Tag: NetGalley

#BookReview A Prince and a Spy (Tom Wilde 5) by Rory Clements @ZaffreBooks

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A Prince and a SpyAbout the Book

Sweden, 1942. Two old friends meet. They are cousins. One is Prince George, Duke of Kent, brother of the King of England. The other is Prince Philipp von Hesse, a committed Nazi and close friend of Adolf Hitler.

Days later, Prince George is killed in a plane crash in the north of Scotland. The official story is that it was an accident – though not everyone is convinced. There is even a suggestion that the Duke’s plane was sabotaged.

With no evidence, Cambridge spy Tom Wilde is sent north to investigate. What he discovers will have grave consequences not only for Britain, but for the entire world…

Format: Hardcover (480 pages)          Publisher: Zaffre
Publication date: 21st January 2021 Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Find A Prince and a Spy (Tom Wilde #5) on Goodreads

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My Review

As far as I’m concerned it’s always a cause for celebration when a new book in Rory Clements’ Tom Wilde series arrives. As my reviews will testify, I’ve loved all the previous books in the series – Corpus, Nucleus, Nemesis and Hitler’s Secret – but to my mind A Prince and a Spy is the best yet.

The novel is inspired by the real-life events surrounding the death of King George V’s brother, the Duke of Kent, in a plane crash in the far north of Scotland in August 1942. All but one of the occupants of the plane were killed, including the Duke. The author has used the continuing mystery surrounding the circumstances of the crash as the starting point for a story involving wartime atrocities, covert operations and a conspiracy at the heart of the British establishment.

If that isn’t enough to whet your appetite there are also dramatic pursuits across land and sea by ruthless enemies who will stop at nothing, the use of truth drugs to extract information and some rather unconventional flight accommodation. And fans of the series will no doubt share my delight as Tom Wilde fires up his trusty Rudge Special motorcycle for breakneck journeys across the country.

Sent to Scotland to investigate the air crash, Wilde just can’t stop himself from asking questions that go well beyond his stated cover story, bringing him to the attention of some particularly dangerous individuals and to others whose motives are less than clear. At one point, Wilde is warned, “Now you’re getting in tricky waters, Tom. Any herring man will tell you to stay away from the shallows and the rocks”. But, as anyone familiar with Tom Wilde will know, he’s just as likely to steer straight towards them.

Moving between Scotland, Sweden and wartime London, at certain points the author also transports the reader to the heart of the Third Reich giving a chilling insight into its evil efficiency and the personal rivalries between its key figures.

Eventually all the threads are brought together in order to explain the background to the dramatic event that opens the book. Although dark deeds dominate most of the book, its ending is just perfect and offers a much needed ray of light.  However Tom being Tom, there are still unanswered questions that linger in his mind. I would have liked a more prominent role for Lydia, Wilde’s partner and the mother of his son, as she’s rather consigned to the domestic sidelines. However, that’s only a very minor gripe because in every other respect A Prince and a Spy has everything I look for in a historical thriller.

The author’s historical note provides fascinating information about the individuals who inspired some of the fictional characters, about the afterlives (where known) of the real characters and about some of the events portrayed in the book.  Sadly, some of the most shocking scenes in the book are based on historical fact.

I received an advance review copy courtesy of Zaffre and Readers First. A Prince and a Spy is also available as an ebook and audio book.

In three words: Gripping, dramatic, action-packed

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RoryClementsAbout the Author

Rory Clements was born on the edge of England in Dover. After a career in national newspapers, he now writes full time in a quiet corner of Norfolk, where he lives with his wife, the artist Naomi Clements Wright. He won the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Award in 2010 for his second novel, Revenger, and the CWA Historical Dagger in 2018 for Nucleus. Three of his other novels – Martyr, Prince and The Heretics – have been shortlisted for awards. A Prince and a Spy is the fifth of his thriller series featuring Professor Tom Wilde. The first four – Corpus, Nucleus, Nemesis and Hitler’s Secret – are available in paperback now.

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#BookReview The Art of Dying (Raven, Fisher and Simpson 2) by Ambrose Parry @blackthornbks @RandomTTours

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Art of Dying Graphic

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for The Art of Dying by Ambrose Parry. My thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part in the tour and to Black Thorn Books for my digital review copy via NetGalley. Do check out the posts by my tour buddies for today, Angi at Books’n’Banter and Amy at The Shelf Of Unread Books.

The Art of Dying coverAbout the Book

Edinburgh, 1849. Hordes of patients are dying all across the city, with doctors finding their remedies powerless. And a campaign seeks to paint Dr James Simpson, pioneer of medical chloroform, as a murderer.

Determined to clear Simpson’s name, his protégé Will Raven and former housemaid Sarah Fisher must plunge into Edinburgh’s deadliest streets and find out who or what is behind the deaths. Soon they discover that the cause of the deaths has evaded detection purely because it is so unthinkable.

Format: Paperback (416 pages)         Publisher: Black Thorn Books
Publication date: 7th January 2021 Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Crime

Find The Art of Dying (Raven, Fisher, and Simpson, #2) on Goodreads

Purchase links
Bookshop.org
Disclosure: If you buy a book via the above link, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

Hive | Amazon UK
Links provided for convenience only, not as part of an affiliate programme

My Review

I enjoyed the first book in the series, The Way of All Flesh, but recall thinking it lacked a little pace, especially in the early part of the book. No such criticism can be levelled at The Art of Dying.  The inclusion of that device much beloved by authors of contemporary thrillers – a chilling prologue and occasional chapters by a mystery narrator – inject a real sense of tension.  At the same time, The Art of Dying retains all the period atmosphere that was such an admirable feature of its predecessor.

For Will Raven and Sarah Fisher much has changed since the first book. After a year spent studying in Europe, Will is now Dr. Raven and is no longer Dr. James Simpson’s apprentice but his assistant. And Sarah is no longer a servant in the Simpson household but helps Dr. Simpson with the patients who attend his clinic. The changes in her personal life have been no less significant.

However, much has also stayed the same. Will still battles to control ‘the devil inside him’ and his fear he is destined to meet a violent end. Oh, and his return to Edinburgh has not escaped the notice of a rather formidable former enemy. When it comes to the world of medicine however, Will is disappointed to find a reluctance to embrace some of the new surgical practices he learned about during his time abroad. As for Sarah, she still retains her thirst for knowledge and chafes at the constraints she perceives society imposes on independent-minded women like herself who yearn to pursue a career. As she observes, “She was a conundrum, representing a deviation from the norm that seemed to cause a degree of disquiet in the bosoms of those wedded to the notion of a rigorously imposed social hierarchy”.

I’m pleased to say what definitely hasn’t changed is the spark of attraction between Will and Sarah that looked likely to ignite in the first book but was seemingly snuffed out by the then difference in their social status. However, Will and Sarah are united in their feelings of loyalty to Dr. Simpson and are soon engaged in investigating a series of unexplained deaths. Since one of the victims was a patient of Dr. Simpson, it has  given rise to accusations of malpractice against him. As their enquiries progress, the reader may believe they know exactly who the culprit is but there are times when it’s wise to wait for a second opinion or to revisit your initial diagnosis.

The Art of Dying is a skilful combination of intricately plotted mystery, engaging leading characters and great period atmosphere. Just what the doctor ordered! In fact, I’m hoping for a repeat prescription before too long.

In three words: Suspenseful, ingenious, atmospheric

Try something similar: The Figure in the Photograph by Kevin Sullivan

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Ambrose Parry Author PicAbout the Authors

Ambrose Parry is the pseudonym of a collaboration between Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman. The couple are married and live in Scotland.

Chris Brookmyre is the international bestselling and multi-award-winning author of over twenty novels. Dr Marisa Haetzman is a consultant anaesthetist of twenty years’ experience, whose research for her Master’s degree in the History of Medicine uncovered the material upon which this series, which began with The Way of All Flesh, is based.

The Way of All Flesh was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year and longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.

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