London, 1595. The Master of Defence Tom Musgrave rushes to the aid of a young messenger, the victim of a sudden, apparently unprovoked attack in the street outside his house. In the dead boy’s possession Tom finds a bloodied letter intended for his eyes only. And he manages to piece together a worrying message. The missive contains a desperate cry for help from the beautiful Countess Cotehel, who is mute as a result of a terrible trauma. Then a second body is found – belonging to another of the Countess’s servants. When a horribly mutilated portrait of the Countess also turns up, Tom realises that she is in grave danger. Tom and his apprentice rush to her aid, following her to the gloomy Castle of Cotehel in Cornwall, only to find that discovering who is threatening her, and why, is far more difficult than they’d supposed… ‘The Silent Murder’ is the thrilling fourth instalment of Peter Tonkin’s ‘Master of Defence’ series, featuring the Elizabethan sleuth and sword-master Tom Musgrave.