From the Ground Up: A Robert Smythson Mystery (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798991126717)

Stonemason Robert Smythson is hired by the tyrannical Sir John Thynne to rebuild the great house of Longleat after a fire. When a gruesome body is discovered, Robert must find the courage to vanquish secrets from his past to bring a killer to justice, save his loved ones, and claim his own destiny.

In Elizabethan England, where power and prestige are measured in stone, Sir John's desire for perfection matches Robert's own. But Sir John's dark past drives him to control every aspect of the building process, creating conflict between Robert's pursuit of excellence and his rejection of Sir John's methods. Set against the religious tensions of the 16th century, the rumblings of Catholic unrest threaten not only the monarchy, but also the Longleat neighborhood.

Robert, a mason with an innate sense of proportion and symmetry, is knocked off balance when he encounters a rival mason, tests of loyalty, danger, and a murder no one wants investigated. Robert's unwavering sense of fairness compels him to seek the truth, putting him in peril from those who wish to keep secrets buried.

As the danger draws closer, Robert faces an impossible choice: give in to Sir John's demands and keep his job or risk everything to rescue his love from the clutches of a madman. Can Robert confront a killer and reclaim his reputation in a world where secrets are as deadly as the tools of his trade?