‘Circles of Deceit’ by Paul CW Beatty is the second story from the Josiah Ainscough casebook and is a historical novel from the perspective of a young man in the North of England in the 1940s. A book that is perfectly fine to read as a standalone due to this story having its’ own setting and characters, there is Josiah that is the constant.

Josiah is part of the new Police force in Stockport and finds his duties include attempting to discover what activities the movement calling for the reform of workers rights (the Chartists) are getting up to. While he does this he finds himself beginning to sympathise with them also. As the story unfolds he finds himself involved in a very unfortunate incident, culminating in him being posted to duties that are very different to the ones he was on. Josiah finds himself in such a place that he discovers a conspiracy and realises people he cares about are in danger. He experiences attacks and all difficulties when attempting to journey around the areas meeting a lot of different people from varying walks of life. There is danger and codes that he has to handle as he tries his best to make even a small difference.

A really interesting read, and all the characters are created well with their backstories and identities which adds certain depths to the book. The events throughout the story (of which some are fiction while some are historical) are brought to life with the vividness of the writing. I enjoyed the descriptions of the mills, and other places as I am from Oldham myself, maybe my ancestors were a part of this unruly (according to the bosses and police) group. Also, I find this history really interesting as I studied the Chartist Movement in History and, as a local find it quite a personal part of my history.

This is a story that blends social historical fiction with suspense and a murder mystery too. A book that gets you hooked and has you turning the pages to see what will happen to Josiah and those he cares for. I found it a compelling read and the research that has gone into this story alone is stupendous and well done. Never a dull moment and full of interesting facts.

Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources and Paul CW Beatty for the copy of the book for my review.