The Reward of Delay unfolds in Lichfield, 1789. Across the Channel, France teeters on the brink of Revolution. At home, the Midlands Enlightenment flourishes, the Industrial Revolution roars, and in the shadow of Lichfield’s cathedral a terrible crime is committed: the mutilated body of a respected lawyer is found within its ancient walls.
Enter Samuel Kinsman — former Bow Street Runner, now a thieftaker in Lichfield — aided by his steadfast watchman and his friend Frank Barber, who has inherited Johnson’s house and now serves as a dozener (local policeman). Together, they pursue justice through a city rife with corrupt patronage, family secrets, political intrigue, and the dangerous games of gun-runners, French royalist spies, and English vigilantes.
As Kinsman’s marriage frays and his honour is tested, the investigation drives him to the limits of endurance. Will the pursuit of truth cost him everything?
