Lady Codebreaker
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Fans of Kate Quinn and Kristina McMorris will love this gripping historical novel based on the true story of the woman who used her codebreaking skills to bring down Prohibition gangsters and WWII Nazis, and who ultimately helped found the present-day NSA.
Grace Smith has never been one to conform to society’s expectations. She flees small-town Indiana to seek adventure—and finds more than she bargained for when she’s hired by an eccentric millionaire to learn codebreaking. Soon she’s using those skills to help head the government’s fledgling cryptanalysis unit.
During Prohibition, Grace takes up the fight against rumrunners—not to mention Al Capone himself. And as the country careens from one Great War to another, it’s Grace who must crack the secrets of foreign governments, catch spies, and derail saboteurs . . . before it’s too late.
With wry wit and sheer grit, she forges her own path as a codebreaker, wife, mother. She’s spent a lifetime going up against powerful men and winning. But as war rages and the stakes grow impossibly high, Grace faces a truly impossible choice: her family or her country?
Customer Reviews
Lady Codebreaker
Historical fiction. Stem. Dual timeline.
Grace Smith doesn’t want the expected husband, children and dreary housewife role. She knows she has no way to escape that life so flees Indiana, tries job hunting in Chicago and ends up hired to find codes written in Shakespeare’s works. That soon leads to her learning cryptanalysis with coworker Robert. Soon the two are helping the government decode notes and coded letters during prohibition, and through the war. High stress and long hours of deep concentration.
Grace is on a path of expertise against foreign governments while juggling family responsibilities. It’s a unique position of importance reporting all the way up to the white house and war rooms.
Grace is determined and smart. She spends her whole life fighting against men trying to put her into a lessor position. She’s not one to just smile and demure. I admired her fortitude and her dedication to the cause and often felt grateful to live in more equitable times. She breaks code after code, she teaches others how to learn the process while conforming to dress and social codes.
I’ve read a few books recently about amazing women whose stories are all but lost to history and I’m just in awe of them as I live an easy life. This book is a wonderful addition to the genre of historical female heroes.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley. I’ve also purchased a copy to donate to my local library.