Ordeal by Fire by Sarah Hawkswood
September 1143. Serjeant Catchpoll hopes a fire at a Worcester silversmith’s is just an accident, but when there is a second fire, and a charred corpse is discovered, he has no choice but to call in the undersheriff, Hugh Bradecote, to help find the culprit. Bradecote may be new to the job compared to his weather-beaten, wily and experienced colleague, but his analytical eye is soon hard at work.
With further fires, a hooded figure stalking the streets, and a possible murder that has gone undiscovered for some months, the duo must avoid getting more than their fingers burnt as they piece together the arsonist’s vengeful motive.
Fans of historical crime fiction are sure to enjoy this cunningly wrought mystery, particularly fans of Ellis Peters’ Cadfael books and Ariana Franklin’s Mistress of Death series.