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Chesterfield #1
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.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2013
58 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
About the author
Chris Nickson
69 books182 followersI'm a novelist and music journalist, the author of many books set between the 1730s and 1950s in Leeds, as well as others in medieval Chesterfield and 1980s Seattle.
Above all, though, its Leeds I love, the people, the sense of the place changing with time. Yes, I write mysteries, but ultmiateoly they're books about people and their relationships, and the crime becomes a moral framework for the story.
Above all, though, its Leeds I love, the people, the sense of the place changing with time. Yes, I write mysteries, but ultmiateoly they're books about people and their relationships, and the crime becomes a moral framework for the story.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
March 31, 2023
I have read other books by this author and took advantage of the 1.99 price from Amazon to try out this series. This first of the Chesterfield series was published 10 years ago. 13th Century Chesterfield setting introduces us to a carpenter who has come to work on building a church spire. He is talented, brave and honest, and that does not bode well for his general wellbeing but rather makes him a target for ambitious and dishonest men. Heroic tale, but I think the one book is sufficient for me.
November 24, 2015
On our UK trip back in September 2014, we ended up staying one night in the market town of Chesterfield in Derbyshire only by happenstance. I'd looked on a map and noticed it was close to Hardwick Hall, which I wanted to visit, so I made a reservation at an inn close by the town center. Off we went.
While we were walking around the shops of downtown Chesterfield on our way back from dinner, my husband Mark noticed something unusual in the distance. "Isn't that spire crooked?" he asked me. I agreed, and we both looked at the oddly twisted spire for a minute, the image jogging my memory slightly. Then I opened my Kindle on the flight home to Chicago and remembered why it was familiar. It seems I had bought Chris Nickson's medieval mystery a few months before, and what do you know. There was that spire again.
Of course I had to read the book right then and there.
The Crooked Spire opens in the year 1360 as John, a talented carpenter, arrives in Chesterfield looking for work. He comes with experience – he'd previously worked on York's famous Minster – so, after some tests of his abilities with wood, he gets taken on as part of a team of craftsmen who'll be reinforcing the ceiling of St. Mary's church before installing the tall, heavy spire.
But after he discovers a corpse on the floor of the church tower early one morning, the coroner eyes John with suspicion. It's risky to be a stranger in town when murder is afoot. John isn't without friends, though. They include a young boy, Walter, who takes to him as a father figure of sorts; Walter's pretty older sister, Katherine; and the kindly Widow Martha, who offers John a place to stay in her lodging house on Walter's recommendation.
The novel offers a fully-formed picture of English medieval life as seen from the viewpoint of ordinary people; there are no royals in sight here. Nickson's scene-setting and character development are both well done. I liked spending time with John as he walked along Chesterfield's bustling streets after a hard but rewarding day of labor and as he dined on his landlady's delicately spiced meals at her home on Knifesmithgate (a street I remember seeing on my own travels).
All the while, I was introduced to legal matters of the era and the ins and outs of church architecture. For example, as the one who found the body, John has to pay the coroner a fee, which hardly seems fair. That's bureaucracy for you. But despite the dangers John faces, there's an underlying acknowledgment that he and other folks are the lucky ones. The Black Death is only twelve years past, and the pestilence had killed John's own parents and an abundance of others. If the townspeople seek out what enjoyment they can in life, who can blame them?
The body count rises as the plot proceeds, since the original murder isn't an isolated incident at all. John impresses the coroner with his quick mind, something unexpected in an ordinary laborer. His investigative techniques are logical, if not always terribly sophisticated. To find one probable murderer, he and Walter look for a man wearing bloodstained clothing – but that does get the job done. John's admirable pursuit of the truth not only leads him to reevaluate his life but turns up a tightly woven web of corruption. It all concludes on a satisfying note.
And for those like me who wondered how the crooked spire of the title might have come to be... there are explanations in that regard, too.
The novel left me wishing I'd seen more of Chesterfield in person, but since this is the first book in a planned series, I'll definitely be back to spend more time there.
This review first appeared at Reading the Past.
While we were walking around the shops of downtown Chesterfield on our way back from dinner, my husband Mark noticed something unusual in the distance. "Isn't that spire crooked?" he asked me. I agreed, and we both looked at the oddly twisted spire for a minute, the image jogging my memory slightly. Then I opened my Kindle on the flight home to Chicago and remembered why it was familiar. It seems I had bought Chris Nickson's medieval mystery a few months before, and what do you know. There was that spire again.
Of course I had to read the book right then and there.
The Crooked Spire opens in the year 1360 as John, a talented carpenter, arrives in Chesterfield looking for work. He comes with experience – he'd previously worked on York's famous Minster – so, after some tests of his abilities with wood, he gets taken on as part of a team of craftsmen who'll be reinforcing the ceiling of St. Mary's church before installing the tall, heavy spire.
But after he discovers a corpse on the floor of the church tower early one morning, the coroner eyes John with suspicion. It's risky to be a stranger in town when murder is afoot. John isn't without friends, though. They include a young boy, Walter, who takes to him as a father figure of sorts; Walter's pretty older sister, Katherine; and the kindly Widow Martha, who offers John a place to stay in her lodging house on Walter's recommendation.
The novel offers a fully-formed picture of English medieval life as seen from the viewpoint of ordinary people; there are no royals in sight here. Nickson's scene-setting and character development are both well done. I liked spending time with John as he walked along Chesterfield's bustling streets after a hard but rewarding day of labor and as he dined on his landlady's delicately spiced meals at her home on Knifesmithgate (a street I remember seeing on my own travels).
All the while, I was introduced to legal matters of the era and the ins and outs of church architecture. For example, as the one who found the body, John has to pay the coroner a fee, which hardly seems fair. That's bureaucracy for you. But despite the dangers John faces, there's an underlying acknowledgment that he and other folks are the lucky ones. The Black Death is only twelve years past, and the pestilence had killed John's own parents and an abundance of others. If the townspeople seek out what enjoyment they can in life, who can blame them?
The body count rises as the plot proceeds, since the original murder isn't an isolated incident at all. John impresses the coroner with his quick mind, something unexpected in an ordinary laborer. His investigative techniques are logical, if not always terribly sophisticated. To find one probable murderer, he and Walter look for a man wearing bloodstained clothing – but that does get the job done. John's admirable pursuit of the truth not only leads him to reevaluate his life but turns up a tightly woven web of corruption. It all concludes on a satisfying note.
And for those like me who wondered how the crooked spire of the title might have come to be... there are explanations in that regard, too.
The novel left me wishing I'd seen more of Chesterfield in person, but since this is the first book in a planned series, I'll definitely be back to spend more time there.
This review first appeared at Reading the Past.
January 29, 2021
Peter the Carpenter is introduced as prime in this period when plague has bereft the entire country with massive voids, deficits, empty waste. (1361)
It's a cozy regardless of the horrendous period of torture, death, sickness and all around miserable common habits. Peter is fair and despite being central and pivotal (close to accused at various times) for several viscous murders. It lays an entire world of Chesterfield too. Very well done.
Peter with all his skills has broken his arm, so he has much time "apart from work" during most of the book. So it gives immense context periods of becoming relationship savvy with at least 10 other Chesterfield location personalities. Like Martha, and Katherine, and Walter.
It's plot was just ok- but this has potential in the coming series, IMHO. The guilds and working teams are a source of authority, power arising from the vast voids left of class, economics etc. of plague. You can see change in action. Slow but considerable. I especially liked the role of the coroner in this era.
Clear prose, but I can honestly say it is often too slow for me to have any intense holding power to return to the read. He knows the period and is a good story teller.
It's a cozy regardless of the horrendous period of torture, death, sickness and all around miserable common habits. Peter is fair and despite being central and pivotal (close to accused at various times) for several viscous murders. It lays an entire world of Chesterfield too. Very well done.
Peter with all his skills has broken his arm, so he has much time "apart from work" during most of the book. So it gives immense context periods of becoming relationship savvy with at least 10 other Chesterfield location personalities. Like Martha, and Katherine, and Walter.
It's plot was just ok- but this has potential in the coming series, IMHO. The guilds and working teams are a source of authority, power arising from the vast voids left of class, economics etc. of plague. You can see change in action. Slow but considerable. I especially liked the role of the coroner in this era.
Clear prose, but I can honestly say it is often too slow for me to have any intense holding power to return to the read. He knows the period and is a good story teller.
February 21, 2025
John the carpenter wanders into the town of Chesterfield looking for work. The church there is having a large spire built and John is hired to help with this. He finds boarding with Martha, an old and very lovely widow, and he also befriends Walter, a somewhat simple young man who, of course, also has a lovely sister and so we have the beginning of a lovely relationship.
John isn't working at the church long before his boss is murdered. Soon, another murder takes place. The coroner, for some reason, tasks John to help him solve the murders and find out the who and why of them.
I liked the story and the characters, but it was a little too pedestrian for my taste. It's the first book I've read by Chris Nickson outside of his Simon Westow series (which I love). I don't think I'll carry on with John the carpenter series.
John isn't working at the church long before his boss is murdered. Soon, another murder takes place. The coroner, for some reason, tasks John to help him solve the murders and find out the who and why of them.
I liked the story and the characters, but it was a little too pedestrian for my taste. It's the first book I've read by Chris Nickson outside of his Simon Westow series (which I love). I don't think I'll carry on with John the carpenter series.
December 2, 2013
The year is 1360 and the story is fiction but this author has the ability to make the reader feel that they are there in that time and place in history. An excellent story, I highly recommend.
John, is orphaned at a young age all he possesses are the tools that belonged to his father, a carpenter. He finds work in the town of Chesterfield 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 his killer. He is befriended by a young boy, Walter, and with his help he begins a quest that will bring him up against some powerful enemies in a town where he is still a stranger and friends are few.
John, is orphaned at a young age all he possesses are the tools that belonged to his father, a carpenter. He finds work in the town of Chesterfield 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 his killer. He is befriended by a young boy, Walter, and with his help he begins a quest that will bring him up against some powerful enemies in a town where he is still a stranger and friends are few.
January 13, 2017
The setting of medieval Chesterfield is very successful, and a reminder of what a singular town it is. The plot engages and John the Carpenter is a character with mileage. What wasn't so successful was the rather repetitive conversations between some of the characters, and I am still reeling a bit from quite how often 'ale' is mentioned, even though this is a) Chesterfield and b) I know that ale was a safer bet than water.
October 13, 2019
1360 John the carpenter arrived in Chesterfield looking for work. He is employed in building the St. Mary's spire. But he becomes first finder when he discovers the body of the master carpenter. To move suspicion away from himself he is determined to find the guilty party. But this leads to more trouble than he could imagine, danger to him, and more deaths.
An enjoyable mystery, a well-written story with its very likeable characters. A very good solid start to the series.
An enjoyable mystery, a well-written story with its very likeable characters. A very good solid start to the series.
September 4, 2023
The author, Chris Nickson, is a music journalist as well as a novelist so it surprises me that medieval church music isn’t talked about here. But…that is not the subject in The Crooked Spire. The book’s cover shows the spire on top of Chesterfield’s medieval church. When I picked it up I assumed it was some computer generated art work and the twist was some kind of metaphor for what is going on in the novel. But no, there really are churches with twisted spires in Britain and in Europe dating to this historical period just after one terrible bout of plague. There is a reason for this, but people can be “twisted” in any period.
The main character is a traveling carpenter who has taken up work on this church and becomes involved in finding a murderer among them. The author is very interested in medieval history and detail oriented but just can’t let a good thing go. Thus the frequency of dipping into a mug of ale (water wasn’t as safe as ale for a long time). The same detail pops up over and over. Those woolen hose sure get sweaty after a day working in the church tower!
Actually, the historical information is the best thing about the book. Unfortunately, the characters are rigid stereotypes and have tissue thin behaviors. That makes them boring. I raced through to the end. Not a good sign.
The main character is a traveling carpenter who has taken up work on this church and becomes involved in finding a murderer among them. The author is very interested in medieval history and detail oriented but just can’t let a good thing go. Thus the frequency of dipping into a mug of ale (water wasn’t as safe as ale for a long time). The same detail pops up over and over. Those woolen hose sure get sweaty after a day working in the church tower!
Actually, the historical information is the best thing about the book. Unfortunately, the characters are rigid stereotypes and have tissue thin behaviors. That makes them boring. I raced through to the end. Not a good sign.
December 6, 2018
Chesterfield's my home town and so for that reason this was a fascinating read for me. I'm very familiar with the place and street names and I was actually in the Crooked Spire for its Festival of Christmas trees the same day I started reading this novel which really brought the scenes alive for me. As I continued to read, I imagined the modern streets transformed into their medieval selves (I find it amazing that they still have the same names) and at one point realised that John the Carpenter could have been walking right past my house (centuries before it was built). It made me think a lot about the passing of time and how places change but how they stay the same too. To be honest, I don't think I would have given it 4 stars or enjoyed it as much if I hadn't been a local. I'd say it was a 'light' historical read (especially obvious to me as I'm concurrently reading a Sharon Penman tome) but still very readable with likeable characters and a medieval backdrop full of flavour and a lot of ale!
February 18, 2024
We are transported to medieval Chesterfield in the late 1300's, after the Black Death has swept through England to a time of cathedral building. Enter John Carpenter arriving in town to work on the cathedral with one of the most unusual steeples in England.
Wood speaks to John and he is hired to work on the steeple, but quickly discovers some strange aspects of the project---use of giant oak trees wood that has not been seasoned. After an accident in the steeple breaks his left arm and the foreman is found dead in the steeple, John uses his weeks of recovery to make friends in town and ask questions. As he helps the coroner with his astute observations, the killer makes more attempts on John's life.
The author brings the era to life with color and confidence, describing roles of different classes, food, medicine and the markets with color, enough to make one appreciate our clean solid mattresses and modern medicine.
Wood speaks to John and he is hired to work on the steeple, but quickly discovers some strange aspects of the project---use of giant oak trees wood that has not been seasoned. After an accident in the steeple breaks his left arm and the foreman is found dead in the steeple, John uses his weeks of recovery to make friends in town and ask questions. As he helps the coroner with his astute observations, the killer makes more attempts on John's life.
The author brings the era to life with color and confidence, describing roles of different classes, food, medicine and the markets with color, enough to make one appreciate our clean solid mattresses and modern medicine.
November 10, 2022
Great story
This is the first book I’ve read by Chris Nickson and I must say I was very impressed. I liked the main character, John, an affable man who makes friends easily. The author’s descriptions of the people were very good and his portrayal of the sights, sounds and smells of Chesterfield in 1360 were so graphic I almost felt like I was there too. I liked his style of writing too, his prose was quite poetic at times. All this adds up to a very good story with a bit of a mystery thrown in too. I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction with a few murders to solve as well.
This is the first book I’ve read by Chris Nickson and I must say I was very impressed. I liked the main character, John, an affable man who makes friends easily. The author’s descriptions of the people were very good and his portrayal of the sights, sounds and smells of Chesterfield in 1360 were so graphic I almost felt like I was there too. I liked his style of writing too, his prose was quite poetic at times. All this adds up to a very good story with a bit of a mystery thrown in too. I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction with a few murders to solve as well.
May 24, 2024
A simply written murder mystery set in Medieval times. Main character is John, an orphaned carpenter of great skill. Arrives at a small town and secures work building a church but an accident causing him injury causes him to lose his job and take up with the coroner to find the murder or his previous boss. No twists and turns, no thrills, just a straight expected result to the end. I also found were several proofreading errors. This was just barely ok for me. I see no reason to continue this series as this can be read as a stand alone and is not as well presented as many others I’ve read.
September 16, 2024
2.5 stars; a brisk and serviceable mystery and story, which I mostly enjoyed. However, I am rounding down instead of up mostly for two reasons. First, the ending was a bit rushed and not altogether convincing, and second, there were WAY too many typos! I counted at least 12-15 of them - I'd have to check my notes - which works out to 1 typo/error every 17.5-22 of this book's 263 pages. (Some examples: "an" instead of "and"; "I was told it belong to Henry de Harville" (230); "Don't your trust me, John?" (244); "... John said and watched the coroner turned sharply" (249); among others.)
July 22, 2019
This was a bit of a disappointment; I didn't like it nearly as much as his other series. I didn't care for all the preachiness, and it was too predictable. The relationship between John and the coroner just didn't ring true. Nor did several things seem to reflect the era. A widow rents rooms, not because she needs the money, but because she likes company. A carpenter is too injured to work, and doesn't know if he will be able to work in the future, yet he spends his coins quite freely.
December 23, 2018
Actually I would give this 3.5 stars. I enjoy medieval murder mysteries. The description of daily life was very engaging and drew you in. The characters were well written but unlike some other similar stories, there wasn’t too many twists and turns. This was a quick read and enjoyable but not the best one of its kind.
April 22, 2021
Good story, good characters
All of the good characters are well drawn-- no, better then that--charming and likeable. The key to the mystery is a little obvious, but it leaves a villain in the website for the next in the series. I take away a star only because the setting is anachronistic.
All of the good characters are well drawn-- no, better then that--charming and likeable. The key to the mystery is a little obvious, but it leaves a villain in the website for the next in the series. I take away a star only because the setting is anachronistic.
January 12, 2025
I've read quite a number of Chris Nickson books, mostly set in Victorian times around Leeds. The stories are always enjoyable. With The Crooked Spire the read was quite relaxing. Had it not been mentioned on the back cover I wouldn't have realised what era the book was set in as it wasn't as descriptive as his other books that I've read. An enjoyable book but not one to enthuse about.
May 17, 2017
Very enjoyable, and nice to see a book set in historical Chesterfield. The characters are well developed and the plot is interesting and not obvious. I look forward to reading the next in the series.
March 23, 2019
Really enjoyed this book about the myth of were I lived although a fictional story it makes me think they used unseasonal wood and that is why the spire is twisted and better than saying the devil has done it but however it happened it gave Chesterfield a name
November 14, 2019
I was quite taken with this book. A great new protagonist solving original mysteries against a beautifully evocative backdrop of medieval England. I was reminded of the first time I read Ellis Peters or Ariana Franklin.
December 5, 2021
Good read
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I read every page and I enjoyed it! I love history and especially medieval times. The author did a great job. I wish the next book was a free read too.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I read every page and I enjoyed it! I love history and especially medieval times. The author did a great job. I wish the next book was a free read too.
September 16, 2022
Like this book!
Great characters! Book appeals to what's right. Great and very personable characters. You. Feel as though you can identify with them as you would with someone you might know for real.
Great characters! Book appeals to what's right. Great and very personable characters. You. Feel as though you can identify with them as you would with someone you might know for real.
October 16, 2017
I agree with another reviewer about overuse of the word ale. I know Chesterfield so it was interesting.
November 13, 2017
Nostalgic
I walk past the crooked spire every day and due to this book I now look at it in a different light
Really enjoyed the read
I walk past the crooked spire every day and due to this book I now look at it in a different light
Really enjoyed the read
November 12, 2018
Good book
I shall read the rest of the series
This one was absorbing
Interesting as I've seen the church.
7
¥
I shall read the rest of the series
This one was absorbing
Interesting as I've seen the church.
7
¥
July 11, 2019
An enjoyable read, and as usual with his series, gives us a good look at the customs, mores and laws of the time.
Good plot and decent resolution.
Good plot and decent resolution.
Read
April 18, 20201360, Chesterfield, John the Carpenter
July 31, 2020
Very disappointing. I liked the characters and the setting but the writing was extremely sloppy (lots of typos) and the plot was totally predictable.
October 14, 2021
Relaxing trip through the medieval English country side with enough turns and challenges to maintain interest and demand the reader turn to the next book.
May 12, 2022
thoroughly enjoyed this. My SIL is from Chesterfield, it's now somewhere I will visit next time I am in the UK
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews