Corpus: A gripping spy thriller

Product Information

fascinating historical conspiracy...it is in the minutiae of old fashioned sleuthing where the story starts to truly come alive. The mystery at the heart of the novel is intelligently written with this author's fine eye for historical detail and even though the overall pace of the novel is never fast and furious, there are certainly more than enough twists and turns in the plot to keep the reader guessing until the end.' * Jaffa Reads Too * Great new character, upbeat pace, low cunning plot, a fine read'. -- Jon Wise * The Sport newspaper * Fast forward to 1939 and Wilde, and his partner, Lydia, are travelling in France. War is days away and their holiday is winding down, when Wilde has a strange visitor. He informs him that a young English man, previously fighting in the Spanish Civil War, is in an internment camp and needs his help. Wilde was the supervisor of Marcus Marfield at Cambridge and immediately does all he can to obtain his release and return him to England. Can a ruthless spy ring change the course of war? In a great English house, a young woman offers herself to one of the most powerful and influential figures in the land - but this is no ordinary seduction. She plans to ensure his death . . . On holiday in France, Professor Tom Wilde discovers his brilliant student Marcus Marfield, who disappeared two years earlier to join the International Brigades in Spain, in the Le Vernet concentration camp in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Wilde secures his release just as German tanks roll into Poland. Meanwhile, a U-boat sinks the liner Athenia in the Atlantic with many casualties, including Americans, onboard. Goebbels claims Churchill put a bomb in the ship to blame Germany and to lure America into the war. As the various strands of an international conspiracy begin to unwind, Tom Wilde will find himself in great personal danger. For just who is Marcus Marfield? And where does his loyalty lie?" Today is my stop on the blog tour for Corpus by Rory Clements and I get to share my review with you all! Here’s the all-important bookish info first though!

Set at the beginning of World War II, the story is precipitated by multiple murders committed in Cambridge, UK. It's fast pace and immersive writing makes this superb espionage fiction. Tom, our main protagonist, is a real hero and most likeable, as is his love interest Lydia. They work together as a successful amateur investigative team and are tenacious and intelligent in their thinking. The series of complex yarns are woven together seamlessly and challenges the reader to stay on their toes, which all leads to a satisfying climax and end to a truly gripping and exciting trilogy. I eagerly anticipate whatever Mr Clements does next; if it's as nail-bitingly tense as these three novels were then we're in for a treat. Highly recommended. This was a super book that I read in 24 hours, with so many twists, turns and an international conspiracy, that I really didn’t know what to expect next. Even though I read this just before Christmas, I still get the shivers thinking about the villain and the things that happened. This is definitely the best in the series so far, and I can’t wait for the next book, even though I have to wait another year!History professor Thomas Wilde is dragged in to help when his neighbour's best friend dies. The police aren't interested, but it soon leads to a bigger plot, with the dark world of espionage on the brink of a second world war. I will definitely read more books by Rory Clements, as I really enjoy the writing. If you enjoy thrillers and if you are a fan of Dan Brown, you will probably enjoy Nemesis a lot! The mystery of Nancy's death stays at the centre of the book, as the story branches out with other murders and subterfuges.

There is clearly a great deal of research which goes into the book and I particularly enjoyed the notes at the end of the book.Main character John Shakespeare is given both cases to solve. Mary, Queen of Scots, is scheduled for execution and the Spanish Armada is ready to strike. Traitors and enemies have their heads displayed on pikes high above the London Bridge. It is a time of peril for England, where chaos and fear threaten to reign. Shakespeare must go into an underworld that includes a strange array of people– including his brother Will, the struggling writer. This publisher’s profile sets the scene for the third book in Rory Clements’ series starring Tom Wilde, professor of history at a Cambridge college and his next-door neighbour girlfriend, Lydia Morris. In addition to including various characters from previous books, it introduces several new ones, both fictional and real-life, who are used to drive this series forward into the early weeks of the Second World War. With numerous strands, the story moves between the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, France, Scotland, the west coast of Ireland, the fens of East Anglia and the town and colleges of Cambridge. It is a fast-moving story which includes political intrigue, mistaken identity, double-bluff after double-bluff, espionage, treachery, sabotage, high-speed car/motorbike chases and ever-present danger for the protagonists of the story –all the ingredients needed to produce a fairly high-octane thriller! An excellent continuation of the Tom Wilde series. Touching on unsolved mysteries and, as the author says, difficult issues. When confronted with the story of the Nazis’ mass murder of the Jews (and others) Tom Wilde’s reaction was not unusual - he simply didn’t believe it and had to be convinced. Wilde is the intellectual spy - a Cambridge professor and a man of action so can handle thugs as well as interrogation. There is the love interest - not only his long term partner, Lydia, but the beautiful and alluring spy Harriet ( and whose side is she on?).