The Crooked Spire

1361: Orphaned by the Black Death, all John possesses are the tools that belonged to his father, a carpenter, and an uncanny ability to work wood. His travels bring him to Chesterfield, where he finds work erecting the spire of the new church. But no sooner does he begin than the master carpenter is murdered and John himself becomes a suspect. To prove his innocence John must help the coroner in his search for the killer, a quest that brings him up against some powerful enemies in a town where he is still a stranger and friends are few. Chris Nickson brilliantly evokes the feeling of time and place in this story of corruption and murder.

CHRIS NICKSON is a popular crime novelist and music journalist whose fiction has been named best of the year by Library Journal. Specializing in historical crime, Chris is the author of the Richard Nottingham series for Severn House, as well as four series set in Leeds and the John the Carpenter series, set in medieval Chesterfield. A well-known music journalist, he has written a number of celebrity biographies as well as being a frequent contributor to numerous music magazines. He lives in Leeds.