First published 2003
In 1942, mathematical genius Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse joins the ultra-secret Detachment 2702, tasked with keeping the Nazis from discovering that Allied Intelligence has broken their Enigma code. Waterhouse engages in a cryptographic chess match with his German counterpart while Marine Raider Bobby Shaftoe translates their strategies into action on the ground. Decades later, Waterhouse's grandson Randy attempts to build a data haven in Southeast Asia where encrypted information can flow without government interference. When Randy teams up with Amy Shaftoe, Bobby's granddaughter, to salvage a sunken Nazi submarine, they uncover a massive conspiracy rooted in Detachment 2702. The submarine holds secrets tied to an unbreakable Nazi code called Arethusa. Their discovery threatens to expose a plot that could either secure digital freedom for future generations or enable a new form of totalitarian control over information itself.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, action, 21st-century, alternate-history
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, high-stakes
Setting: Germany, Nazi, Southeast Asia
Period: 1942, Decades Later
ebook · Harper Collins