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Richard Nottingham #1
The Broken Token
Pickpockets, pimps, and prostitutes: All in a day's work for the city constable - until work moves too close to home.... When Richard Nottingham, Constable of Leeds, discovers his former housemaid murdered in a particularly sickening manner, his professional and personal lives move perilously close. Circumstances seem to conspire against him, and more murders follow. Soon the city fathers cast doubt on his capability, and he is forced to seek help from an unsavoury source. Not only does the murder investigation keep running into brick walls, and family problems offer an unwelcome distraction; he can't even track down a thief who has been a thorn in his side for months. When answers start to emerge, Nottingham gets more than he bargains for....
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First published June 29, 2010
66 people are currently reading
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About the author
Chris Nickson
69 books183 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 68 reviews
August 20, 2025
I enjoyed learning about Leeds in the 18th century and through Constable Nottingham, we sure do meet a lot of this working class city’s denizens.
In fact, the work the author has done with setting and characters is unfortunately better than what could have been done to ratchet up the tension to make this more suspenseful.
Every time I read about a new (albeit) intriguing character, it turned out they had nothing to do with the plot. Just another few paragraphs— not even rising to red herring status.
I’ll check out the next book because I did become invested in the main characters, but I sure hope the mystery outshines the townspeople next time!!
(Reviewed 1/15/23)
In fact, the work the author has done with setting and characters is unfortunately better than what could have been done to ratchet up the tension to make this more suspenseful.
Every time I read about a new (albeit) intriguing character, it turned out they had nothing to do with the plot. Just another few paragraphs— not even rising to red herring status.
I’ll check out the next book because I did become invested in the main characters, but I sure hope the mystery outshines the townspeople next time!!
(Reviewed 1/15/23)
January 8, 2018
RATING: 3.5 STARS
(Review Not on Blog)
Listened to on Audio
"When Richard Nottingham, Constable of Leeds, discovers his former housemaid murdered in a particularly sickening manner, his professional and personal lives move perilously close. Circumstances conspire against him, and more murders follow. Soon the city fathers cast doubt on his capability, and he is forced to seek help from an unsavory source. Not only does the murder investigation keep running into brick walls as family problems offer an unwelcome distraction; he can't even track down a thief who has been a thorn in his side for months. When answers start to emerge, Nottingham gets more than he bargains for. (From Amazon)
I like that Nickson is able to make his main characters very different from each but still have them have similar traits that makes a police officer honourable. Notthingham has a wife and older children so he is more of thinking detective than the one springing into action. I also find all of Nickson's characters so realistic which makes you more invested in them and involved in the plot.
(Review Not on Blog)
Listened to on Audio
"When Richard Nottingham, Constable of Leeds, discovers his former housemaid murdered in a particularly sickening manner, his professional and personal lives move perilously close. Circumstances conspire against him, and more murders follow. Soon the city fathers cast doubt on his capability, and he is forced to seek help from an unsavory source. Not only does the murder investigation keep running into brick walls as family problems offer an unwelcome distraction; he can't even track down a thief who has been a thorn in his side for months. When answers start to emerge, Nottingham gets more than he bargains for. (From Amazon)
I like that Nickson is able to make his main characters very different from each but still have them have similar traits that makes a police officer honourable. Notthingham has a wife and older children so he is more of thinking detective than the one springing into action. I also find all of Nickson's characters so realistic which makes you more invested in them and involved in the plot.
March 7, 2020
The Broken Token by Chris Nickson is the first book in a new historical mystery series starring Richard Nottingham, the sheriff of Leeds, England in 1731. Nottingham is awakened early one morning by the discovery of a pair of murder victims who have been posed rather shockingly. One is an itinerant pastor who had been stirring up controversy with his preaching. The other just happens to be Nottingham's former serving girl, Pamela, who had turned to prostitution after the death of her husband. Pamela had been like a member of the family, and Nottingham had given her necklace, half a token on a blue ribbon, that is missing from her body. Just when he thinks that he has figured the murderer's identity out, another pair of bodies shows up, and the new mayor starts pressing Nottingham for immediate results, especially with a cutpurse in town who is quite successful, but Nottingham has troubles at home as well when his younger daughter decides to seek her independence at the most terrible of times. Nickson has written a thoroughly compelling and engrossing historical mystery that depicts a hardscrabble existence in a gritty town. Nottingham is not a romantic hero, he isn't addicted to opiates or in love with a married woman, nor does he have a tragic past in the military like other English historicals, but he is a solid family man, devoted to his wife and children, trying to make the best life for him that he can while negotiating the tricky waters of politics and keeping his city safe. Nickson brings him to fully-fleshed life. Some secondary characters like his deputy John Sedgwick, villain Amos, and the young boy he hires promise to keep future books in the series interesting. I think this historical has somehow missed the radar of readers, but hopefully readers will discover it soon and decide, like I did, that they can't wait to visit Nottingham and Leeds again soon.
June 18, 2011
I read this book as the May read for the Walk Cafe Book Club in Nottingham. I took this away with me and read it quickly in a couple of days. I found the characters quite one dimensional, and the storyline was cliched. It kept my interest long enough to get to the end of the book, but it was a relief once it was over.
May 16, 2011
For The Walk Cafe Book Club (May meeting) in Nottingham on May 26th.
Really enjoyed this novel. I couldn't put it down until I found out who the killer was. I hadn't heard of 'Creme de la Crime' before, looks like they publish a variety of crime novels.
http://www.cremedelacrime.com/
Really enjoyed this novel. I couldn't put it down until I found out who the killer was. I hadn't heard of 'Creme de la Crime' before, looks like they publish a variety of crime novels.
http://www.cremedelacrime.com/
July 18, 2016
Dark & brooding
I was left thanking the powers that be that I was not poor in Leeds @ the time of the story. Great mystery under the horrifying poverty. Won't be able to shake this book off for a while.
I was left thanking the powers that be that I was not poor in Leeds @ the time of the story. Great mystery under the horrifying poverty. Won't be able to shake this book off for a while.
January 15, 2013
An excellent series opener set in 1730s Leeds. The mystery is enhanced by a cast of well-rounded characters and evocative period detail.
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September 7, 2013Sixty pages into a 260 page book and I didn't care where the story went. Not enough character development for my tastes. Too many other books are calling me...
September 26, 2018
Overall, I enjoyed this read.
The plot moved along and had enough puzzlement to it to keep me interested and engaged.
The setting in 1731 Leeds, UK was also interesting and I enjoyed learning about this time and place. Admittedly, I did at some point get tired of hearing about the poor lot of the poor. Do not get me wrong, I agree that the poor had a poor lot. But, I did not need to be told/lectured about it as often as Nickson seemed to feel that I needed to be told/lectured about it.
I liked the protagonist, Richard Nottingham. He seems like a complex, multidimensional character. Nottingham's sidekick Sedgwick also seems likeable and had a fair amount of depth. In fact, there were a number of solid male characters in this book.
Unfortunately, while there was a fair number of female characters in the book, a factor that would normally be a huge plus for me, I found that the female characters lacked in any real development, complexity, or depth. It seemed to me that the Nickson placed all of the female characters, including Nottingham's own daughters, on the angel-bitch ends of the scale. All of the women in this book seemed to be placed in one or the other of these boxes, and kept firmly there. That dichotomy frustrated me as I find it inherently frustrating, but also because Nickson showed with his male characters that he is able to create solid character development, making the problem stronger by comparison.
I will look for book 2 and see where it all goes.
Note: I gave this book a full review because this book was published by Creme de la Crime.
I used to give full reviews for all of the books that I rated on GR. However, GR's new giveaway policies (Good Reads 2017 November Giveaways Policies Changes) have caused me to change my reviewing decisions. These new GR policies seem to harm smaller publishing efforts in favour of providing advantage to the larger companies, (GR Authors' Feedback) the big five publishers (Big Five Publishers). So, because of these new GR policies from now on I will be supporting smaller publishing efforts by only giving full reviews to books published by: publishing businesses outside the big five companies, indie publishers, and self-published authors. This book was published by one of these smaller publishing efforts so I have given it a full review.
The plot moved along and had enough puzzlement to it to keep me interested and engaged.
The setting in 1731 Leeds, UK was also interesting and I enjoyed learning about this time and place. Admittedly, I did at some point get tired of hearing about the poor lot of the poor. Do not get me wrong, I agree that the poor had a poor lot. But, I did not need to be told/lectured about it as often as Nickson seemed to feel that I needed to be told/lectured about it.
I liked the protagonist, Richard Nottingham. He seems like a complex, multidimensional character. Nottingham's sidekick Sedgwick also seems likeable and had a fair amount of depth. In fact, there were a number of solid male characters in this book.
Unfortunately, while there was a fair number of female characters in the book, a factor that would normally be a huge plus for me, I found that the female characters lacked in any real development, complexity, or depth. It seemed to me that the Nickson placed all of the female characters, including Nottingham's own daughters, on the angel-bitch ends of the scale. All of the women in this book seemed to be placed in one or the other of these boxes, and kept firmly there. That dichotomy frustrated me as I find it inherently frustrating, but also because Nickson showed with his male characters that he is able to create solid character development, making the problem stronger by comparison.
I will look for book 2 and see where it all goes.
Note: I gave this book a full review because this book was published by Creme de la Crime.
I used to give full reviews for all of the books that I rated on GR. However, GR's new giveaway policies (Good Reads 2017 November Giveaways Policies Changes) have caused me to change my reviewing decisions. These new GR policies seem to harm smaller publishing efforts in favour of providing advantage to the larger companies, (GR Authors' Feedback) the big five publishers (Big Five Publishers). So, because of these new GR policies from now on I will be supporting smaller publishing efforts by only giving full reviews to books published by: publishing businesses outside the big five companies, indie publishers, and self-published authors. This book was published by one of these smaller publishing efforts so I have given it a full review.
May 6, 2020
The start of what could be your favorite historical novel series, set in 18thC England. Richard Nottingham is Constable of Leeds, a prosperous (for a few) wool city in central England. While a few live lives of comfort and privilege, the majority live in terrible squalor and few workers ever have a full meal; a new shirt or dress is merely a fantasy. Crime in these conditions is common: tempers flare from despair or hunger, hanging is the same penalty for stealing a handkerchief or stabbing someone. Nottingham, married with two daughters and a wife he dearly loves, walks the fine line of satisfying the powerful Corporation that runs the city and keeping the peace. His second in command, John Sedgewick, is married to a shrew.
When a young woman, obviously a whore (the only "occupation" open to poor women other than wife or maid), is found dead and artfully placed under the body of an itinerant preacher, Nottingham recognizes her: a former maid in his household. Normally, the murder of a whore meant nothing and the body, if not claimed, would be pitched into a pauper's gave. But the preacher was connected so his murder must be solved. No spoilers here! The setting is beautifully rendered, the lives of folk of all stations brought to vivid life. Like most good writers, the author has no mercy on any of his characters, so you're never really sure what will happen. Beautifully researched but subtly written. And an excellent murder mystery.
When a young woman, obviously a whore (the only "occupation" open to poor women other than wife or maid), is found dead and artfully placed under the body of an itinerant preacher, Nottingham recognizes her: a former maid in his household. Normally, the murder of a whore meant nothing and the body, if not claimed, would be pitched into a pauper's gave. But the preacher was connected so his murder must be solved. No spoilers here! The setting is beautifully rendered, the lives of folk of all stations brought to vivid life. Like most good writers, the author has no mercy on any of his characters, so you're never really sure what will happen. Beautifully researched but subtly written. And an excellent murder mystery.
June 6, 2021
Lots of fun and absorbing. Even after I guessed who done it (I love it when that happens), there was more I wanted to know, and all was revealed in the end.
I really like the characters. The detective is the Constable of Leeds, before there were uniformed police. He's a decent man who loves his wife and daughters. We also get to know his Deputy Constable and their newest hire as a "constable's man" is an interesting fellow.
The setting in Leeds, Yorkshire in 1730 is interesting and believable. The author actually grew up there, though obviously it's quite different now. It's sad how poor people had to live in urban England at that time.
There is a very brief (non-marital) sex scene.
I caught a few minor inaccuracies and a grammatical error, but on the whole it is well-written and seems pretty well researched.
I really like the characters. The detective is the Constable of Leeds, before there were uniformed police. He's a decent man who loves his wife and daughters. We also get to know his Deputy Constable and their newest hire as a "constable's man" is an interesting fellow.
The setting in Leeds, Yorkshire in 1730 is interesting and believable. The author actually grew up there, though obviously it's quite different now. It's sad how poor people had to live in urban England at that time.
There is a very brief (non-marital) sex scene.
I caught a few minor inaccuracies and a grammatical error, but on the whole it is well-written and seems pretty well researched.
January 11, 2019
Interesting mystery set in Leeds-- a city of about 7,000-- in 1731. The town constable is the main character with a wife and two teenaged daughters, one of whom gives them grief. In many ways, this could be set any time from 1500 to 1800 and the backdrop would not be much different. I'd have liked to see more anchoring historical elements, but things changed slowly back then. The mystery involves a series of murders in pairs, one man and a prostitute, with few clues to go by, except the missing token from the title. I found the language and the constable a bit "detective-y" for the 1700s, but contemporary authors can't actually write in historical language, they just have to give an impression of it. And the constable does have to investigate the murders somehow.
July 4, 2019
OK, now I'm totally confused.
I was reading the Tom Harper series by this author, and when no books were available, I thought that since I liked them I'd take a look at this series.
Maybe I've got something terribly mixed up, but what I saw was a book with the same characters as the other series, but just different names.
Nottingham and Harper have the same family background, word-for-word. The biggest crook in the city even has the same name and persona in both series.
This was, apparently, his first book. Did this series get published by a different company? Did the author himself forget that he was making copycat characters?
Anyway, I was pretty annoyed.
Other than that it was just OK for a first book. I'll see how it goes.
I was reading the Tom Harper series by this author, and when no books were available, I thought that since I liked them I'd take a look at this series.
Maybe I've got something terribly mixed up, but what I saw was a book with the same characters as the other series, but just different names.
Nottingham and Harper have the same family background, word-for-word. The biggest crook in the city even has the same name and persona in both series.
This was, apparently, his first book. Did this series get published by a different company? Did the author himself forget that he was making copycat characters?
Anyway, I was pretty annoyed.
Other than that it was just OK for a first book. I'll see how it goes.
July 25, 2024
So, beyond being a good mystery with just the right amount of tension and grit... the author does a phenomenal job of building the world of both the time period and the city. The descriptions of the environment and peoples' lives are evocative and captivating. I absolutely adored this book. Not sure if I can go to the next in the series, I'm that concerned for one of the characters in the book and what their continued drama will bring. More than anything, this book reinforced for me how grateful I am to live in modern times.
January 12, 2025
Publ. In 2010 and set in 1731 this is the first of the Richard Nottingham series. It is not massively descriptive of the period but there is enough to give you an idea of what it was like. What was good is the fact that from the start of the crime the procedure followed by the Constable was easy to understand and quite tense and gripping in places. Of all the Chris Nickson books that I have read this was one of the best.
March 4, 2020
I enjoyed this new series--new to me, at least--because it effectively brought me to another time and place. The characters were well-drawn, with their good and not-so-good qualities. I did guess the murderer though about halfway through the book. The language at times did seem too modern for the 1730s. If not for that, I would have given the book more stars.
September 10, 2021
For me, this was a slow starter. I almost gave up. It finally got interesting about 40 % of the way through, and by the end I was e joying it enough to consider reading another in the series. For its genre (historical mysteries), it is reasonably well written, with an adequate if somewhat clichéd plot, and reasonably well-rounded (again, given the genre) main characters.
November 6, 2017
This was an easy quick read but quite atmospheric with it - really helps you to visualise Leeds in the 1730s. Nottingham is a likeable character although I found Sedgwick, his deputy, the more interesting of the two.
October 16, 2018
Quite an interesting period piece Nickson, hailing from Leeds in England, puts us in 18th century England and the hardscrabble life of most Brits. Interesting tale and, again, I find myself reading about the negative influence of religion on those in the clergy and the laity, as well.
April 18, 2020
I wanted to like this novel, but I really wasn't the right audience for this book. The mystery wasn't that interesting, the characters a bit bland, and I found myself slogging through it just to get to the end. I think men would like this book more than women, perhaps? I did like the setting.
March 1, 2024
I thought this was well written, with a really good sense of place and characters I could relate to; but the mystery itself was less than fully satisfying. The perpetrator was not sufficiently a part of the story that his/her unveiling brought on a real "Ah ha" moment.
July 25, 2025
All was in place for an acceptable “easy read” mystery but with some early hints of sexism showing its age. Unfortunately when the protagonist slapped his daughter as his author chosen method of getting the truth from her, I felt he was stuck in his own tired genre.
August 16, 2017
Really enjoyed this book despite some similarity to other dectective novels set in this time period. Will read the next one for sure.
September 9, 2017
Good mystery. I like both pace and plot. Will read all the books in the series.
April 19, 2018
Murder mystery set in Leeds, UK, in 1731 affords a grimy glimpse into that world in the past and the rotten options afforded to women who are not tied into a reasonably happy marriage.
May 10, 2018
Murder Mystery 1732 Leeds England. Interesting plot with a sort of twist ending.
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April 18, 2020Constable Richard Nottingham, Leeds, 1731, #1
November 27, 2020
Good read
Good, easy read for those who like historical mysteries. Local dialect was pretty accurate with obvious thought given to characters in place and time.
Good, easy read for those who like historical mysteries. Local dialect was pretty accurate with obvious thought given to characters in place and time.
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August 8, 2021read
August 25, 2021
3.75 stars
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews