As Robert Harris is probably my favourite current author, I may be a bit biased but I thoroughly enjoyed every page. An excellent book pf faction. Matt

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone, for the review copy. This is an unbiased review of the author's work and style. If you want spoilers, please see the publisher's blurb and other reviewers' reports. V2 is, in my opinion, another remarkable success for Robert Harris. Before this, my only experience of his books was the Cicero Trilogy and Fatherland. His skill lies in the way he can use plain English to draw you into the world of his books and carry you along a path of intrigue not knowing where you are going and where the journey will end. His knowledge and the level research he imbues within the story leave you much wiser as to the period and the background. Of course, it is a fictional tail but I frequently I found myself believing every twist and turn, and strangely when I surfaced and realised that it is, after all, a story I did not feel cheated. Another five stars for a book beautifully written, structured, and balanced. Thank you, Robert Harris. PS - please read the Acknowledgements at the end of the volume, once you’ve read the book, it will not only clarify the text but also fill in many gaps.

V2 is an excellent historical novel of WW2. V2 rockets caused immeasurable damage to London killing so many people and destroying so much property that over half a million London citizens were made homeless. Here we have the story from both sides of the channel.The scientists who originally invented the rockets as a means of space travel hoping one day to reach the moon until the evil Nazi regime turned them into methods of mass destruction, and the British military desperate to stop the rockets. The characters are all very well developed, and although fictional it is heartening to know there were real heroes during these dark times. WAAF officer Kate Canton Walsh has personally experienced the destructive power of two of these rockets, she works with other WAAF personnel pouring over photographs taken by the RAF at great risk to try discover the launching sites of the rockets so they can be destroyed. Rudi Graf is the German scientist forced to relinquish his dreams and work for the Nazi’s or face certain death. A well constructed story that is thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable, I felt well educated at the end of the book without even realising it, if only history had been told like this in school! My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

Robert Harris always choses imaginative and fascinating topics for his novels. Where these work out well in the plots, such as in the Cicero novels, An Officer and a Spy or Fatherland, then the novels are a treat for the reader; when he is less successful (in my opinion), for example in resolutions of Conclave or The Second Midnight, the novels still remain intriguing and thought-provoking. I worried V2 might fall into the second category when I began to read, but far from it. The story of the deployment of the Germans’ last secret weapon and the attempts by the British to thwart the attacks is told at a breakneck speed over the period of four or five days and nights. The two protagonists, WAAF officer Kay and German engineer Graf only meet in the final pages, but their stories are exhilarating and moving throughout. The roles of women in the British war effort and scientists in the German hold the interest and the twin tales are gripping, even if the resolutions come swiftly. I have sometimes enjoyed a Robert Harris novel but have felt let down by the ending (Conclave is a case in point), but I am so pleased that this one ended exactly as it did. Wholly satisfying.

Great book as you would expect so just go and buy it but don’t fall for Waterstones ‘signed copy’ scam as it is not signed it is just a printed signature so at the very least don’t pay any extra. Silly me thinking that a signed copy would actually have a signature.