THE BROKEN TOKEN
In September 1731, Constable of Leeds Richard Nottingham and his men have to stop a riot when a visiting dissenting minister, Daniel Morton, tries to preach to the people of the city at the Market Cross. Three days later Morton is dead, knifed along with a whore. But it’s the prostitute Nottingham really cares about - Pamela Watson, once a servant to him and his family, later married to a farmer. What had brought her back and who had killed her? As more men and whores die, Nottingham faces immense pressure to solve the crime. The Mayor wants answers and the Constable has to find the killer before a powerful local pimp whose girl was murdered. Meanwhile, at home, his younger daughter is becoming ungovernable and he has to try and control her before her wildness turns deadly. As the strands of his life come together, Nottingham finds that the answers he desperately needs carry a large price.
The Yorkshire Evening Post said The Broken Token was like "an 18th century Red Riding." Publisher's Weekly gave it a starred review, calling it "an impressive mystery debut" with "a surprising and disturbing conclusion." For Eurocrime it was "a fascinating book" with "a satisfying richness to the background detail that makes it an engrossing read." Mystery Scene said "Nottingham's compassion...remains with us long after we find out whodunit...Nickson has made 18th century Leeds a character in and of itself, a place where life is lived without a safety net and where not even the church can help the poor and dying." I Love A Mystery noted that "the setting and main characters were so brilliantly and engrossingly portrayed. These are a well-matched pair of coppers that deserve to return in their very own series."
Hear an excerpt from The Broken Token
Creme de la Crime, which published The Broken Token, is now part of Severn House. The result of this is that The Broken Token has gone out of print. I do still have some copies, which can be ordered directly from my email address for £3 plus postage. For those of you with e-readers, though, it's available as an ebook. In the UK order from Amazon UK and in the US order from Amazon US.
