Chris Nickson Books in Order

A biography of Brad Pitt, following his early life and the acting roles that brought him from television appearances to international film fame. It charts the beginnings of a rapidly expanding Hollywood career.

An unauthorized biography of Mariah Carey that follows her early life, vocal talent, recording career, and rapid rise in pop music. It focuses on the beginnings of a career already marked by intense attention and expectation.

A profile of Soundgarden that traces the band's roots in Seattle, its changing line-up, recordings, and climb through the hard-rock scene. Nickson explores the music and local culture around the group's rise.

A biography of Denzel Washington, following his path from early acting work to major film roles. It looks at the performances, discipline, and career decisions that established him as one of his generation's leading actors.

A biography of Ricki Lake, following her early acting work and her move into daytime television. It traces the career of a performer who became a familiar and influential face through film and talk-show success.

A biography of Keanu Reeves that follows his early life and development as an actor through his first major film roles. It explores the work and public image that made him a leading young Hollywood star.

An unauthorized biography of David Duchovny, following his early years and rise to television fame. It looks behind the public image of the actor best known at the time for his role in *The X-Files*.

A biography of Elijah Muhammad, tracing his early life, rise to leadership of the Nation of Islam, and influence on Black nationalist thought in the United States. It examines a complex and consequential public figure.

A biography of actor Emma Thompson, following her work in British television, film, and writing. It looks at the range of performances and creative choices that shaped her rise as a widely recognised screen presence.

A biography of singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, following her early years, distinctive rock sound, and path to mainstream success. It considers her music, live performances, and public life during the rise of her career.

An updated unauthorized biography of Mariah Carey, following her rise from an ambitious young singer to a major pop success. It explores her recordings, public image, and the pressures surrounding a high-profile career.

A biography of Christopher Reeve, tracing his work as an actor from stage beginnings to his defining screen role as Superman. It also covers the life-changing accident that reshaped his public role and later work.

An unauthorized biography of David Boreanaz, focusing on his early life and his rise through television. It follows the career path that brought him widespread attention through his work in supernatural drama.

An unauthorized biography of Ewan McGregor, following his early acting work and rise through British film, theatre, and international projects. It focuses on the roles and choices that established him as a prominent screen actor.

A biography of Lauryn Hill that traces her work with the Fugees, her move into solo music, and her impact as a singer, rapper, and songwriter. It follows the early career behind her breakthrough success.

An unauthorized biography of Matt Damon, following his route from early acting ambitions to a breakthrough in film. The book looks at his work on screen, his creative partnerships, and his rapid rise in Hollywood.

A biography of Ozzy Osbourne that follows his path from Birmingham beginnings and Black Sabbath to solo stardom. It covers his music, public image, personal struggles, and the long career behind the larger-than-life persona.

An unauthorized biography of OutKast, charting the partnership of André 3000 and Big Boi from Atlanta beginnings through their genre-bending success. It covers their recordings, public lives, and the creative partnership behind the group.

An approachable guide to world music, introducing major traditions, instruments, performers, and recordings from many cultures. It offers listeners a practical starting point for exploring styles from flamenco and reggae to gamelan and tango.

A biography of singer Usher that follows his early talent, breakthrough recordings, stage work, and rise as an R&B star. It looks at the career choices and performances that made him a major pop presence.

A biography of British singer-songwriter John Martyn, following his music, collaborations, recordings, and difficult personal life. Nickson places Martyn's restless career within the changing British folk, blues, and rock scenes.

In 1731 Leeds, Constable Richard Nottingham investigates the murder of a visiting minister and a woman once known to his family. As more victims die, he faces pressure from all sides to find the truth.

A winter of brutal cold grips 1732 Leeds as Constable Richard Nottingham mourns his daughter. Then a wealthy merchant is found murdered and mutilated, forcing Nottingham to confront a killer bent on settling old scores.

An unauthorized biography of Will Smith, following his rise from rap success with DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince to television and major film roles. It traces the early career that made him a crossover star.

A house fire in 1733 Leeds reveals the charred body of a young woman. With only one clue, Constable Richard Nottingham and his men trace her life through poverty, privilege, and the secrets families will kill to hide.

A well-dressed young woman is found stabbed among the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey, carrying a secret love note. Constable Richard Nottingham must expose the lies of an influential family to learn who wanted her dead.

Three street children are found murdered in a disused pit in 1733 Leeds. Constable Richard Nottingham believes he knows the killer, but wealth and influence protect the suspect while Nottingham's pursuit carries a painful personal cost.

A short Richard Nottingham story set in Leeds in 1733. It offers a brief return to the constable's world during a period of recovery, with the personal strains and close-knit relationships that shape the wider series.

In 1988 Seattle, music journalist Laura Benton doubts that a promising rock musician simply died of an overdose. Her digging uncovers a darker story, and the threats that follow make the investigation a fight for survival.

A country boy comes to Leeds looking for his runaway sister, then is found with his throat cut. When the girl is pulled from the river, Constable Richard Nottingham uncovers a case of deception, old enemies, and murder.

After the Black Death, travelling carpenter John finds work on Chesterfield's new church spire. When the master carpenter is murdered, John becomes a suspect and must help find the killer in a town where he has few allies.

During a gas workers' strike in 1890 Leeds, Detective Inspector Tom Harper investigates a missing eight-year-old girl and her father's suspicious death. A murdered replacement worker suggests the cases may be connected.

A collaborative collection of stories about Leeds on the day the Tour de France Grand Départ leaves the city. Different lives converge as community-created characters travel through a city transformed by an extraordinary event.

In 1994, Seattle music journalist Laura Benton interviews a faded country singer and becomes involved in his search for a murdered son. As old secrets surface, threats against Laura begin to endanger her husband and young child.

In 1954 Leeds, enquiry agent Dan Markham investigates a suspected affair, then becomes the prime suspect when the husband is murdered. Framed and hunted, Dan must use his old intelligence skills to keep himself and his client alive.

On Christmas Eve 1890, Tom Harper investigates the ritualised murder of a young man in Leeds's Jewish district. Rising fear, anti-Semitic violence, and a visiting French officer's separate inquiry complicate a tense search for the killer.

A baby's body in an unclaimed parcel and a murdered suffragist pull Tom Harper into two disturbing cases in 1891 Leeds. As his wife joins the suffrage movement, the investigation may put Annabelle directly in danger.

A torpedo demonstration in 1893 Leeds brings a corpse to the surface of Roundhay Park lake. When a severed leg appears in the River Aire, Tom Harper follows the evidence into gang warfare and the path of a merciless killer.

A missing-person case turns deadly when enquiry agent Dan Markham and retired Detective Sergeant Baker find a body in the River Aire. In 1957 Leeds, an East German's death draws them into a Cold War hunt for a Russian assassin.

In 1361 Chesterfield, John the Carpenter investigates an old man's murder after the local coroner seeks his help. A vanished psalter and a dead suspect reveal a web of crimes that threatens John's young family.

Leeds's first policewoman, Lottie Armstrong, wants more than the limited duties assigned to her in 1924. A missing-girl inquiry draws her into murder, corruption, and the city's hidden communities, testing how far she can push against the force.

A newly released criminal is stabbed in his Leeds home, while an acid attack wounds local children. Detective Inspector Tom Harper must break through a hostile neighbourhood's silence before the linked violence claims more victims.

Called out of retirement in 1736, Richard Nottingham returns as Constable of Leeds after a body is found in the River Aire. Fear silences witnesses as a ruthless criminal turns the town into his private territory.

At a fascist rally in Depression-era Leeds, a body is found and Detective Sergeant Urban Raven is assigned the case. With politics, press pressure, and rival extremists obstructing him, Raven must find the real motive for murder.

As plague returns to medieval Chesterfield, a priest vanishes and John the Carpenter discovers a body in an empty house. Asked to find the killer, John must uncover a buried hatred before fear consumes the town.

In 1897 Leeds, threats against women running for election turn lethal when a church hall is bombed. Superintendent Tom Harper races to identify the attacker, knowing his wife Annabelle and daughter may be next.

In 1944, Lottie Armstrong returns to Leeds policing with the Women's Auxiliary Police Corps. Working with a depleted CID during the blackout, she hunts a killer whose murders bring wartime fear frighteningly close.

In 1820 Leeds, thief-taker Simon Westow is hired to find a wealthy mill owner's kidnapped daughter. With his young assistant Jane, he searches the city's underworld and discovers that the case is tied to an old enemy and his own past.

During the scorching summer of 1899, Tom Harper investigates intimidation and ruinous rent rises after an old colleague's brother dies. The trail leads to a shadowy company, corruption, and a campaign of violence against Leeds tenants.

Thief-taker Simon Westow tries to clear a friend's name after an arrest for sedition in 1822 Leeds. A second case, involving a woman who drugs and robs men, exposes Jane's past and leads to murder, betrayal, and political fear.

Leeds is ready to riot in 1908 as Detective Superintendent Tom Harper investigates a long-neglected missing-child case. His search leads into child-snatching, corruption, and murder while political protest threatens to overwhelm the city.

In 1913, Deputy Chief Constable Tom Harper faces mounting violence after a Leeds-born gangster flees an American gang war and returns home. As crime spreads, Tom's investigation collides with a suffragist pilgrimage and troubles in his own family.

John the Carpenter is summoned to investigate the murder of an anchoress, a religious recluse whose father has money and influence. The promised reward could secure John's family, but the truth leads into dangerous territory among Chesterfield's powerful.

A petty criminal's body appears in the snowbound Leeds of 1823, leaving thief-taker Simon Westow with a coded notebook and few answers. His search for the truth brings him up against dangerous enemies and the city's most notorious fence.

In Leeds during December 1916, Deputy Chief Constable Tom Harper investigates an explosion at a munitions factory and signs of arson at an army depot. As shootings follow, he must uncover a saboteur before the war effort is crippled.

In 1823 Leeds, thief-taker Simon Westow is drawn into the deaths of abused mill children and a man pulled from the river. With Jane beside him, Simon confronts powerful people who believe the law cannot touch them.

With only six weeks left before retirement in 1920, Chief Constable Tom Harper faces blackmail, armed jewellery robberies, and an organised shoplifting gang. His final case demands one last effort to keep order in Leeds.

When a young woman's corpse is stolen from its grave in 1824 Leeds, Simon Westow uncovers a gang of body-snatchers selling the dead to medical schools. He and Jane must stop them and bring peace to grieving families.

A stolen packet of letters turns murderous for thief-taker Simon Westow in 1824 Leeds. While Simon searches for the papers, Jane investigates the disappearance of young girls and finds a brutal trade serving wealthy men.

Simon Westow is hired to recover four treasured silver cups, but the case turns deadly when a servant is found murdered in a hidden workshop. With Jane and Sally, he follows a trail from old crimes to fresh bodies.

In 1826 Leeds, Simon Westow follows a pardoned thief and discovers a body in a local property. With Jane and Sally, he must untangle the link between old imprisonment, new murders, and a ruthless killer.

In 1941 Leeds, Police Sergeant Cathy Marsden is drawn into espionage after her brother reveals an escaped German agent is heading for the city. She must stop a planned attack on the war effort before it is too late.

In 1944 Leeds, Sergeant Cathy Marsden investigates a gangster's suspicious car crash and weapons stolen from a United States base. The case sparks gangland violence, disappearances, and a dangerous search for whoever is directing the chaos.