This was the 17th book that I have read which was written by Chris Nickson. Brass Lives is the latest in the Tom Harper Mystery series. A series which gets better with each story that is published. The majority of the story is police procedural with occasional action. Totally engrossing and heartwarming but with a sad undertone it is a literary must for those who like historical crime. On a par or better than many other crime writers of the past.