by Mark Urban
First published 2010
George Scovell begins his career as an engraver's apprentice in eighteenth-century England, where rigid social barriers confine men of common birth to trades. Against these odds, he joins Arthur Wellesley's army in 1809 as an officer, enduring the contempt of his aristocratic peers. Scovell's exceptional talent for languages soon reveals itself as something more valuable: a genius for breaking codes. When British forces intercept Napoleon's encrypted messages to his generals, they bring these puzzles to Scovell. As the French Emperor develops increasingly complex ciphers, Wellesley grows dependent on Scovell's cryptographic skills for crucial intelligence. Scovell accompanies his commander through every major campaign, from the Iberian Peninsula to the final confrontation at Waterloo. His code-breaking provides the strategic advantage that helps secure Britain's ultimate victory. Yet Scovell's contributions face erasure from history, credited instead to Wellington and other prominent figures. The book reveals how this forgotten man's intellectual courage and persistence shaped one of Europe's most decisive military outcomes.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, action, 19th-century
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: underdog, unsung-hero
Setting: Iberian Peninsula, Waterloo
Period: 18th-century, 19th-century
384 pages · Kindle Edition · HarperCollins e-books