No precious truth

Cathy Marsden is one of a handful of female police officers in Leeds, England, during WWII. She's proven herself competent and capable, but she's still surprised when her commanding officer tells her she's being seconded to the Special Investigation Branch (SIB), a new department set up to deal with military crimes. At the briefing for her first SIB case, she's shocked to see her older brother, Daniel, who fled to London years ago. He is now part of a special government committee that works on turning German spies into double agents. However, one of his agents--a man called Jan Minuit--is apparently still spying for Germany. Daniel says Minuit may be in Leeds to destroy key armament and equipment factories, so it's vital to find him before he can carry out his deadly mission. The search is demanding, delicate, and discouraging--every time Cathy and her colleagues seem about to close in on Minuit, he disappears. A brave, plucky, likable heroine, a twist-a-minute plot, and heart-wrenching details about the effects of war make this a good choice for fans of historical wartime mysteries.

Nickson (the Simon Westow mysteries) delivers a sturdy historical series launch set in his native Leeds. In 1941, Leeds copper Cathy Marsden has just been transferred to the police force's Special Investigation Branch, which is dedicated to investigating "big crimes that involve the army." While SIB's focus is overseas, there's plenty on the home front to keep them busy, including war deserters running black market rackets. One day, Cathy's older brother, security service officer Daniel, brings her a different kind of case. Daniel has been assigned to an MI5 committee that turns German spies captured on British soil into double agents. One such turncoat, Jan Minuit, has escaped his British supervisors and is reportedly headed for Leeds, possibly to complete his original mission: destroying facilities crucial to the Allied war effort, including a bomber factory. In the midst of tracing Minuit, Cathy is assigned a murder case in her SIB capacity, which may connect to her and Daniel's hunt. As always, the author's meticulous period detail and tender character development help this rise above similar fare. Here's hoping Nickson has another long-running series on his hands. (Apr.)

Nickson adds a new series to his collection of delightful Leeds-based historical mysteries. In February 1941, World War II is making life treacherous for British citizens. Rescuing a child from death by tram is just part of Cathy Marsden's duties as a police sergeant who's been seconded to the Special Investigation Branch. One day, to her surprise, her older brother Daniel--who's always been the clever, ambitious one in the family--shows up at the SIB office; turns out he works for MI5, though he'd always told Cathy that he just "worked for the government." Now he's been given the job of finding Jan Minuit, a Dutch engineer working for Germany, and Cathy is assigned to work with him, in addition to her regular work. The SIB's current focus is finding Jackie Connor, a deserter and crook involved in most of Leeds' criminal goings-on. Cathy's boss notices the tension between her and Dan, but they assure him they can work together on what may be the most important case of her life. Most German spies have been identified and either turned to work for the British, imprisoned, or shot. Minuit, who's escaped his handler, was apparently sent to England to sabotage the war effort, and he could cause tremendous damage. Several local plants making war materials seem the most likely targets, so security is beefed up. SIB launches a massive hunt for Minuit, and Cathy uses all her contacts to turn up a woman police officer who's pretty sure she's seen him. Penniless when he vanished, Minuit has managed to acquire money, a false identity, and dynamite. When the WPC notices Minuit again, she follows him and is attacked. Despite spending many freezing nights in a backyard air raid shelter, Cathy pushes hard to find the spy, who may be using Jackie Connor to further his ends. A rousing wartime drama with a protagonist determined to fight both the enemy and the stigma against female police officers. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.