Zero Hour: A Novel of the Somme
About this ebook
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.
About the author
Born in London, Iain is the author of nine military historical novels and five works of military history, including Always a Borderer, the official regimental history of the King's Own Scottish Borderers and Scotland Forever, an account of the Scots Greys at Waterloo, based on the memoirs and diaries of those who took part.
From 2012-2015 Iain sat on the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Waterloo Committee at Edinburgh Castle. He is a longstanding committee member of Combat Stress's Scottish Committee.
Iain is a recognised authority on the battle of Waterloo and has taken numerous tours around the battlefield including a tactical military exercise for 32 US Army officers. He also guides regular battlefield tours to the Somme, Arnhem and the Normandy battlefields.
Iain was deputy art critic of The Independent from 1990 to 1996 and art critic of Scotland on Sunday from 1996 to 2006. Apart from his military writing he has also published eleven books on art historical subjects.
He served for a number of years on the Scottish Art Council's Fine Art Committee and was for several years Secretary of the Society of Authors in Scotland.
Iain is married to an Edinburgh GP and splits his time between Edinburgh and Fife. Between them they have six children, the eldest being a serving officer in the British Army.
