Corpus: A gripping spy thriller

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When a renowned member of the county set and his wife are found horribly murdered, a maverick Cambridge history professor finds himself dragged into a world of espionage which, until now, he has only read about in books. That and a line in national neutrality that will come in handy when he seeks to retain a sense of objectivity when all around lose theirs. The Nazis have invaded Czechoslovakia, in Germany Jewish persecution is widespread and, closer to home, the IRA has embarked on a bombing campaign. The deeper Tom Wilde delves, both inside and outside college grounds, the more he wonders whether the murders are linked to the death of the girl with the silver syringe – and, just as worryingly, with the scandal surrounding King Edward VIII and his mistress Wallis Simpson. Summary: The creator of Tudor spy John Shakespeare introduces us to a 1930s professor who falls into the world of murder and espionage.

Set against the gathering drumbeat of war and moving from Berlin to Cambridge, from Whitehall to the Kent countryside, and from the Fens to the Aragon Front in Spain, this sweeping international thriller, like C J Sansom's WINTER IN MADRID, marks the beginning of a brilliant new series for Rory Clements. Despite moving his setting forward 400 years, he cannot quite sever his connection to those great spymasters Walsingham and Cecil, whose dedication and ruthlessness helped save Britain from religiously-inspired Spanish expansionism. The books here are primarily of the Historical Fiction or Science Fiction bent with some Thrillers and Crime thrown in - but there are happy exceptions.a dynamic, fast-moving murder mystery brimming with menace, violence and intrigue, and starring a maverick Cambridge history professor caught up in a deadly conspiracy. It is sobering to be reminded of how our ruling classes were entranced by the twin evils of Nazism and Communism, especially at a time when Europe is enduring its most serious conflict since 1945 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine while Taiwan is similarly threatened by China.

Rory Clements is best known for his John Shakespeare series, but Corpus is the first of his books I’ve read, so I was unsure that I would like it when I received an ARC from NetGalley. Our Adult Fiction Books, Range includes Classics Novels, Comic Books, Crime, Thriller, Mystery Novels, General Fiction, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction and War.Great - I missed this when it first came out and so was keen to locate a copy when I bought the second in the series (Nucleus) without realising I had not read the first! I have to say the cover would’ve made me pass this book by but after reading your review, I’m going to check this out. Since 2007, Rory has been writing full-time in a quiet corner of Norfolk, England, where he lives with his family. For David Goggins, childhood was a nightmare--poverty, prejudice, and physical abuse colored his days and haunted his nights. When a friend of Lydia’s dies in mysterious circumstances, Wilde is drawn into trying to help her find out what has happened – and a real twisty, turny, wheels within wheels, where does anyone’s real allegiance lie tale begins to play out.

This is a very clever book, rich in intrigue and deceptions, with an army of characters to keep track of.Rory Clements’s historical spy thriller (the first in a new series) sets a twisting plot against the real historical events of 1936 but is let down by a bland hero, a finale that devolves into preposterous cliché and a predictable romance between two leads who don’t have much chemistry. Further Reading: if you'd like to go back to Rory's (and indeed Professor Wilde's) Elizabethan roots we heartily suggest John Shakespeare. The reader’s confusion reflects Tom Wilde’s muddle as he and Nancy’s friend Lydia, both disillusioned with official efforts to explain Nancy’s death, unite to investigate. One Thursday lunchtime the Earth gets unexpectedly demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. This clever novel, rich in deceptions and intrigue, shows the reach of Stalin and Hitler into every class of British society, threatening violence on horrific scale.