Discover the first in a BRAND NEW gripping Tudor mystery from bestselling author John Pilkington. Perfect for fans of Andrew Taylor and S J Parris.

'Pilkington transports us back to the Elizabethan era so deftly you can smell the stink of it, and feel the danger lurking in every shadow.' - Richard Cullen

1594, Bishopsgate Ward, London. Within the walls and without, unease and uncertainty lurk beneath the noise and bustle of a smoky, teeming city.

Matthew Cutler, newly widowed and caring for two spirited daughters, takes his position as constable for the parish of Spitalfields very seriously. So when Paulo Brisco, a quiet Venetian perfumer is found brutally murdered in his own shop, Cutler throws himself into his first major crime, and one which threatens to set all Bishopsgate alight.

Being a humble parish constable, Matthew Cutler’s powers are slight – and yet he possesses a skill which most others do not. As a former actor he can employ disguise, to considerable effect and to his unique advantage...

Plunged into a treacherous world of notorious rakes, angry tradesmen and a community seething with anti-foreigner sentiment and suspicion, Cutler must decipher shattered clues and confront a killer whose motive remains a baffling mystery - until the very last.

Step into the dangerous world of Elizabethan London with this cracking murder mystery