The Maiden Bell

Thomas the Falconer confronts ancient fears and hostilities in the hunt for a murderer. In the isolated village of Lambourn there is great excitement when a family of itinerant bell-founders arrives to forge a new church bell. But the peace of a summer's night is shattered when churchwarden Will Stubbs - a saintly old man without enemies - is found dead in the woods. Thomas is charged by his master to find answers. Unease stalks the Downs as old rivalries surface - and when the village constable is also found dead, panic ensues. Thomas finds himself trying to restore order in the community. Suspicion falls on everyone from the finders of Stubbs's body to the hot-tempered son of the bellfounder himself. Following a tortuous trail, Thomas uncovers dark matters: a feral child, a closet Papist, and family secrets long hidden. Only after the raising of the great bell itself is the truth at last revealed - along with the unmasking of a most unlikely killer. 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 . 'A sturdy and entertaining historical for fans of Elizabethan mysteries.' 'Pilkington's third Thomas the Falconer historical offers a real treat... This tale gives an authentic sense of Elizabethan life's visceral side with all its lawlessness and brutality, including a climactic battle.' 'The story moves at a great pace... it made a welcome change to discover Elizabethan England through the eyes of a lesser mortal.'