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The Rose Code

A Novel

by Kate Quinn

Narrator Saskia Maarleveld

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Length 16 hours 1 minute

Language English

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Bookseller recommendation

“While many WWII stories have been told in triplicate, Kate Quinn presents a new angle on the Bletchley Park/code breaker part of the war. She gives us three magnificent main characters who must navigate the turbulent waters not only of the war, but of a new puzzle to solve shortly before the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II) and Prince Philip.”
— Sarah Danforth • Towne Book Center and Wine Bar

Bookseller recommendation

“I was really impressed with Kate Quinn's newest work, The Rose Code, following three women during their turn as codebreakers at Bletchley Place during WWII. The novel jumps back and forth between their BP days, where we witness their blossoming friendships as well as falling out, and the period leading up to Queen Elizabeth's royal wedding when the three must come together to uncover a traitor...The inclusion of Osla Kendall and her relationship with Prince Phillip pre-marriage was SUPER intriguing as well (and had me flashing back to The Crown season 1). I also enjoyed the discussion of gender roles and how men who worked at BP were often bullied and alienated for "not participating in the war effort" because they weren't enlisted but also couldn't divulge their secretive roles. I listened to the audiobook which was expertly narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. I am always floored by the number of accents and personalities Maarleveld can bestow on her characters and she shone in her interpretation of Mab, Osla, and Beth. I turned into this book at literally every free moment I had because Maarleveld and Quinn kept the suspense up throughout and really reeled you in. Kate Quinn does it again with The Rose Code and I highly recommend it to any historical fiction fan. I pre-ordered 2 copies for both of my grandmothers before even finishing because I just knew it would be a stunner even 100 pages in!”
— Kimi • Buttonwood Books and Toys

Summary
About the author

“The hidden history of Bletchley Park has been waiting for a master storyteller like Kate Quinn to bring it to life. THE ROSE CODE effortlessly evokes the frantic, nervy, exuberant world of the Enigma codebreakers through the eyes of three extraordinary women who work in tireless secrecy to defeat the Nazis. Quinn’s meticulous research and impeccable characterization shine through this gripping and beautifully executed novel.”

Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of HER LAST FLIGHT

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...

Fiction Mystery & Thriller Historical Fiction

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, The Diamond Eye, and The Briar Club. All have been translated into multiple languages. She and her husband now live in California with three black rescue dogs.