Corpus: A gripping spy thriller - Hardcover

Clements, Rory

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1785762613 ISBN 13: 9781785762611

Publisher: Zaffre, 2017

Synopsis

A gripping spy thriller for fans of ROBERT HARRIS and WILLIAM BOYD from award-winning Sunday Times bestseller Rory Clements and author of the 2018 CWA HISTORICAL DAGGER WINNER, NUCLEUS

1936. Europe is in turmoil. The Nazis have marched into the Rhineland. In Russia, Stalin has unleashed his Great Terror. Spain has erupted in civil war.

In Berlin, a young Englishwoman evades the Gestapo to deliver vital papers to a Jewish scientist. Within weeks, she is found dead, a silver syringe clutched in her fingers.

In an exclusive London club, a conspiracy is launched that threatens the very heart of government. When a renowned society couple with fascist leanings are found brutally murdered, a maverick Cambridge professor is drawn into a world of espionage he knows only from history books. The deeper Thomas Wilde delves, the more he finds to link the murders with the girl with the silver syringe - and even more worryingly to the scandal surrounding the Abdication . . .

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 big canvas international thriller, like C J Sansom's WINTER IN MADRID, marks the beginning of a brilliant new direction for Rory Clements.

Praise for CORPUS

'Dramatic . . . pacy and assured . . . Well crafted, it has all the pleasures of an intriguing lead character, intricate plot and fascinating historical context' Daily Mail

'Rory Clements's timely spy thriller set in the 1930s evokes a period of political polarisation, mistrust and simmering violence. Corpus is fast-paced and there are plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing. This is the first of a promising series and Wilde is a likeable hero' The Times

'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. Corpus is a standout historical novel and spy thriller' Daily Express

Praise for RORY CLEMENTS

'Enjoyable, bloody and brutish' Guardian

'Sends a shiver down your spine' Daily Mail

'A colourful history lesson . . . exciting narrative twists' Sunday Telegraph

About this title

Review:

Dramatic . . . pacy and assured . . . Well crafted, it has all the pleasures of an intriguing lead character, intricate plot and fascinating historical context Source: Daily Mail

Rory Clements's timely spy thriller set in the 1930s evokes a period of political polarisation, mistrust and simmering violence. Corpus is fast-paced and there are plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing. This is the first of a promising series and Wilde is a likeable hero Source: The Times

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. Corpus is a standout historical novel and spy thriller by an author who can turn his hand to any historical period he chooses Source: Daily Express

I was a huge fan of the John Shakespeare series and love every single book. Corpus was an enjoyable read... Source: Lis The Bookworm

'I really enjoyed this book. It was my first experience of this author and I am very glad I picked this one up. The writing was easy to get into and the plot was engaging. I enjoyed the characters, especially the lead - he is well written and intelligent. Overall this was a great book set in an interesting time and I would definitely recommend picking this book up.' Source: The Little Book Owl

' An intelligent thriller...I loved the characters and especially hero Professor Thomas Wilde. Our heroine, Lydia is well rounded...Wilde is a cool hero.' Source: For the Love of Books

'It simply took my breath away. The amount of research that has gone into this superb book is just phenomenal. Boy does Rory Clements know how to tell a story! It's a tangled web of espionage, murder, intrigue and thrills. I'm so glad I got the chance to review this book. When I have time I will be reading this again. There's so much detail that you might miss!' Source: The Book Guzzler

'Rory Clements is a fine writer of such clever novels and in Tom Wilde he has created a character to do him proud, every bit as much as John Shakespeare. This is a very clever book, rich in intrigue and deceptions...The storyline is marvellous! Its complexity is very satisfying to unravel and it captures so much of the sinister world of 1936 Europe. Hitler and Stalin walk in the shadows of this novel. Rory Clements writes as brilliantly as he plots and this is a novel steeped in atmosphere, menace and history. If I had to find fault with Corpus, I'd be out of luck. This is a standout historical novel and a gripping spy thriller. Clearly Rory Clements can turn his attention to any period of history he likes and in it he will find gold.' Source: For Winter Nights

'Corpus by Rory Clements is set in England a few years before the Second World War as Britain is convulsed by the abdication crisis. Tom Wilde, a Cambridge academic, is drawn into a murky world of espionage and conspiracy by the unexplained death of a young Englishwoman recently returned from Berlin...' Author: Nick Rennison Source: The Sunday Times Culture

'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...this fascinating pre-war era comes breathtakingly and insidiously to life in a complex, compelling opener to what promises to be another extraordinary historical series as Clements harnesses society's distrust, divisions and deceptions in a powerful and plausible thriller. With real history, mystery, politics and espionage at play, Clements is undoubtedly on to another winner...' Author: Pam Norfolk Source: Lancashire Evening Post

From the Author:

RORY CLEMENTS is a Sunday Times bestselling author. He won the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Award for his second novel, Revenger, and a TV series of the John Shakespeare novels is currently in development. Rory lives in Norfolk with his family. Find out more at www.roryclements.co.uk.

About this edition

• Publisher: Zaffre
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1785762613
• ISBN 13: 9781785762611
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 384