SPITEFUL BONES

In 1398, Crispin Guest, Tracker of London, is feeling his age.

When a skeleton clutching a precious reliquary is found in a wall in the house of lawyer Nigellus Cobmartin, who’s eager to avoid official investigation because he lives with his male lover, John Rykener, he calls upon his friend Crispin to solve a long-concealed crime. Crispin, his assistant, Jack Tucker, and Jack's family live together, and they’re often visited by teenage Christopher Walcote, ostensibly the scion of a wealthy mercer but actually Crispin’s son, who wants to emulate his biological father. Because a servant was originally suspected of making off with the relic, Crispin begins by interviewing the longtime servants. He soon learns that clerk William Roke is the son of Wilfrid, the accused thief. Though he was very young at the time of the theft, William remembers his parents fighting over a suspected affair with a workman before his mother broke her neck in a fall down the stairs. The burning of the old household records indicates that the killer may still be around. Digging in the past almost leads to the death of Crispin, who’s preoccupied with his hopes and fears for his son. After William Roke is murdered, Crispin finds the key that unlocks the truth only to be confronted with a new danger relating to his past.

Westerson’s acclaimed series mixes historical detail with a deep dive into the character of a flawed but honorable hero.