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. 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! The sale of customised goods or perishable goods, sealed audio or video recordings, or software, which has been opened. Summary: The creator of Tudor spy John Shakespeare introduces us to a 1930s professor who falls into the world of murder and espionage.

The murderer, who walks naked through an Englishman’s blood, is apparently a psychopathic communist sympathiser, although the reader can also see this might not be the case. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. Sir Michael Caine knows a thing or two about gangs: whether that’s joining one as a kid, or playing them in movies for over 50 years.For further information about your statutory rights, contact your local authority Trading Standards department or consumer advice center (for example the Citizen's Advice Bureau if you are in the UK). Against this background Corpus focusses on Tom Wilde’s investigations first into Nancy’s death, aided by her friend Lydia, who is convinced that Nancy was murdered, and then into yet more murders. Best of all is the delightful Sophie von Isarbeck, a German aristocrat and socialite who is a friend to Wallis Simpson, a Nazi agent, and dominatrix prostitute. The portrayal of Cambridge dons is rather polarised, they all seem to be either fascists or communists, reflecting the political jockeying that went on pre-war. I was totally convinced by the characters, in particular Tom Wilde, a professor of history who is writing a biography of Sir Robert Cecil, the Elizabethan and Jacobean statesman, the successor to Sir Francis Walsingham as the Queen’s spymaster (a nod to his earlier series, I thought).

His specialism is Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth’s spymaster who was responsible for bringing about the fall of Elizabeth’s greatest rival, Mary Queen of Scots. I didn’t think he had any chemistry with Lydia (who I wish more had been made more of given her university education rather than making her traditional hostage fodder) and the finale was just so ridiculous that it spoilt my enjoyment of the previous pages.

There she is given the chance to undo her regrets and try out each of the other lives she might have lived. A TV series of the John Shakespeare novels is currently in development by the team behind POLDARK and ENDEAVOUR. This gentleman also believes that opinions should be formed based on evidence not assumption, and encourages that approach from his students. Their reach is almost limitless and for many in this book their appeal is intoxicating and powerful.

Cambridge history professor Tom Wilde may fall into the middle of this accidentally to begin with but his curiosity has been piqued enough to ensure he's not walking away. But the deeper Thomas Wilde delves, the more he wonders whether the murders are linked to the death of the girl with the silver syringe - and, just as worryingly, to the scandal surrounding King Edward VIII and his mistress Wallis Simpson. This entry was posted in Earlier 20th C, Historical Fiction, Review, Thriller and tagged 1930s, 20th century, Historical fiction, Thriller on January 16, 2017 by Kate (For Winter Nights).Rory Clements's timely spy thriller set in the 1930s evokes a period of political polarisation, mistrust and simmering violence. I find the interwar period fascinating anyway though it tends to be overshadowed by the Second World War and post-war eras. 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.