Nucleus by Rory Clements Blog Tour

NUCLEUS 

by RORY CLEMENTS 

June 1939. The eve of war: a secret so deadly, nothing and no one is safe

England is partying like there is no tomorrow, gas masks at the ready. In Cambridge the May Balls are played out with a frantic intensity - but the good times won't last... In Europe, the Nazis have invaded Czechoslovakia, and in Germany the persecution of the Jews is now so widespread that desperate Jewish parents send their children to safety in Britain aboard the Kindertransport. Closer to home, the IRA's S-Plan bombing campaign has resulted in more than 100 terrorist outrages around England.

But perhaps the most far-reaching event of all goes largely unreported: in Germany, Otto Hahn has produced the first man-made fission and an atomic device is now a very real possibility. The Nazis set up the Uranverein group of physicists: its task is to build a superbomb.  The German High Command is aware that British and US scientists are working on similar line. Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory is where the atom was split in 1932. Might the Cambridge men now win the race for a nuclear bomb? Hitler's generals need to be sure they know all the Cavendish's secrets. Only then will it be safe for Germany to wage war.

When one of the Cavendish's finest brains is murdered, Professor Tom Wilde is once more drawn into an intrigue from which there seems no escape. In a conspiracy that stretches from Cambridge to Berlin and from Washington DC to the west coast of Ireland, he faces deadly forces that threaten the fate of the world.

Set in England in 1939, Clements has chosen to start his novel at a fascinating moment in history. This is an immediately intriguing period in time and one that never fails to interest and engage readers. As you can see from the blurb, this is a complex plot with several threads of plot; Clements wastes no time in throwing the reader headlong into the thick of the excitement and adventure. 

From the first page, Clements introduces his cast of characters and delves straight into the story. His ability to firmly root the reader in the historical period is impressive and although this novel must have required extensive research, the writing feels natural and uncontrived. It also feels contemporary and the prose flows effortlessly, carrying the reader through the pages with great pace. The dialogue is always convincing and felt it really helped to bring the characters to life.

This is a spy thriller novel and although I don't often read this sort of novel, Nucleus was a satisfying read. I liked the writing style a lot, it was engaging and made a topic I know very little about, accessible and intriguing. Clements seems to have struck a perfect balance between a thriller which is full of espionage and mystery while keeping it light enough that it's easy to follow and a relatively quick read. I engaged with the main character, Tom Wilde, who is very likeable and I found the locations and settings very easy to visualise and imagine. 

Nucleus is the second part in a series, but it is a series worth investing in for any fans of historical fiction or for anyone interested in this era. The cover is dynamic and eye-catching and I'm sure this book will catch the attention of many readers this year. Clements is a confident and assured writer and this is a good mystery full of twists and turns which are heightened because of the historical and political context. 

Nucleus is published by Bonnier Zaffre on 25th January. 

*My thanks to the publisher for an advance copy of the novel and the opportunity to join in with the Blog Tour* 

PRAISE FOR CORPUS BY RORY CLEMENTS

'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.'
Antonia Senior at 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

DON"T MISS ANY OTHER STOPS ON THE BLOG TOUR! 

RORY CLEMENTS won the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Award in 2010 for his second novel, Revenger. He is the author of the John Shakespeare series of novels which are currently in development for TV by the team behind POLDARK and ENDEAVOUR. Find out more at www.roryclements.co.uk