'A masterpiece of spies, intrigue and political shenanigans' Sunday Express Can a ruthless spy ring change the course of the war? The Sunday Times bestseller and award-winning author of Corpus returns with a gripping tale of spies, intrigue and politics set during WW2. Perfect for readers of Robert Harris, C J Sansom and Joseph Kanon. In a great English house, a young woman offers herself to one of the most powerful and influential figures in the land - but this is no ordinary seduction. She plans to ensure his death. On holiday in France, Professor Tom Wilde discovers his brilliant student Marcus Marfield, who disappeared two years earlier to join the International Brigades in Spain, in the Le Vernet concentration camp in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Wilde secures his release just as German tanks roll into Poland. Meanwhile, a U-boat sinks the liner Athenia in the Atlantic with many casualties, including Americans, onboard. Goebbels claims Churchill put a bomb in the ship to blame Germany and to lure America into the war. As the various strands of an international conspiracy begin to unwind, Tom Wilde will find himself in great personal danger. For just who is Marcus Marfield? And where does his loyalty lie? A brilliantly intelligent, gripping WW2 spy thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Corpus. _____________________________ Praise for Rory Clements: 'Political polarisation, mistrust and simmering violence' The Times 'A standout historical novel and spy thriller' Daily Express 'Enjoyable, bloody and brutish' Guardian 'A dramatic, twisty thriller' Daily Mail 'A colourful history lesson . . . Exciting narrative twists' Sunday Telegraph