Clements is a master of creating cracking narratives and superb atmospheres, this book featuring Tom Wilde (book 8) is no different. This works as a stand-alone so do not be put off.

Post Second World London Is a bleak place - rationing and the scars of bomb damage are ever present & the spectre of nuclear war lies in the background. Tom Wilde is tasked with uncovering a mole from 3 British spies who is giving the Russians nuclear secrets.

There is an excellent set of supporting characters (Lady Chalke & Dolly) and that there are elements and people from history, make this a cut above.

A total 5/5 from me, thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I have read a few of Rory Clements Tudor books years ago and was really pleased to be offered the chance to read A Cold Wind from Moscow. It lived up to my expectations. Tom Wilde, a Cambridge professor and ex spy, is recalled by Freya Bentall a senior MI5 officer, to help flush out a spy in the midst of the organisation. Tom agrees initially to help for one week, after finding a body, killed by an ice axe., in his rooms at Cambridge. There are three suspects and he has to get close to each of them to find out. The journey involves him in great danger with visits to the seedier places in London, If he fails, he will be putting not only his family, but also his country in great danger. The bitterly cold winter of 1947 along with rationing, power cuts and little transport, all added extra difficulties for Wilde. As the tension mounts, the book becomes a real page turner.
I have no hesitation in recommending this great book. I would like to thank NetGalley, Rory Clements and the publishers, Zaffre books of an arc of A Cold Wind from Moscow.

I greatly enjoyed the Tudor novels from this author, and was intrigued by this story of Cold War espionage. This is my first Tom Wilde book, so my reading list has now grown, but I am looking forward to them… all seven of them!
Set in 1947-48, Britain was freezing cold, both in weather terms and the general mood of the population. Despite having won the war, everything is in short supply, food is still rationed, power cuts make life a misery, houses are also desperately needed, so many have been lost due the bombing raids, it all seems a harsh price to pay for freedom.
Tom Wilde is a Professor at Cambridge teaching Tudor history, he has supposedly retired from his spying days. When he finds a dead body in his college rooms with an ice axe in its skull, Tom reports to his old boss Freya Bentall, senior officer of Intelligence, who asks Tom to help her search for a “ mole” in the secret service, she can trust him.
Tom is thrust into the murky world of spies, London gangsters, drugs, nightclubs, the hidden culture of homosexuality, and the secretive nuclear energy society. He must find out who is passing vital information to the Soviets and safeguard his adopted country from harm.
A wonderful Cold War espionage novel, where historical facts are used to create a wholly believable work of fiction.
It is exciting, well paced and there are some very likeable characters, Tom and Freya are the stand out ones for me.
The research is impeccable, I remember my parents speaking about that cold winter, working in a farming community, trying to keep animals safe and digging sheep out of fresh snow drifts on a daily basis.
I’m looking forward to reading the previous books, there are mentions of Nucleus, but I still enjoyed this book by guessing at the gaps in my knowledge of this series. The postscript at the conclusion to this book was interesting, it sets out the truth of those involved and what happened to them.
If this is filmed, Lia Williams would make a good Freya Bentall, her face kept coming to my mind whilst reading this.
Five star read. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Zafron/ Bonnier books for my eARC, freely given in return for my honest review.
I will leave a copy to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication.

A Cold Wind from Moscow is the 8th book in the Tom Wilde series by Rory Clements and this excellent run of stories is showing no signs of diminishing returns.

Despite the War having finished Wilde is brought back, somewhat reluctantly, into service as he is tasked with uncovering a mole within the security services.

The book moves along at a good pace and keeps the pages turning with a great main and some excellent supporting storylines.

Overall this is an other winner.

*4.5 stars*

Winter 1947 in the UK was a bitterly cold, snowy and icy one, with thousands of people being cut off for days by snowdrifts up to seven metres deep. But unknown to the general public, that wasn’t the only blast of cold air, because a new breed of spy was born, bringing a very cold wind from Moscow.

Two years after the end of the war, Britain was broken and very vulnerable, economic recovery was slow, housing was in short supply, and bread was rationed along with many necessities. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin was aware of the situation and decided to send his master of ‘Special Tasks’, in order to create even more chaos. Stalin already had a man on the inside, a communist super-spy who had the secrets of the atomic bomb at his fingertips, and he must be protected whatever the cost!

Freya Bentall, a senior MI5 officer, no longer knows who to trust and is left with one option: to bring in an outsider whose loyalty is beyond question - Cambridge professor Tom Wilde. His task: to find the traitor in MI5.

There are three main suspects, and Wilde finds himself caught up in the criminal underworld whilst trying to get close to each of the suspects.

However, one wrong foot and Wilde risks disaster, not only for his family but also his country.

Mr Clements has a real knack for great storytelling, and creating exciting and riveting fictional plots from historical situations. His research is impressive to say the least. His writing is vividly rich in colour and atmosphere. A wonderful spy thriller from a top-notch author.

I love this era and absolutely adore Rory Clements always thrilling and evocative of the time Thankyou so much

Post war Britain, winter and temperatures plunging quicker than trust in a politician, Tom Wilde is reluctantly drawn back into the murky world of spycatchers. With atomic secrets at risk, MI5 about as watertight as a string vest and villains on the make there’s certainly no shortage of people out to stop him - on a permanent basis. Wrap up warm and enjoy a cracking read.

I’m a big fan of Professor Tom Wilde, Oxford Professor and erstwhile spy. The war is now well and truly over and there is a new enemy for Tom to root out. Living a quiet life in Oxford with his young son whilst his wife, Lydia is training to be a doctor in London, Tom is shocked to find a dead visitor in his office- unfortunately the visitor, Everett,Glasspool, an old espionage colleague has been murdered.
Summoned to London to meet with Freya Bentall, MI5 chief, Tom is asked to investigate some men she suspects of being traitors and find out who killed Everett Glasspool who was one of her trusted agents.
As Tom becomes more involved he is led to a group of nuclear scientists one of whom is suspected of selling secrets to the enemy. Pursued by Russian assassins sent to silence those who suspect their sleeper agents, Tom is quickly drawn into a world where London gangsters are working hand in hand with traitorous spies to infiltrate the nuclear programme.
Not knowing whom to trust , Tom fears for his own life and that of his family.
This is a fast paced and well plotted espionage thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed. Tom is a great hero, never afraid to have a go but in keeping with his other profession, cerebral as well- a perfect combination.
I’ve enjoyed every book Rory Clements has written about him and am always excited when a new one comes out. I was so excited to get my hands on this new one and thoroughly recommend both ‘A Cold Wind From Moscow” as well as all the other books in this excellent series. Five stars from me! Don’t miss this when it is published in January.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot...

I've read all 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...

This novel is set in 1947, and the Cold War is underway (quite literally as that really was the coldest UK winter for many a moon!)

It was good to revisit characters like Tom, Lydia, and Freya who we've met before. There are plenty of new characters to add to the mix - including some very unpleasant "baddies". This felt like a much darker book in many ways - there are quite a few deaths, and not knowing who exactly could be trusted added to the unsettling feeliing - a good thing in a "thriller" I think!

Looking forward to reading more in this excellent series!

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

Another excellent, and engrossing page-turner from Rory Clements, It is now 1947 and Tom Wilde now back in Cambridge wishes to maintain his hard-won civilian life, but ........ Stalin has sent his super-agent to bring chaos to his former ally, in order to protect his super-spy working at Harwell. And chaos, mystery, death all ensue. Saying more, apart from 'you must read this' would risk spoilers.

With thanks to NetGalley and Zaffre for an APC

After a brief interlude writing about a Munich detective, Rory Clwements is thankfully back on more solid and fertile ground with another superb Tom Wilde spy thriller.

It is the time of the cold war in an England that is also freezing and the lecturer turned intelligence operator os tasked with uncovering a Soviet mole who threatens the security of the nation.

The writing is as taut as ever, the characters and plot credible and fascinating and the sense of time and place totally accurate and evocative.

What more can you ask for? A veritable treat.

A new direction for this excellent series.

"A Cold Wind From Moscow" opens in February, 1947, and Britain is still recovering from the war. Food is in short supply, there are regular power cuts, and the coldest winter in years is upon them. Professor Tom Wilde continues to work at his Cambridge university, his spying days well behind him. But when a visitor is found dead, violently murdered in his rooms, he is quickly thrust back into the world of espionage.

But it's not the world of spying he knew previously - this is the start of a new war - a Cold War, where the rules are different. And when head of SIS, Freya Bentall asks him for one last favour - to track down a mole within MI5, he reluctantly takes up the mantle of spy once more. Before long he realises that former allies, the Russians, have turned their sights on Britain.

Swiftly the story turns to the fast-paced, desperate race against time that fans of this series love. Tom, the reluctant spy, seeks out the mole, but quickly sees the bigger picture, one of the emerging race for better atomic weapons, and those who are key to its development. Along the way he meets a colourful cast of characters, from the deeply suspicious fellow spies, to a flamboyant aristocratic artist, a Russian scientist willing to share secrets and a charismatic scientist by the name of Klaus Fuchs. And, of course, post-war Britain is beautifully rendered, with little details that perfectly capture the mood of the time. The author's research is impeccable, as usual.

There are more than a few throwbacks to the second Tom Wilde novel, "Nucleus", with characters and events forming the basis for what faces our hero this time around. Fans of the series will enjoy this, I think. The author also nicely inserts real-life people and locations into the story - as well as Klaus Fuchs, we visit the Harwell Campus, and there's even mention of Philby, Burgess and Maclean. Could this be a hint at the next Wilde book?

Fans of the series will love this latest Wilde adventure, as will fans of Simon Scarrow, Alex Gerlis and Charles Beaumont. Heartily recommended.