Two Bronze Pennies

D.I. Tom Harper is looking forward to a long winter’s nap on this Christmas Eve in Leeds in 1890; unfortunately, he’s not going to get it. The stabbing death of a young man in the poverty-stricken Jewish district is causing quite a stir. Not only was the man stabbed, his body was posed in the shape of a cross and two pennies were placed over his eyes. Was this some sort of hate crime directed at the Jewish community? Meanwhile Capitaine Bertrand Muyere has arrived in Leeds looking for Louis LePrince, a French inventor who has mysteriously disappeared. Is there some connection to the two cases?

Nickson places the reader right into a pea-souper. I could feel the fog on my face and see the flickering gaslights piercing the darkness. A terrific, atmospheric mystery

The main characters in Two Bronze Pennies reach out from the pages to welcome you into their world. It is a tale of strong contrasts. with exquisitely crafted dialogue. Between the covers of this absorbing novel resides an opportunity to observe a world that is different to our modern one in some ways and, sadly, not at all different in many important ways. The reader is presented with vicarious experiences such as the sensation of being intermittently partially deaf, of the discombobulation of recovering from serious injury, the infectious fear and associated anger of the persecuted . Yet there is an underlying message of good love and hope, of the potential for realisation of dreams through overcoming fears and looking into and beyond the situations that threaten to overwhelm. Like all Chris Nickson novels this one left me feeling pleased that the main issue had been resolved in a plausible manner, but also wondering what will happen next in the character's lives. I do wish there was another book in this series waiting so that I could begin reading it straight away.

As a fan of the books of Alex Grecian and as someone with an interest in Victorian crime, this book grabbed my attention from the outset. The characters are well-written and likeable and the author manages to give a real insight into issues affecting Victorian Leeds. I particularly enjoyed the character of Annabelle as, in many Victorian novels, wives are hidden away in the background - it was good too see a woman of independent means who also manages to support her husband's career.

Based on this book, I would definitely read more books in the series. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

A police procedural set in 1890s Leeds, England. Recommend for anyone who likes historical crime and BBC Ripper Street.

The compelling second installment in Nickson's police procedural series set in 19th-century Leeds effectively continues the stories of detective Tom Harper, his wife Annabelle, the circle of friends and colleagues around them in a mystery set primarily in and around the city's Jewish community. The historic plight of the Jews and the present-day peril they face as vigilante groups in 1891 Leeds protest their presence with violence are colorfully and accurately evoked, as are historical incidents including the tragic Wortley fire and the disappearance of inventor Louis Le Prince. The pacing of the story is excellent, the characters are convincing, and Victorian Leeds emerges vividly from the page.

Two Bronze Pennies Chris Nickson

As with all Nickson’s books, this one is set in Leeds. It’s the most recent outing in the newer series featuring Detective Tom Harper, and is set in 1890. Tom is recently married to Annabelle, who is the landlady of the Victoria Pub, and manages a couple of local bakeries. It’s December, Christmas Eve, and cold, when Harper is called out to the Jewish quarter of the city; the Leylands. The body of a young man, stabbed, with two bronze pennies covering his eyes, is laid out in the street. The young man, only 17 years old, is quickly identified as the rabbi’s nephew, Abraham Levy. Is the murder something to do with the local hatred of the Jews? Was the perpetrator someone involved with a shady group, who meet in pubs and plan violence? Are they working on their own, or is someone organizing their actions? As well as investigating the murder, Harper has something else to keep him busy, the imminent arrival of a French detective, Bertrand Muyrère who’s coming to try to find out what happened to someone called Louis Le Prince, the inventor of moving pictures. A Frenchman who married a girl from Leeds, invented his camera, and had disappeared during a visit to France, somewhere between Dijon and Paris. Harper has been asked to help Bertrand interview the family and help him with his investigations.
An interesting mix of stories, and backstories ensues. Sergeant Reed goes undercover to find out more about the group of thugs that might be involved, putting his own life in danger. There is a wealth of interesting detail about the life of the Jews in Leeds, and the various prejudices. The Jews themselves feel threatened, don’t trust the police and have their own vigilante group, the Golem, which tries to protect them from harm. More murders ensue, but slowly and surely Harper discovers the perpetrators. A good mix of characters, and some nice historical detail make this an enjoyable read.

(review submitted to Eurocrime.co.uk)

Christmas Eve, 1890. Detective Inspector Tom Harper is settling in for the holidays with his new wife when he’s pulled from cozy domesticity into the bitter cold to investigate the murder of a young Jewish man, left with two bronze pennies on his eyes. Soon a synagogue is also set ablaze, and Harper’s superiors need perpetrators in the cells before the fear and unrest sparked in the city’s Jewish quarter blooms into something far more dangerous.

This is the second Tom Harper mystery, and it’s another well-written foray into 19th-century Leeds. Harper is infinitely likable, and both he and the secondary characters are well-developed and engaging. These are people the reader is made to care about, their backstories providing depth to the mystery and counterpoint to the grind of police procedural. Nickson is skillful in both his excellent grasp of dialogue and his portrayal of Industrial Age Leeds, as well as the prejudices of its inhabitants and the plight of its Jewish population. In sum: another well-executed and enjoyable mystery from an author accomplished in this genre. I look forward to the next in the series.
-- Published in Historical Novels Review, Issue 73, August 2015

This book was not a stand out for me. It may have just not been the right book for the right reader.