5 out of 5 stars
On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads
How I discovered this book: one of my favourite authors, so I always look out for new releases.
In a Nutshell: Code-breaking and dangerous espionage missions in WW2.
When I started reading this book I thought it might be a bit too 'women's fiction' for me - but I should have known better. Deborah Swift doesn't write cosy schmaltz, but history so real it's like a window back in time.
The story is set in 1943 and entres around Nancy, a government admin worker solving radio messages from agents in the field, whose life takes a dangerous turn - and Tom, the innovative brain behind some clever coding systems. Yes, they fall in love, but I wouldn't class this as a romance novel at all.
During the first part of the book I was struck by how hard life must have been for Londoners during the war; my mother lived there during that time and talked about it sometimes, but this really brought home to me how little any of the people had. Food, clothes, options...
I enjoyed reading all about the coding systems and the suspicions about who might be working for the Germans, but for me the book really took off in Part 3, which takes places in the Netherlands. We can't imagine what it must have been like to live under Nazi occupation, but boy, does this book describe it in all its raw horror. Ms Swift holds nothing back - a lesser author would have saved more lives! It's gripping, tense, absolutely riveting. Part 3 alone earns the book its five stars.