Going Back With Tom Harper

Enjoyed the heat and glorious sunshine of Whitby last Saturday. Being there set me thinking of Billy Reed, who was an important character in the first seven Tom Harper books. The eighth, The Molten City, opened with his funeral.

He was the former army man who’d fought in Afghanistan in the 1880s, given to drinking and occasional violence. The detective sergrant who worked with Tom Harper in Leeds City Police when Tom was still a detective inspector – at least, until Tom asked him to bend the truth and they fell out. He transferred to the fire brigade, rising to inspector himself, before returning to the police, in charge of the force in Whitby, the place that has always meant peace for him.

He’d married Elizabeth, a widow from Middleton with four children. She’d taken over Annabelle Harper’s three bakeries in Leeds and made a success of them. In Whitby, she ran a tea room by the market place.

Where Elizabeth had her tea room.

The family lived on Silver Street.

They were happy, becoming settled in their new life. Two sisters whod come from the Leeds workhouse lived with a family just down the road. Tom and Annbelle visited to spend a holiday on the coast.

Then Billy dropped dead of a heart attack.

Where Billy died.

The Harpers, of course, attended the funeral.

Being there made me think of the web this series has cast, the people who were a part of it. Who were all very real to me.

You know what? Now the series has ended, I miss them all.

You can pre-order Rusted Souls, the final Tom Harper novel. This is the cheapest price in hardback, with free UK postage. In the first review, Publishers Weekly starred it, saying that “a knockout conclusion that showcases Nickson’s unique blend of intricate plotting and well-rounded character development. Series devotees will be thrilled.” Can’t go better than that.