The Rose Code: A Novel

Kate Quinn

Mar 2021 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

Don’t miss the thrilling new novel from Kate Quinn, The Briar Club, coming July 9th!

“The reigning queen of historical fiction” -- Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue  

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...

Ratings and reviews

Set in WWII, this novel delivers a plot that captures you and holds you through every suspense filled page. There women with varied backgrounds come together to create a code-cracking team during the war that carries over into the closest of friendships following D-Day when one of the trio is in need. I loved this book, especially as I have always enjoyed stories of women’s roles in the war. Hearing about anything involving cracking codes and spies is a huge plus. Highly recommend this book to anyone who loves flawed, realistic characters and tight plots.

I received a free trade paperback of this wonderful historical novel from Goodreads Giveaway, Kate Quinn, and Publisher Harper Collins on February 19, 2021. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. Kate Quinn writes of the period of WWII, with characters who represent the mores and lifestyles of the time and place. A journey through her work is an authentic trip into the past. With this novel, the secrets of yesterday come alive for us. We have all seen hints and shadows of the life and achievements that took place in Bletchley Park, but with this book, you will have the heart of that accomplishment and the personal achievements that made possible the two-year shortening of WWII. Thank you, Ms. Quinn, for bringing to us the all-out efforts and sacrifices of these heroes - of both genders - and an inkling of the intensity of the work they put into breaching the secrets of the German Enigma coding machine.

loved this book. Great characters and good history.

About the author

Kate Quinn is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction. A native of Southern California, she attended Boston University, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classical voice. A lifelong history buff, she has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga and two books set in the Italian Renaissance before turning to the 20th century with The Alice Network, The Huntress, The Rose Code, and The Diamond Eye. All have been translated into multiple languages. She and her husband now live in California with three black rescue dogs.