Thomas the Falconer Mystery series – Book 1‘The story moves at a great pace … it made a welcome change to discover Elizabethan England through the eyes of a lesser mortal.’ The Historical Novels ReviewThomas Finbow is more than just a humble falconer, in the service of Sir Robert Vicary and Lady Margaret. He is a widowed father, a skilled ex-soldier and tenacious hunter. Far from the court and … ex-soldier and tenacious hunter.
Far from the court and corruption of London, Thomas resides in the picturesque Berkshire Downs.
All is as it should be until Lady Margaret’s loathsome brother is found murdered.
To distract from her mourning, Lady Margaret travels to London, in search of gryfalcons, with Thomas accompanying her. However, when they reach the city things take a dark turn. Secrets begin to unravel and it becomes clear that the murder of Lady Margaret’s brother is only a small piece of a greater puzzle.
Once Thomas starts to put the pieces together, he realises that he, and his Mistress, are in grave danger.
With a target on his back, Thomas must come face to face with some of London’s most fearsome criminals. Chasing the truth at all costs, the falconer’s wits and strength are put to the test.
A tale of murder, lust and courage, Thomas Finbow must reveal secrets of the past in order to make sense of the present.
John Pilkington was born in Preston, into one of the oldest Lancashire families. He writes historical fiction as well as drama which has been adapted for radio, theatre and tv. He is the author of the Thomas the Falconer Mystery series, including The Ruffler’s Child and A Ruinous Wind.
Praise for John Pilkington:
‘A sturdy and entertaining historical for fans of Elizabethan mysteries’ Library Journal
‘This latest entry in Pilkington’s Thomas the Falconer series is a vigorous adventure featuring a likeable hero, an intriguing plot and a fine sense of period ambience.’ Booklist
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Perhaps, I shouldn’t be, but I’m generally surprised when I really like a book offered through Kindle Unlimited, which is how I downloaded this pretty good Elizabethan mystery.
Thomas works as the birdkeeper (“falconer”) for a knight and his lady in rural England in 1587. Thomas is a widower w/ a pre-teen daughter, who finds his lady’s brother dead, mauled by a large animal(s), and later determined to have been shot to death by a crossbow. The mauling was done by a bear freed from a London bear pit by its pitmaster, a shady man who judicially suffers even though Thomas testifies that the bear did not kill the gentleman, only mauled him after death. We’ll see this man again.
Thomas is assigned to travel w/ Lady Margaret to London to purchase a new gyrfalcon, as Lady Margaret dearly loves the sport of “hawking,” or hunting with birds, a highly-popular leisure activity for the richer sorts. Lady Margaret plans on settling her brother’s estate while she is in London as well. They stay at a friend’s manor house in London and purchase four gyrfalcons. Before they can pick up the falcons, however, the birds are cruelly murdered. This looks like a sinister message to Lady Margaret, who obviously has a secret which could destroy her if discovered.
This intro sets me up for a great whodunit. Thomas begins his twin investigation, into who would kill the expensive birds, and then into who could be threatening to expose Lady Margaret’s secret. His investigations lead him to a “ruffler,” a hoodlum who assumes a different identity to beg (or steal or commit other crimes). Thomas saw one of the ruffler’s associates in the vicinity of Lady Margaret’s brother’s murder, and following the associate leads Thomas to John Lynch, the ruffler, and imperils Thomas’ life, more than once. Apparently, no one is whom they seem to be. And who is the madam that seems to be wrapped up w/ Lynch and may be the key to the crime(s)?
There are side stories, such as Thomas unrequited attraction to Lady Margaret, and lots of below-stairs flirting at the manor house, but these side stories actually further the plot(s), not detract from them. Thomas finds the killer of the falcons, and eventually the killer of Lady Margaret’s brother. As for Lady Margaret herself, there’s quite a bombshell for a conclusion.
The reason I can’t give this story a full five stars is b/c the author obviously has an INTIMATE knowledge of Elizabeth London and its lay-out. He gives great detail on the routes Thomas travels through London, to the point of tiresome repetition. The same treatment is given to which lord’s house is outside/inside the city walls. This info does not further the plot for me, and thus began to feel like the author showing off instead of seamlessly blending the information into the story. I felt the same way about the introduction of the suppression of Catholicism during the era, although that was better-fitted into the plot. I’ll give the book 4.4 stars rounded down to 4. I have already downloaded Book #2 in the series, b/c I really LIKE Thomas the Falconer as a character.