eBay comes to the rescue in the search for authenticity

The Leeds-born writer was living in America when he decided to put pen to paper. He wanted to set the novel in his home city in the 18th-century, but the bookshops in the Pacific Northwest didn't do much in the way of Yorkshire history. "It was the time when Leeds really came of age. The city expanded at an incredible rate and it has always been a period that has fascinated me," says Chris, who had previously specialised in non-fiction. "I wanted the book to have an authentic backdrop, so I turned to the internet. I was able to buy books on eBay about Leeds and some of them, over a century old, were the kind you don't find in mainstream bookshops."

With the research completed, Chris started work bringing his central character, Richard Nottingham, the Constable of Leeds, to life. The result is the murder mystery The Broken Token which sees Nottingham battling against the demands of the city fathers as well as the criminal underworld. It begins as Nottingham discovers his former housemaid has been murdered.

"Many people profited as Leeds became a centre of industry, but the gap between rich and poor also widened," says Chris, who has now moved back to England. "I was interested in creating a story around someone who was at the centre of things, but who also had contact with those living at both ends of the social spectrum. The whodunit was less important than the characters' lives."

The Broken Token, published by Creme de la Crime, 7.99, is out now.