor, and the wealthy owners are worried about revolution. Although thief-taker Simon Westow and his wife, Rosie, understand what it's like to have nothing, they've made a good life for themselves, their twin boys, and Simon's assistant, Jane, who lives in their house. Simon and Rosie know nothing of Jane's past but recognize her ghostlike abilities and her skill with a knife as valuable assets in solving mysteries (The Hanging Psalm, 2018). Siblings Emily and Davey Ashton often fed and housed Simon when he was a penniless teen. So when Davey, who dreams of equality, is arrested for sedition, Simon will stop at nothing to save him. Ambitious magistrate Thomas Curzon seems to be spying on and arresting people who protest the awful conditions they must endure; his vicious bodyguard, Whittaker, does the dirty work. Busy with well-paid jobs of recovering stolen property from people like Charlotte Winter, a hocus girl who drugs men and steals their valuables, Simon resolves to track down the spy who helps Curzon get people arrested on bogus charges. In this he's helped by Jane's uncanny ability to know when she's being followed. He finally hears about Dodd, a mysterious suspect who's traveling with a woman. But this intelligence comes too late to stop Whittaker from going on a killing spree simply because he enjoys it. Soon after Jane removes her savings from a box she'd hidden in the woods and brings it to the home of Catherine Shields, a motherly woman who's the only person she loves, she sees Charlotte digging up the empty box. When Catherine, who refuses to reveal the hiding place, is beaten by the thief, Jane cannot fathom how anyone could know her secret. Using every resource at their command, she and Simon work to free Davey and take revenge on the people who are killing to cover up myriad crimes. This historical tour de force reminds readers who come for the mystery that life hasn't changed for the disenfranchised.

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.