While playing tennis at a posh club in a town near London called Oakley Park, young and flirty Molly Stevens attracts considerable interest.

Halloran eventually learns that Molly left Peter Crowley for a married man, Mark Roper, who is the club's secretary.

Dr. John Fenner, the local Canadian expat physician who certified the death, is asked by Halloran why he neglected to report that fact.

She confirms that Roper gave her a lift, but this later turns out to be a lie - a result of her attempts to protect the reputation of her uncle, who left his practice in Toronto after a misdiagnosis led to a patient's death.

Roper, always bragging about his wartime heroics as a RAF fighter pilot who achieved the rank of Wing Commander, is revealed by Halloran to have been nothing but a lowly ground crew member, who was dishonourably discharged after theft and is currently heavily in debt.

Halloran ascends the steeple to prevent the suicide, risking his own life in the process, and manages to convince Peter not to kill himself.

[7] Ella Raines was to play a key role, but had to drop out because her mother fell ill.[8] She was replaced by Barbara Bates, then under contract to the Rank Organisation.

[9] The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Despite sharp and efficient handling and a skilful choice of locations, this is a fundamentally artificial murder mystery with a predictable dénouement.

"[10] Kine Weekly wrote: "John Mills contributes a fine performance as chip-on-the-shoulder Mike, Barbara Bates neatly handles the conventional love angle as Elizabeth and Charles Coburn, Derek Farr and Alex McCowen never show their hands until the finish as Fenner, Roper, and Peter.

The defence would do worse than to offer Town on Trial as its Exhibit A, drawing particular attention to its breathtaking PoV shot of the killer stalking a second victim that anticipates the camera gymnastics of Dario Argento.