Author: Kate Quinn
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: William Morrow/HarperAudio
Publication Date: March 9, 2021
Book Description: The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Huntress and The Alice Network returns with another heart-stopping World War II story of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park and the spy they must root out after the war is over.
1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything—beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses—but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of east-end London poverty, works the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart.
1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter–the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger–and their true enemy–closer…
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review: Kate Quinn is three for three for historical fiction novels set during WWII. To be honest, this a genre I am trying to get away from, however Quinn writes some of the most interesting accounts of the war that we hear little about.
Set in England at Bletchley Park, where code breakers are trained, this tells the story of 3 of these women who did that important work during WWII. Osla is a socialite and in the beginning is linked romantically to Prince Philip. Mab who is hiding something about her past, but uses this time to forget her demons. Lastly, Beth, the most brilliant of the three, she had a miserable childhood and this hurts her in the end.
Kate Quinn is brilliant at mixing historical fiction with a mystery element that keeps you on the edge of your seat, and gives you an amazing reading experience. This story takes place at the start WWII and ends on day of the Royal Wedding of Elizabeth and Phillip. This tale is not linear but again, Quinn makes this changes so subtle it just all falls into place.
If you have read Quinn’s previous book you will love this one just as much, if this is your first, you cannot start with a better book.
Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow/HarperAudio for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Obsessed Bookaholic 