Zero Hour : A Novel of the Somme

The unforgettable story behind the most destructive day in British military history... June, 1916: The Great War is locked in stalemate, deep lines of trenches and barbed wire carved into the French countryside. Sitting in an occupied chateau, General von Soden knows that something cataclysmic is coming. The British have been shelling for days and he is badly under-resourced and outnumbered. A frontal assault is surely imminent, but he has spent two years building an extraordinary series of defences for just that day... Amidst the bombardment the British troops are preparing for the attack. Geoffrey Malins, with his cinematograph, Noel Hodgson writing poetry in his hut, Siegfried Sassoon observing the enemy, Sir Douglas Haig at HQ, waiting for the chance of glory... As the battle lines muster, the full ferocity of war will be unleashed. For those on the Front, as for those in the wider world, nothing will ever be the same again. Based on true stories, cinematic in scope and built around a huge cast, this is a blistering, unforgettable novel that brings home the brutality of war, perfect for fans of Rory Clements, Ben Macintyre and Robert Harris.