A Just and Upright Man

Shortlisted for the Historical Novel Society's 2015 Indie Prize, A Just and Upright Man shows us life in northeast England in the 1760s not as lived by the rich and powerful but from the point of view of those at the bottom of the heap. Life was precarious; when James Blakiston fell, he fell a long way and now he had two struggles on his hands--to bring the murderer of old Reuben Cooper to justice and to deny his love for the beautiful and spirited but low-born Kate Greener. As he builds a picture of the history of the murderous Cooper family over three generations, a missing coat begins to occupy his attention. How did it get from where it was to where it is--and why? A chance remark opens the door to the murderer at last. And Blakiston rejects love. But will love let him go?