Rory Clements evokes the nervous, reckless build up to the outbreak of war in a convincingly detailed thriller

Daily Mail

an elegant, tense spy thriller

Sunday Express

Political polarisation, mistrust and simmering violence

The Times

A standout historical novel and spy thriller

Daily Express

Enjoyable, bloody and brutish

Guardian

Sends a shiver down your spine

Daily Mail

A colourful history lesson . . . exciting narrative twists

Sunday Telegraph

If you want to kick start your year with a cracking historical thriller then Nucleus is for you. I really liked the first book in the Tom Wilde series, Corpus, but this follow up is even better. As a thorough researcher, Clements has an impeccable sense of time and place. There are some very nice misleading threads that keep the reader on their toes but ultimately it all comes together as the pace builds to a nice crescendo. I am already looking forward to the next Tom Wilde novel. This is a great read.

Nudge Books, Book Noir

Rory Clements has created two fine characters with Tom and Lydia and he deploys them with cleverness and skill. There's an air of intellectualism about these novels - as there would be with a professor for the central character - but there are no ivory towers here. The world is waking up to a second world war and Tom will have to get his hands dirty. With no doubt at all, this is one of the best historical and spy series being written today. I can't wait for more

For Winter Nights

A very satisfying thriller that captures the spirit of the era perfectly, enlightens the reader with its intelligent, but never overpowering, use of historical and social detail

Raven Crime Reads

Clements hits top gear in this entertaining new outing for the intrepid and unorthodox professor...In trademark Clements style, there are plot strands and twists aplenty as immaculately researched real history and a gripping sense of time and place blend seamlessly with a full-throttle, suspense-packed spy mystery that moves from Washington D.C. and the hallowed halls of Cambridge to German High Command in Berlin and the west coast of Ireland. Diverse characters like Nazi sympathisers, brave refugee smugglers and a Hollywood actress jostle with scientists, academics and politicians in a pulsating story that brings alive the fraught, paranoid and terrifying months when the world stood on the brink of war. Dark history with a thrilling fictional edge...

Lancashire Evening Post, Lytham St Annes Express, Lancaster Guardian, Leigh Observer, Blackpool Gazette, Wigan Today, The Visitor, Burnley Express

Apart from Wilde and Lydia, the reader doesn't quite know who to trust and there is an effective and genuine surprise at the end when the identity of an enemy agent is revealed. Well-researched and plausible, Nucleus offers an attractive combination of history and suspense.

SHOTS magazine

Nucleus is a fascinating historical thriller which is totally convincing in its authenticity, alive with menace and teeming with characters that stay with you long after the last page is turned.

Jaffa Reads Too

The author knows how to write a killer final paragraph of a chapter and the whole things zips along leaving this reader slightly breathless at the end. I dislike the word 'unputdownable' and I'll be honest I did put this book down...but only for the time it took to make a cup of tea and then I was rushing back to pick it up again. With more thrills than a 100mph burn-up on Tom Wilde's trusty Rudge Special, Rory Clements has produced another cracking historical thriller. If you thought Corpus was brilliant, wait until you read Nucleus. Sign me up for Tom Wilde #3!

What Cathy Read Next

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. 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.

Bibliomaniac

Tom Wilde is a well-drawn central character...There are several red herrings laid in his path and I must admit that I found the story quite a complex one and certain characters kept me guessing. Cambridge in the late 1930's shone like a jewel in the story and a glance at Rory's website has some interesting information about the period. In short: well written, detailed and substantial, the suspense builds throughout.

Books, Life and Everything

This is what a good action political thriller should be and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. An excellent story and I can't wait to read what else Rory Clements has in store for Tom and Lydia...

Broad Bean Books

The plotting is superb and deliciously intricate. You do need to keep your wits about you and keep alert and the rewards are enormous. I was thoroughly immersed in the plot and caught up in the tension. Lydia is arguably the most appealing and interesting of all of the characters in the novel. It's good to read a spy novel in which women play an equal role...With no doubt at all, this is one of the best historical and spy series being written today. I can't wait for more.

For Winter Nights

Nucleus is an exhilarating page turner...I enjoyed Nucleus and I found Tom Wilde to be an endearing and compelling protagonist. Readers who are looking for an introduction into historical fiction should add Nucleus to their lists of must reads.

Murder and Moore

there is certainly enough real and plausible drama, and satisfying plot twists to make me stay, not only with this, as a recommended read - but be keen to hope Clements still has places to go with Tom Wilde

Lady Fancifull

Professor Tom Wilde finds himself the central character in this gripping conspiracy spy thriller. It's compelling from start to finish

Choice Magazine

With subtle sub-plotlines threading through this clever and Darkest Hour timely yarn, quality evenings by the bedside lamp are guaranteed

Weekend Sport

I loved the intricacies of this puzzle and can't wait to be thrust back into the dizzying (anti) social whirl of pre-war Cambridge again

Crime Fiction Lover

This is a gripping tale...Tom Wilde is an iconic protagonist and I had so much fun following him throughout his fascinating venture. NUCLEUS is an absolutely and utterly brilliant spy thriller that I would highly recommend

Bookishly Ever After

The whole things zips along leaving this reader slightly breathless at the end. I dislike the word 'unputdownable' and I'll be honest I did put this book down...but only for the time it took to make a cup of tea and then I was rushing back to pick it up again

What Cathy Read Next

Somehow Clements manages to keep a firm grip on both his readers and his narrative, creating a pacy and dramatic historical spy thriller in the process. There is little time to draw breath as the author weaves his magic and places his characters in a series of increasingly dangerous situations. As the twisty plot drives the main characters towards the gripping conclusion, everyone finally must take a side and put their beliefs and lives on the line. An excellent read that will surely not be the last we hear of Professor Tom Wilde.

Historical Novel Society

a very enjoyable return to Cambridge with my new favourite hero, and I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series

The Secret Library Site

All the best thrillers inform as well as entertain, and Rory Clements offers us the choreography as well as the tap dance...on the basis of this superbly plotted work Professor Wilde will be packing his Walther automatic along with his fountain pen for some time to come

Catholic Herald

Against a pleasingly authentic backdrop, [Clements] handles his complex factual material deftly, seamlessly integrating fictional characters and real people. And he manipulates his plot like a potter working clay. A sudden tweak, your perceptions are altered, and you're looking at a story of an entirely different shape... This is even better than Wilde's first outing, Corpus. If the upward trajectory continues, the next one will be very fine indeed

Church Times

A cast of colourful characters, a plot rich in deception and intrigue, and a tangled web of espionage and murder is a real rollercoaster, equally appealing to fans of historical 'faction' or of spy fiction and thrillers. This is another standout historical thriller from a fine writer who can turn his hand to any historical period and brings the urgency of a news story to the frame of the novel

Crime Review

This is a fast paced, clever narrative with strong characterisation

Journal Online