A Ruinous Wind — John Pilkington

Thomas is falconer to Sir Robert Vicary of Petbury, a minor lord who has made some influential friends. Sir Robert takes Thomas with him to stay with Lord Edmund, the Earl of Reigate, a decadent and pompous noble who is keen to impress Queen Elizabeth. Lord Edmund's plan is to stage a sumptuous house party involving a re-enactment of the recently foiled Spanish Armada, as well as a giant model of a falcon in flight, and other impressive festivities. When the murders of three of the Earl's guests are covered up in case the scandal ruins the celebrations, Thomas is bid by his master to uncover the murderer. His search takes him from the raucous tavern in the local village to the crime-ridden streets of the City of London and a world of intrigue, fear and betrayal. When the Earl becomes the next target of the killer's aim, Thomas realizes that the reasons for the murderer's' deadly plans are far more complicated than anyone thought.