A Reluctant Assassin

Will Revill Thrillers #1

by John Pilkington

'A captivating tale alive with the sights, sounds, and smells of a bygone age. Historical storytelling done right.' Steven Veerapen, author of the Simon Danforth Mysteries

London.

Autumn, 1589.

In the turbulent year following the near-disaster of the Spanish Armada, ex-artillery captain Will Revill is summoned by the Queen’s Vice-Chamberlain and spymaster Sir Thomas Heneage.

Revill is given a secret to travel to the Surrey manor of Sir Abel Stanbury – and kill him.

Heneage’s reasons for the order are vague, but his instructions aren’ Revill must arrange a fatal ‘accident’ for the nobleman.

Having experienced his fill of killing since returning from the terrible war in the Low Countries, Revill tries to refuse - until he is given no choice in the matter. His beloved sister Katherine has married a Papist, and in the bitter anti-Catholic climate of these times Heneage has the power to ruin her, or even worse.

Accompanied by his loyal ex-sergeant of gunnery, Tom Bright, Revill rides down to Farthingdown Manor with a heavy heart. His cover is that he has been sent by the Queen’s Surveyor of Works to inspect the place as a potential stopover on her next summer progress.

Revill finds himself trusted by Lady Gisela Stanbury – and alarmingly, he takes to the eccentric Sir Abel and considers him harmless. Why would Heneage want him eliminated?

As well as friends, however, the agent makes a dangerous enemy in the form of Lewis Turnbull, a suitor to Sir Abel's daughter - Lady Charis.

Revill soon finds himself in peril. Some wars are fought in the shadows. But the former soldier possesses a dogged resolve and passion for justice.

Aided by Tom Bright, he must pursue a tortuous path to uncover the truth, no matter what the consequences.

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 and the Justice Belstrang Mystery series.

Praise for John

'A Reluctant Assassin is a gripping mystery-thriller full of memorable characters, dark deeds and unexpected twists set against an intriguing background both physical and historical - enhanced by John Pilkington's trademark meticulaouis research.' Peter Tonkin, author of Shadow of the Tower

'Beautifully written, with a real page turner of a plot that kept me gripped to the thrilling finale.' Jemahl Evans, author of the Sir Blandford Candy Adventure series

‘A window into a world and man.’ Richard Foreman, author of the Dick Turpin series

'Away from the corruption of London and no longer a Justice, but that doesn’t stop Belstrang uncovering dark deeds in this Jacobean thriller. A joy from mysterious beginnings to a satisfying conclusion by a master storyteller.' Paul Walker, author of The Queen’s Spy

'A wonderfully humane, and all-too human, central character.' Roger Morris, author of Fortune’s Hand

'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

Genres: Historical Fiction, Thriller, Mystery

194 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 12, 2022

About the author

John Pilkington wrote radio plays back in the 1980s before stepping things up a notch and scribbling down television scripts for the BCC. He then went onto write historical mystery novels for children.


Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Reviews

[John Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A first class Elizabethan romp!

A battle weary captain of artillery, Will Revill, arrives back in England following a harrowing tour of duty against the Spanish. A duty that had involved the wholesale slaughter of both enemy soldiers and innocent civilians alike. However, he now finds himself enmeshed in a web of intrigue involving some of the highest courtiers in Elizabethan society. Mainly shady and double dealing intelligence officers. He is ordered to carry out the assassination of a troublesome noble but, will his conscience allow him to carry out this morally questionable task? What will happen to his vulnerable sister and her Catholic husband if he refuses the task? An intriguing historical work of fiction that has the reader riveted from start to finish. Well recommended!

[Soozee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An ex-artillery captain Will Revill is summoned by the Queen’s Vice-Chamberlain and spymaster Sir Thomas Heneage. He is given a secret mission to travel to the Surrey manor of Sir Abel Stanbury – and kill him, but is not told why. He is blackmailed to do this, with threats to his sister who has married a papist and turned Catholic.

Accompanied by Tom Bright, his former gunnery sergeant, they arrive at Stanbury and are concerned to meet a man suffering some kind of Tourette's syndrome, his pleasant wife and taciturn steward. No motive to murder this man, who is excited at the prospect of a possible visit by his sovereign (their ruse for visiting), can be found.

The story is set firmly in its time in Elizabethan England, when Spanish plots and papist schemes abound. Will is a likeable character and, being no assassin for hire, he is determined to work out another way to fulfil his mission and protect his sister.

The first of what looks to be a great series!

[Mervyn Eastman]

A light and familiar Tudor thriller

Wanting a break from political biographies & researching Dickens for a blog series I'm writing, I fancied something easy, readable and of a light vintage. Pilkington offered all this. The usual plot & characters, but with different names. Spies, intrigue & tight corners from which the duo always get out of.

I wouldn't say it was a memorable read, but I relaxed into its familiarity & it suited my current casual reading mood. There is always a novelist to turn to of this historical era. I shall move on to Book 2 and then return to a rereading of Dickens's fourth novel.

Thank you for entertaining me Mr Pilkington

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good start to a series with plenty of swordplay and derring-do as two soldiers face a series of physical threats carrying out the mission assigned them by the queen's man, spymaster Sir Thomas Heneage. The order to assassinate a person Will has no desire to kill starts the action.
There is plenty of action and a number of interesting and sometimes endearing characters to propel the story. Once survival seems a sure thing after many ordeals, one looks forward to the next set of challenges for the daring duo.

Kindle Unlimited

[Joshkun Mehmet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first book by John Pilkington and one I enjoyed very much.

I found his writing style easy to read, it had a good plot and was historically accurate.

The main protagonists Will Revill and his sidekick Tom Bright are likeable characters and the intriguing, sometimes tricky situations they find themselves in keeps the plot moving along and the reader entertained.

I will be reading more of Mr Pilkington’s novels.

[peter david mitchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Undercover mission.

The beginning of a new series. I was not captivated by the plot or by the conclusion. Will Refill is a soldier and a character you can take interest in. His sidekick sergeant Tom Bright does not take any part and there is also no female interest developed. The plots need to have more depth

[Joe Stamber · Rating 3 out of 5]

An artillery captain, back from the wars, is blackmailed into becoming an assassin in 16th century England. A fairly short, fast-paced read and a decent historical thriller which has an authentic ring and entertains throughout. My rating is 7/10.

[Bryony · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable book, with interesting characters. Perhaps could have done with being a little longer to flesh out some of the characters. Also seems that if the main character hadn't been there, things would have still happened in the exact same way

[Tim Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read.

This is a good opener to the series. Refill and Bright are already established characters, who are off to new adventures. I'm keen to read the next novel in the series.

[Peter Barrass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book nothing else yo say👍

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

This is a nice easy read; enjoyable and nicely paced. Good fun for those who like a bit of swashbuckling.

[John Hensrud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reading kept my attention.

Good book. It was interesting to follow the exploits of the primary suspects. Fairly easy read with twists and turns throughout.

[Dale Coan · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting read

Not read any of the authors work before. Not ending how you think but leads well to the next book in the series.

[Francis Sobowale · Rating 1 out of 5]

Woeful

Just lacked any substance, it was a quick read that was slowed down in areas and sped up in other areas. The book is really not worth reading

[Jane Gibbens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a good story though a bit far fetched, also I was not that empathetic with the lead character (maybe because not that well developed?), so didn't care enough about him to make me want to read the next one

[Chris simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always look forward to reading a John Pilkington novel as he has such a great style that does not over complicate the plot but I feel that I know the landscape and have met or seen these people even though it is set in the 16th Century. Well done Mr Pilkington keep writing them and I will keep reading them

[Brian Kitchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy novels set in the Elizabethan era, about the intelligence services of the time. I have read many in this genre, but this was the first book that I’d read by Mr Pilkington and was pleased to find it was one that I really enjoyed. I won’t spoil the plot for other readers, but the author has obviously well researched the period and is a writer who can tell a good story. I can recommend the novel to anyone who likes the novels of writers such as Rory Clements and Adele Jordan and others who write novels set in Elizabethan England. I thoroughly enjoyed it.