by Kate Quinn
First published 2021
Osla speaks fluent German and translates enemy secrets despite her debutante status. Mab operates the legendary code-breaking machines while hiding her East End origins. Beth discovers her gift for cryptanalysis after leaving her village spinster life behind. The three women forge their friendship at Bletchley Park in 1940 as Britain prepares to fight the Nazis. War and secrecy strain their bond until betrayal tears them apart completely. Seven years later, Princess Elizabeth's wedding to Prince Philip stirs memories across post-war Britain. A mysterious encrypted letter reunites the former friends, now bitter enemies. One woman remains confined to an asylum after their friendship's destruction. The key to the coded message lies buried in their shared past at Bletchley Park. A traitor from their wartime service has emerged from hiding. Osla, Mab, and Beth must overcome their hatred and work together once more. Each piece of the rose code they solve brings them closer to danger and their real enemy.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery
Vibes: emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Bletchley Park, Britain, East End, England, Village
Period: 1940, 1947, Post-War
656 pages · Paperback · William Morrow
Content warnings: war