The Ramage Hawk

Get ready for the third thrilling title in John Pilkington's gripping Thomas the Falconer Tudor mystery series! Perfect for fans for S. J. Parris and Andrew Taylor ☠️

‘This tale gives an authentic sense of Elizabethan life’s visceral side with all its lawlessness and brutality’ - Publishers Weekly

A LURE TO MURDER

Thomas Finbow, falconer to Sir Robert Vicary, is sent to the remote Salisbury Plain by his master to assist on the estate of the impoverished Sir Giles Buckeridge. Thomas is to train a ramage hawk – an immature, half-wild bird – and to teach the arts of falconry to Sir Giles’s young ward, Gervase.

It soon becomes clear, however, that Sir Giles has much bigger problems than falconry as he is struggling to secure respectable futures – and provide sufficient dowries - for his three spirited daughters.

Within days of Thomas's arrival, Sir Giles's eldest daughter Jane vanishes - assumed to have run away from her unhappy betrothal to a wealthy older man, Stephen Ridley. But the search for a missing girl soon turns into a hunt for a murderer, and as the body count rises, Thomas has no choice but to do what he does best – hunt his prey…

Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Andrew Taylor

Praise for the Thomas the Falconer series:

‘Larger-than-life characters and authentic 16th-century ambience… Pilkington successfully draws readers into his world and keeps them turning the pages.’ - Booklist

'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 Review

‘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

Praise for The Ramage Hawk:

‘Hard to put this down.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

‘Thomas Falconer tales get better and better… Book 3, the best so far!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

‘A wonderful blend of action murder and mystery.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

‘Excellent story telling. I'm now completely hooked on this series.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

‘Excellent! Heroics battles bravery and treachery this story has it all. Falconers unite! Loved it.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

‘A great historical thriller like Parris and Sansom.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

"The Ramage Hawk" was written by John Pilkington.

A writer for over forty years, John Pilkington was born in Lancashire and worked at many jobs including laboratory assistant, farm worker, weaver, shipping clerk, picture frame-maker and cabaret musician before finding his true vocations. He has written plays for radio and theatre, television scripts for a BBC soap, a short-lived children’s series and numerous works of historical fiction, including several Elizabethan mystery series for award-winning publisher Boldwood Books.

He lives in a village on a tidal estuary in Devon with his long-term partner.

Yes, "The Ramage Hawk" is part of the "The Thomas the Falconer Mysteries" series.