In a city not unaccustomed to murder as a daily staple of print and broadcast journalism, someone has found a new method of killing: a serial killer is terrorizing New York City with a series of brutal murders more apropos of the fourteenth century than the twentieth century. The killer is using caltraps—a medieval device for laming horses on a battlefield. The NYPD enlists the aid of Dr. Bradley Davison of Queens College, a noted authority on medieval weaponry, to assist in the investigation. While serving as guest curator of the Arms of the Tower exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brad Davison puts together the clues to identify the killer leading to a stirring final battle in the equestrian hall of the museum. The Caltrap Murders is the first in a series of four murder mysteries featuring Brad Davison, his future wife Libby Karistos and Detective Lieutenant Mag Goldman and his squad of NYPD homicide detectives. Each mystery brings to life the historical period of the Middle Ages with all its social, cultural and military complexities.