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.)