A fast paced story about a Cambridge history professor trying to stop a biological attack by left over fascists just after world War 2. It has many references to previous events, possibly from an earlier novel, that makes it a little confusing at times. Otherwise it is a good tale with many twists and turns, lots of interesting characters, who to trust, and who is hiding something?

A fantastic read from start to finish.

Having not read any previous instalments it took a short while to get to grips with the characters but the story is written in such a way that this doesn’t take long.

What I loved most about this book is the pace of the story, it’s non stop suspense, mystery and strong emotions from cover to cover! Taking you in to the heart of a bond movie, 5/5 recommend.

An excellent book that takes you through a world back in history just after the war which has you gripped with suspense with a plague falling on a town which escalates into a Cold War attrition and has you wondering who to trust, I would recommend it to anyone interested in reading history after the close of the Second World War ,

As usual in my reviews, I will not simply rehash the publisher's blurb...instead I recommend that you read this for yourself!

I've read most of the previous "Tom Wilde" novels, and have enjoyed them all, so I was delighted to be invited to read this latest book. I was not disappointed...

It was good to revisit characters we've met before and find out more about them, and there was an excellent cast of new characters to add to the mix - including some excellent "baddies". The plot was well thought out, with several threads on the go, a red herring or two to keep up the intrigue and suspense.

Really enjoyed reading this, and look forward to more in this series.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

I loved this authors previous book and was so excited to read this.

I found it confusing at the start getting all the characters straight but once I did things came together nicely and was a very enjoyable read.

I love alternative histories and this is excellent.

Another winner from Rory Clements.

The Professor Tom Wilde books are so well-researched and written, they are an absolute pleasure to read.

The war is over and Tom is back at Cambridge teaching and enjoying some peace and family time. Lydia has decided she would like to train to be a doctor so leaves her family in the capable hands of a housekeeper but is all as it seems.....

At the same time Tom is called back to the Intelligence Service a village nearby (also next to an American Air Base) has been sealed off due to illness.

Brilliant read, highly recommended

Immediate post war and once again Prof Tom Wilde looking forward to his day job and enjoying his family. Never going to happen, Unit 731, a submarine and a Black Book see to that. Biological warfare development carried over and a Gestapo kill list would put a dampener on anyone’s crumpets but the emerging possibility that it could be a resident Englishman behind it leads to a frantic chase to establish which factions involved and who can be trusted. With his own family at risk Tom can’t rule anyone out against such a ruthless and well organised foe, perhaps even someone he knows?
A great read once again from Mr Clements.

Another brilliant instalment in the Tom Wilde saga. Clements writes brilliant historical fiction and I love the characters of Tom and Lydia Wilde.

With the end of the war I feared the stories may end so was very happy to see this book. The story is fast paced and as ever full of intrigue, deception, murder and mayhem!

A wonderful storyline which plenty of red herrings and new characters to doubt, alongside some old stalwarts.

I enjoyed the historical notes at the end too as I always like to know where history stops and fiction takes over.

Well what a read this is, gripping, twisting, full of surprises and well I hope you read for yourself and see what the great bits I've not mentioned are.

A Cambridge Prof from American is now settled with a great wife and son in post war England, also known as part of the UK. He's ex intelligence officer from the war (WW2) but now he lectures on the 1st Elizabethan era until one of his wife's friend get ill and all contact is lost. Turns out some people appear to have not given up on their cause and aim to complete what others failed. You have to read it sorry no spoilers here apart from this is a great read. A village near an American Air base is sealed of after a number of folk get ill with something a lot more sinister than flu, or covid as we'd put it in this in our present age. When our hero's try to find out what's going on life gets interesting. A postwar spy thriller no less.

The characters are really fun or really evil you just won't know who is who untill you do. And I love the way this is done. There was no PC brigade as such back in those days so the characters get a bit of liberty but I find no offence just mean that times were hard for much more genuine reason as in post war Britain. Things were similar is probably a much better way to put it, no Internet the enemies were more European or so it was thought, but hidden agendas just as poisonous as now making for some more adventurous plot lines. The enemy within etc. What I'm saying is this is a great Novel Thriller you will not want to miss it in my opinion that is. A no brainer 5 star in my view. But what do I know read it yourself then you will know. 😉

I really enjoyed this follow up story about Tom Wilde and the aftermath of the Second World War.
It is a good spy story set just after the war with no modern technology, of course. The characters are well drawn and the story is complex and well constructed.
I couldn’t wait to pick it up again and although I was keen to read to the end I was sorry it was over - always a great sign!
Loved it and recommend the book.

Another five star read in Rory Clements's Tom Wilde series. The war is over and everything is calming down and sorting itself out. Or is it? This is a great story with a totally believable plot and featuring some real life characters who were totally despicable. Wilde by name and what a wild ride we get taken on. Loved it and highly recommended. With thanks to the publishers, the author and NetGalley for an early copy to read and review.

Tom Wilde returned to University life at the end of WWII. His peace was soon disrupted in a terrible way putting his life and that of his wife in danger.

Fast paced novel considering who may want to harm us post war. Who can be trusted and who cannot? Dangerous people and dangerous pathogens are at large. Read and enjoy and hope that peace can return.

Yet another well written and researched and cleverly plotted Tom Wilde spy thriller. This time featuring Chemical warfare, murder and subterfuge.

With the war ended one would have thought this would be the end of a thrilling series but hopefully there will be more to come from Tom and Lydia even though some leading’ characters came to a sticky end in this excellent book.

The war is over, but it soon becomes clear that not everyone is prepared to give up the struggle. Prof Tom Wilde is yet again drawn into a battle for humanity. Someone is working their way through the Nazi's black book picking off targets, killing them with an injection of phenol. A local village is exposed to poisonous gas which kills villagers off. Who is doing this and why? How can they be stopped?
An exciting and ultimately thrilling read, Tom is quickly on the case......and he and Lydia, his wife, are top of the target list. A brilliant story, and a great continuation of the Tom Wilde story.

Professor Tom Wilde engages in one of the most thrilling counter insurgent escapades of his life. Rory Clements brings to life a period when you might think the world was at peace again. Allegiances, ideologies and loyalties don't change just because peace has been declared, so it was a very scary time. My enemy's enemy is my friend holds good for as long as the shared enemy exists but after Germany was defeated, the next worry was Russia and the expansion of communism. As if that wasn't enough, there were many in high positions who shared the communist ideology and were in a position to pass secrets and those people existed in the secret services.
So, in this thriller be prepared to be the mole catcher.
I really enjoyed this thriller, it had great pace plus it made me think a lot of how the world worked just after the Second World War, Operation Paperclip et al.
A couple of small niggles:
A bedroom was described as 'tapped', it could have been the phrase of the time but I am unsure.
The final time Wilde visited Eaton, was as if he hadn't seen hime a few days previously.

Finally, with a lot of great characters having been bumped off, I woder if this is the last Tom Wilde novel?

I’m a big fan of Professor Tom Wilde, and of his wife Lydia too. This finds them both back in the UK immediately after WWII, trying to settle back into a normal life. However, it never works out quite how you think it will.

I like premise of this book, and the fact that the author writes about people who lived during the time, even if we haven’t heard of some of them. There is a really good blend of fact and fiction with the fictional characters holding their own with real people who have documented histories. As always, this book is very well researched, fast paced, and plausible. I like Lydia as an independent woman, despite being married and having a son, she is still determined to have a career she has longed for, despite all the obstacles that come her way - such as not being able to acknowledge her husband for fear of being turned down for a place at Medical school, There are a few red herrings in the story that does make you wonder about a couple of the characters, but it’s a very satisfying read. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I have avidly followed the adventures of Professor Tom Wilde, Cambridge Don and spy extraordinaire but now that World War 2 is over he has settled back into life as a Cambridge lecturer. His wife Lydia has decided to retrain as a Doctor in London and employs a housekeeper to take care of Tom and young Johnny in Cambridge whilst she is in London studying. It becomes apparent that the housekeeper definitely has something to hide but the reader does not know what- has Lydia invited a viper into their home?
There is also a strange illness in a local village and a friend of Lydia is struck down. Tom starts to look into this and finds that some very peculiar things are happening.
Trouble seems to follow Tom around and he is then asked by an old colleague in intelligence to investigate, an acquaintance called Catesby who seems to be involved in a fascist plot and definitely has something to hide. Tom attends a shooting weekend at his mansion and discovers that Catesby is up to his neck in something unsavoury and mixing with some very nasty people. Can the disease and Catesby’s actions be connected?
When Tom subsequently finds out that both his and Lydia’s names are in a black book, earmarked for assassination by the Nazis when they regain power and that some others listed are already dead, he has to speed up his enquiries.
Meanwhile his new housekeeper seems to have secrets of her own and is behaving in a suspicious way.
I really enjoyed the fast paced plot in this book which is set in the year immediately after the end of hostilities. Everyone is hoping to live peacefully but there are still threats in the form of right wing elements including Oswald Moseley and his followers.
I felt sorry for Tom having to cope alone whilst Lydia is away and I wondered if she would come to regret her decision to live apart from her husband and child, rather a selfish decision in my view.
The story has been well researched and is full of many characters, some who actually existed and some who have been invented. These are so well interwoven into the plot that it is difficult to work out who is actually a real historical figure!
As always with all this author’s books, I raced through it, most of the time sitting on the edge of my seat. Definitely an enjoyable and exciting read which I thoroughly enjoyed. Recommended!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books Uk for my arc.

Rory Clements has done it again.

His latest novel in the Tom Wilde series is another excellent and gripping read that I highly recommend.

He is hoping to return to academia and a quiet married life, but events and people from his past interrupt this. Some characters are real, some based on real people and others are Clements own creations, but all are rounded and believable. The plot - involving biological weapons, and right-wing groups - is only too credible, and keeps our attention with twists and unexpected turns right to the final page.

With many thanks to NetGalley and Zaffre for an ARC

Another wild adventure with academic Tom Wilde.

It's Autumn 1945, the war is over and former spy, Professor Tom Wilde, has finally been permitted to return to teaching in Cambridge and enjoy family life. Well, that is, until his wife is unable to visit a sick friend in a neighbouring village. Wilde cannot resist the mystery and ventures out on his trusty motorcycle to investigate. When he learns that the village has been locked down by the military amidst rumours of a virus outbreak, he knows something is up in Blighty.

With that we launch into another fast-moving thriller involving Japanese submarines, Nazi agents and the notorious Japanese biological warfare research laboratory. Unit 731. Of course, Tom is soon back in the saddle, working with MI5 boss Lord Templeman, and his colleagues in MI6, the defunct SOE and others.

There's lots going on elsewhere too, with Tom's wife finally being accepted into medical school, albeit in London, causing some marital disharmony. Tom and she are also revealed to be on a Nazi Black Book kill list, one being completed by diehard Nazi agents. There's also some nice commentary on President Truman's decision to shut down US intelligence services following the end of WW2. Add in a mysterious housekeeper and an over-zealous college undergraduate and we've got all the ingredients of a first-class thriller.

More than ever, Clements is channelling his inner Ken Follet / Jack Higgins here, to superb effect. The story moves along at a brisk pace, unfolding nicely, with enough action and thrills to satisfy fans of the genre. Personally, I found the previous book, "The Man in the Bunker" slightly plodding, but this is a return to form.

Clements has scored again, and this latest book will appeal to long-time fans as well as those of Luke McCallin and David Downing. I was glad to receive a NetGalley review e-book but will be rushing out to grab a proper copy when it's published. Thoroughly recommended.