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John Pilkington

28 fiction

John Pilkington is a British novelist and playwright who specialises in historical crime and espionage fiction, particularly Tudor and Stuart England. Born in Preston and brought up in Lancashire, he worked in a wide range of jobs before studying Drama and English as a mature student and later completing a master’s degree at the University of London. His writing career began with plays for BBC Radio 4 and the theatre, followed by television scripts for the BBC. His first historical novel, The Ruffler’s Child, appeared in 2002, after which historical fiction became his principal focus. He has also served as a regional chair of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain and was a Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at the University of Bristol.

Pilkington has created several historical mystery series. The Thomas the Falconer Mysteries are set during the later reign of Elizabeth I and follow Thomas Finbow, falconer to a Berkshire knight, through murder investigations beginning with The Ruffler’s Child and continuing through A Ruinous Wind, The Ramage Hawk, The Mapmaker’s Secret, The Maiden Bell and later books. (The Martin Marbeck Mysteries follow a government intelligencer during the dangerous transition from Elizabeth I to James I, including plots surrounding the royal succession and the Gunpowder Plot, while the Betsy Brand Mysteries are set among actors and theatres of Restoration England in the 1670s. His Will Revill thrillers return to Elizabethan espionage after the Spanish Armada, and the Justice Belstrang mysteries move into the seventeenth century. His newest Bishopsgate Ward Mysteries begin with Death of a Stranger in London in 1594 and continue with Death of a Fugitive in 1595, following parish constable and former actor Matthew Cutler.

Periods and events

Anglo-Spanish War1585–1604 CE Dutch Golden Age1588–1672 CE Elizabethan Age1558–1603 CE Elizabethan London1558–1603 Elizabethan Travelling Players and Theatre1558–1603 CE French Wars of Religion1562–1598 CE Great Fire of London1666 CE Gunpowder Plot1605 CE Jacobean Era1603–1625 CE Restoration London1660–1685 CE Spanish Armada1588 CE Victorian Crime1837–1901

Historical fiction

Historical fiction series by John Pilkington (7 series)

The Thomas the Falconer Mysteries in Order

by John Pilkington 7 books 4.4(24,286)

The Thomas the Falconer Mysteries follow Thomas Finbow, falconer to a Berkshire knight, through seven investigations in the late reign of Elizabeth I. Thomas is neither nobleman nor professional officer: his authority comes from service, experience and the habits of a hunter trained to read small signs before…

Marbeck Mysteries in Order

by John Pilkington 4 books 4.4(5,583)

The Marbeck Mysteries follow Martin Marbeck, an English intelligencer working through the last years of Elizabeth I and the first years of James I. His assignments move from the unresolved war with Spain to the succession crisis of 1603, the peace negotiations of 1604 and the Gunpowder Plot…

The Justice Belstrang Mysteries in Order

by John Pilkington 3 books 4.3(4,545)

The Justice Belstrang trilogy follows Robert Belstrang, a former magistrate who cannot settle into retirement while corruption and injustice remain unanswered. Set from 1616 to 1618, the books take him from London to Worcestershire and the Forest of Dean, using each investigation to explore a different pressure within…

The Bishopsgate Ward Mysteries in Order

by John Pilkington 3 books 4.3(1,627)

The Bishopsgate Ward Mysteries follow Matthew Cutler, a former actor serving as parish constable in Spitalfields during the 1590s. His official powers are modest, so he relies on disguise, local knowledge and a strong sense of justice while investigating crimes that cross the social boundaries of the rapidly…

Will Revill Thrillers in Order

by John Pilkington 3 books 4.2(5,443)

The Will Revill thrillers follow a former artillery captain drawn into covert service for the Crown between 1589 and 1591. Revill has seen enough organised violence to distrust easy appeals to duty, yet his military skills and vulnerable family connections allow powerful councillors to keep forcing him back…

Betsy Brand Mystery in Order

by John Pilkington 2 books 4.2(1,168)

The Betsy Brand mysteries follow a professional actress in Restoration London as the skills of the stage draw her into investigation and espionage. In After the Fire, a murder at Dorset Gardens Theatre leads Betsy back to secrets born in the Great Fire; The Judas Blade sends her…

Elizabethan Mysteries in Order

by John Pilkington 4 books 2.5(20)

The Elizabethan Mysteries are four historical adventures for younger readers featuring Ben Button, an apprentice actor with Lord Bonner's Men. Beginning on a provincial tour and moving through London theatre and back to Ben's home village, the books place mysteries of theft, sabotage and murder inside the working…

Historical fiction

Standalone historical fiction by John Pilkington (2 books)

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