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Richard Nottingham #3
The Constant Lovers
July, 1732. On a hot summer morning, Richard Nottingham, Constable of Leeds, is called out when a young woman is found stabbed to death among the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey. In her pocket is a love note: ‘Soon we’ll be together and our hearts can sing loud, my love, W.’
What happened to the maid who accompanied her mistress on her final, fatal journey? Who is the mysterious ‘W’ who signed the note? Nottingham must delve into the dark secrets of the rich and influential to uncover the truth.
What happened to the maid who accompanied her mistress on her final, fatal journey? Who is the mysterious ‘W’ who signed the note? Nottingham must delve into the dark secrets of the rich and influential to uncover the truth.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2012
64 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Chris Nickson
69 books181 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 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 12, 2019
I must admit a growing preference for historical mysteries. Nickson is new to me, and a happy addition to my menu. Leeds, England, 1730. J.S. Bach was still up and around.
Nottingham calls Leeds a city, though the attractive map at the beginning shows about a 6-block area. A nifty plot with 4 couples figuring into the title, not all to be emulated. We get summer weather, chamber pots emptied out the window into the streets, fights that leave the Constable and his crew enduring nicely described adrenaline rushes and let down. Wounds that don't heal in 20 minutes. Lots of beer and ale, because one didn't drink water back then. Class distinctions, corruption that still has traces of honor. A good, well-balanced exposition of life in Leeds and environs, with wholly believable characters. Looking forward to the next story.
Nottingham calls Leeds a city, though the attractive map at the beginning shows about a 6-block area. A nifty plot with 4 couples figuring into the title, not all to be emulated. We get summer weather, chamber pots emptied out the window into the streets, fights that leave the Constable and his crew enduring nicely described adrenaline rushes and let down. Wounds that don't heal in 20 minutes. Lots of beer and ale, because one didn't drink water back then. Class distinctions, corruption that still has traces of honor. A good, well-balanced exposition of life in Leeds and environs, with wholly believable characters. Looking forward to the next story.
March 19, 2018
A murder in 18th century Leeds featuring Richard Nottingham as the acting constable is an interesting way to solve crime without dna and cell phones.
June 6, 2023
Another of the novels in the Richard Nottingham series by Chris Nickson. An excellent read (I'm slightly prejudiced because I'm a Yorkshire Lass, being brought up in an around the Leeds area). This novel is again set on the Late 1700s when Leeds was not quite a City but nearly. The centre of the cloth industry before it became fully industrialised. This novel brings into view the big difference between the have and the have nots and showing, when it comes to committing crime and murder, that there is not much difference between the classes.
January 12, 2025
At the end of the book the Constable would say that the crime took so long to be solved as he couldn't believe people would be capable of carrying out what they did. In today's world I realised who was responsible and the reason just over half way through the book. Despite this the story was really interesting and with quite a bit of excitement. Thankfully my fears of what may occur to the characters didn't materialise. A very enjoyable story.
July 4, 2017
Very solid historical mystery series that I enjoy very much. Many historical fiction authors could learn a lot about the graceful imparting of information, in a way that assumes the reader is intelligent, from Nickson. No clumsy infodumping dialogue here.
October 4, 2018
A Very Good Read
The author gives a very good picture of the era, he seems to have done a lot of research. The descriptions were visual, and he kept the story believable and interesting.
The author gives a very good picture of the era, he seems to have done a lot of research. The descriptions were visual, and he kept the story believable and interesting.
March 28, 2019
An okay book of murder and intrigue in 1700's England. A young woman is found murdered near a church. Her secret lover is found hanged a few days later as an apparent suicide. I felt the story was ok but too slow paced for a mystery novel.
March 2, 2018
Wonderful characters. Justice in the 1700s
April 10, 2018
Solid. Giving a lot of historical information and feel of the time. A classic police procedural in the 1700s.
September 10, 2018
Engrossing
Hard to put down! Really enjoying the works of the author and find it easy reading, engrossing and enlightening. Good yarn.
Hard to put down! Really enjoying the works of the author and find it easy reading, engrossing and enlightening. Good yarn.
May 19, 2019
Treads very closely on the heels of series like Monk but with not quite as much interest.
Maybe it will grow.
Maybe it will grow.
June 21, 2020
Well developed characters, a pleasing style, and thoughtful pacing. I enjoyed this engaging historical mystery but must say I guessed its solution about half way through.
September 29, 2021
3.5 stars
June 11, 2025
I do enjoy this mystery series. Along with great plots the background of 1700s is very interesting
February 22, 2019
I kept puzzling over the anachronisms for the first 75% of the book until I realized that the book was not set in the Tudor era like I believed. Whoops!
April 28, 2015
This series has quickly become one of my favorite historical mystery series, although the time period is a little later than my preferred/favorite medieval times (this takes place in 1730's Leeds, UK) I've come to love the series and the main and secondary characters too.
Richard Nottingham is the Constable of Leeds, which is more title than anything--the pay is certainly nothing to write home about, although the position does come with a small house. In this book, a newcomer to the procurer game is on the scene, and Mr. Hughes is apparently not aware that he's stepping on the toes of big boss Amos Worthy--which means there's a gang war brewing in Nottingham's city, and he doesn't like it. Meanwhile, he has the stabbing death of a young woman on his hands to investigate--dressed as though she came from wealth and posed in a country church yard a few miles outside the city. Richard's first task is discovering who the young lady is and anticipates plenty of grief and pressure from his bosses if she was of the nobility.
Richard Nottingham is the Constable of Leeds, which is more title than anything--the pay is certainly nothing to write home about, although the position does come with a small house. In this book, a newcomer to the procurer game is on the scene, and Mr. Hughes is apparently not aware that he's stepping on the toes of big boss Amos Worthy--which means there's a gang war brewing in Nottingham's city, and he doesn't like it. Meanwhile, he has the stabbing death of a young woman on his hands to investigate--dressed as though she came from wealth and posed in a country church yard a few miles outside the city. Richard's first task is discovering who the young lady is and anticipates plenty of grief and pressure from his bosses if she was of the nobility.
March 25, 2017
One of my very favorite series and it is bittersweet to complete all the editions. Sweet because there were some unknowns that have been explored, like Amos Worthy's death and his will; sad because it could be the end of the series. I do so hope there will be more.!
The events of this book took us mostly outside of Leeds and explored a minor noble and his disturbing family life. The book begins with the daughter of this baronial couple, whose body found at an ancient Abbey and ends with the closure of that murder.
Rob Lister enters the cast of characters, importantly for the storyline and for more depth. This was book three and many events were illustrated in this edition which I had wondered about as I skipped around.
Important to my reading pleasure is the excellent historical detail provided by Chris Nickson,as an excellent afterward also makes very informative reading. I very much enjoyed it and recommend it to all historical mystery fans.Start with the first book as it does make the series much more enjoyable.
The events of this book took us mostly outside of Leeds and explored a minor noble and his disturbing family life. The book begins with the daughter of this baronial couple, whose body found at an ancient Abbey and ends with the closure of that murder.
Rob Lister enters the cast of characters, importantly for the storyline and for more depth. This was book three and many events were illustrated in this edition which I had wondered about as I skipped around.
Important to my reading pleasure is the excellent historical detail provided by Chris Nickson,as an excellent afterward also makes very informative reading. I very much enjoyed it and recommend it to all historical mystery fans.Start with the first book as it does make the series much more enjoyable.
April 5, 2012
The Constant Lovers is my favourite of the Richard Nottingham (the Constable of Leeds in the 1730s) series so far. A new character is added, and a much needed one in my opinion, as he adds depth to the story and has me even more keen to read the 4th in the series. I am not sure what else I can say without giving away key bits of the series but some wrongs done by existing characters are undone, some lives improve immeasurably and, as can be expected with all crime novels, some lives are lost. I highly recommend this to all historical and crime novel fans.
October 17, 2012
This is the third in the Richard Nottingham series and like the other books, I loved this one. The author does a wonderful job of describing the people of Leeds, England and the way they lived in the nineteenth century. While there is joy in the book the author clearly tells us how ordinary people lived and survived during those often difficult and not always pretty times. The books are well written and I look forward to more.
November 4, 2015
These books are average at best, this must be known, with lackadaisal plots, one-dimensional characters and language which is far too modern, but the straw that truly breaks the camel's back is when Nickson uses the adverb 'carefully' THREE TIMES ON THE SAME PAGE, USED BY THE SAME CHARACTER.
That's it, I'm done with this series -exit, pursued by a bear-
That's it, I'm done with this series -exit, pursued by a bear-
August 27, 2012
This is a great historical mystery. Good background of the time.
January 4, 2013
Another must read! I would love to see Chris Nickson's stories made into movies, there that good.
April 26, 2013
These books just keep getting better and better. Wish he could write them as fast as I'm reading them...at this rate I'm going to run out! :-)
July 4, 2016
The mystery isn't really all that mysterious, but this captures a good sense of place and the characters are pretty good.
November 23, 2016
This is a Richard of Nottingham mystery. The settings and characters are very real.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews