Circles of Deceit by Paul CW Beatty

 

"I would like to say that your suffering will be the last called for from workers seeking justice and proper returns for their labour, but the fact is everywhere I look I see storm clouds. There will be more, not fewer, disputes like yours in the future, and they will be across many industries, unless trade and attitudes buck up. The only comfort I can see is that, when that time comes, you will already have made your contribution and may avoid more hardship."

Circles of Deceit by Paul CW Beatty is a Victorian murder mystery set during the times of the Industrial Revolution, and addresses some of the crucial economic and social issues of the time - radicalism, poverty, riots, and violence on both sides of the conflicts. 

This is the second book in the Josiah Ainscough historical murder mysteries, which portrays the conflicts between the working class and the capitalist classes. While it might help to understand the background of the main protagonist if you start with the first book, Circles of Deceit reads perfectly well as a standalone.

We first meet Josiah Ainscough in Children of Fire, and learn that he has been brought up in the family of the Methodist Minister. He is a member of the Stockport Police Force. Intelligent and observant, Josiah makes a good detective. In the second book we watch him becoming more mature, and also more aware of the injustices of the society and the grievances of the working people. His loyalties are being changed by new circumstances.

Of late Constable Josiah Ainscough finds his duties exhausting. "There had been more petty crime, more domestic violence, and more trade disputes. The worst thing was the number of people beaten up for being, or not being, Chartists, League-men, Irish, or some other section of the community".

Invited by his guardian to attend a talk by Feargus O'Connor, the famous Chartist leader, at the Hall of Science in Manchester, his company and he find themselves in the middle of a mêlée between the Chartists and supporters of the Anti-Corn Law League. The fighting is vicious, and Josiah helps prevent the murder of the speaker. 

As it transpires later, there is a professional assassin abroad, whom the police nickname the Sneaker, and he is showing interest in killing radicals in crowds.

Josiah is given a task to keep an eye on Dianne Burrell, a prominent Chartist who might be a target on that account. She is a union organiser of women weavers, and works at the women-only mill. The police want Josiah to protect Dianne in case she's on the assassin's list.

Josiah admires Dianne's determination and strength of conviction. He cannot help himself falling for her, and also finding sympathy for her cause. He is concerned that he might be an incongruous protector. "If Dianne was the assassin's target, then he hoped he was equal to the task of protecting her". 

Their relationship is complicated, as at first, being in disguise, Josiah cannot reveal his true identity. He is torn between being a lover and a deceiver. Going out with Dianne, his loyalties would inevitably have to change. "No longer would he be the unbiased upholder of law and jusitice for all and every person in the community... he would be counted as an activist in the grievances of the working people, as Dianne was herself... He didn't know where he would stand when he had to make that choice".

Things are getting even more complicated, as he himself is being targeted by the ruthless killer, for whom murder is joy, a thing of beauty and symmetry. "My soul sang and my heart lifted. Ignorance defeated, stupidity massacred, terror sown on the wings of destruction. Nothing of all that I know is better than this, to kill without responsibility".

Will Josiah be able to apprehend the assassin, and protect Dianne and her father? Will he get to the bottom of the conspiracy?

The historical background is meticulously researched. You learn a lot about the 1840s England, especially the turbulent period of 1842-43, when the Chartists urged the Parliament to adopt their great petitions. It also shows that history repeats itself, the government is as ineffective and the politicians are playing dirty games.

Circles of Fire is a well-woven story, told with a great wealth of detail.

Purchase Links 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Circles-Deceit-casebook-Josiah-Ainscough-ebook/dp/B08LLCPSYR

https://www.amazon.com/Circles-Deceit-casebook-Josiah-Ainscough-ebook/dp/B08LLCPSYR

Author Bio –  

Paul CW Beatty is an unusual combination of a novelist and a research scientist. Having worked for many years in medical research in the UK NHS and Universities, a few years ago he took an MA in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University emerging with a distinction.

His latest novel, Children of Fire, is a Victorian murder mystery set in 1841 at the height of the industrial revolution. It won the Writing Magazine’s Best Novel Award in November 2017 and is published by The Book Guild Ltd. 

Paul lives near Manchester in the northwest of England. Children of Fire is set against the hills of the Peak District as well as the canals and other industrial infrastructure of the Cottonopolis know as the City of Manchester.

Social Media Links – Twitter 

@cw_beatty

This post is part of the blog tour.

Many thanks to Paul CW Beatty and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book!