March, 1733. Richard Nottingham, Constable of the City of Leeds, joins others trying desperately to put out a fire in an empty house before it destroys the entire street. The next morning, searching the blackened ruins, he finds the charred corpse of a girl, something placed on her chest. Had the fire been started to conceal her murder?

Starting with just a single clue, Nottingham his deputy John Sedgwick and Rob Lister slowly piece together the girl’s past, a journey that takes them into the camps of the homeless, the homes of rich merchants, down and the poor and those beyond hope, deep into the dark secrets and lies that families keep hidden.

Want to read the opening? Follow this link: http://aerbook.com/books/Come_the_Fear-9041.html

Buy the book here.

A lovely first review for Come the Fear.

Read an interview about Come the Fear in the Yorkshire Evening Post.

Come the Fear has received a lovely review from Big Issue North. It’s short, but says “The fourth installment in the Richard Nottingham series begins with the discovery of a charred body of a girl, and a single clue. Nottingham must piece together her history, a journey that will take him deep into a web of lies. Rich in characters, history and full of twists, Come the Fear is the perfect murder mystery.”

A glowing review from Publishers Weekly, which called the book outstanding and said “Besides delivering an intriguing puzzle, Nickson does a fine job depicting Leeds’s underclass.” Read the review here.

A very lovely, thoughtful review from the Historical Novel Society here.

Author Mary Pritchard Houston asked me 20 Questions for her Merry Requiem blog. These are the answers.

A wonderful review from Library Journal:

Dedicated Constable Nottingham watches over… Leeds like a hawk, defying anyone to mess with his thriving city of industry. So when a suspicious house fire leaves behind the charred remains of a young, pregnant victim, he is spurred into action. Perplexed at first by the victim’s anonymity, Nottingham learns that she was a disabled woman abused both by employers and kin. No way will his fledgling police department let this wrongful death slide by. Nottingham is quietly powerful and strives to ensure justice for all, not just the moneyed class. Not surprisingly, his investigation exposes more than some city leaders had planned and leaves him particularly vulnerable. VERDICT Nickson’s fourth title (after The Constant Lovers) in his superb 18th century-set series lives up to expectations. Clearly written so that the titles can be read out of order, this historical police procedural ends with a cliffhanger, guaranteeing your patrons will demand number five,