Veil of Lies — Jeri Westerson

In London of 1384, Crispin Guest is a man adrift in a rigidly defined society. He is a disgraced knight, convicted of treason and stripped of his rank and his honor for plotting against Richard II. Barely escaping with his life, he lost his patron and his friends. With no trade to support him, Crispin has turned to the one thing he still has -- his wits -- to scrape a living on the mean streets of London.

Styling himself as a "private sheriff," Crispin agrees to work for a reclusive merchant who suspects his wife of infidelity and wants Crispin to look into the matter. He soon discovers that the wife is indeed up to something but before he can inform his client, the merchant is found dead; murdered in a sealed room, locked from the inside. What was once a simple case of adultery is now a complex plot involving dark secrets, international intrigue, and a missing religious relic -- one that lies at the heart of this impossible crime -- with Crispin trapped in the middle of it all.