The Rose Code

by Kate Quinn

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Kate Quinn is back with another enthralling novel set in 1940's London. The Rose Code centers on three women who were once closer than sisters but have been ripped apart by betrayal and misunderstanding. Osla, Mab and Beth are forced together to solve one last puzzle, with the country's security hanging in the balance. For lovers of historical fiction, but also lovers of simply good books in general.

“The reigning queen of historical fiction” --  Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue  

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...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062943484
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	03/09/2021
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	656
Sales rank:	2,058
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

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, and The Rose Code. All have been translated into multiple languages. She and her husband now live in California with three black rescue dogs.

Editorial Reviews

★ 01/18/2021

Quinn (The Huntress) returns to WWII and the secretive world of Bletchley Park in this immersive saga. Debutant Osla Kendall meets fellow Bletchley Park recruit and London East End resident Mab Churt on the train in 1940. While working at Bletchley, they share a room at the home of Beth Finch, a young woman beaten down by her demanding mother. After discovering Beth’s talent for solving crosswords, Osla helps Beth get a job interview at Bletchley Park. Though Beth is shy and reclusive, she shines in her work on breaking codes. But when she discovers someone at Bletchley is likely a traitor, no one believes her. Soon, she she winds up the suspected traitor and is committed at Clockwell Sanitarium after having a mental breakdown. In 1947, almost four years later, Beth contacts Osla and Mab, who help Beth escape from Clockwell. Together, the women work to crack a code that will help them find the traitor. Quinn’s page-turning narrative is enhanced by her richly drawn characters, who unite under the common purpose of Britain’s war effort, and by the fascinating code-breaking techniques, which come alive via Quinn’s extensive historical detail. This does not disappoint. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

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 Rose Code is everything you love about an unputdownable novel and more. In her signature fashion, Kate Quinn expertly and vividly breaks wide open the secret world of Bletchley Park’s remarkable codebreakers. An unforgettable war story to be sure, but also a tale of friendship, fortitude, and forgiveness. Utterly satisfying." — Susan Meissner, bestselling author of The Nature of Fragile Things

“A knockout of a story, written by the reigning queen of historical fiction. Quinn’s trio of heroines practically leap off the page in this stunning novel, which melds spy-hunting with love stories that will stir your soul. A book for the ages.” —  Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue   

“Kate Quinn does it again! This rollicking tale of espionage and female solidarity is a tour de force that will make you laugh and cry at the same time. For the quirky, complicated and unforgettable women of Bletchley Park, beneath the lipstick and lace lurks a gritty life of danger and daring. From frantic efforts to decode Nazi messages to the consequences of treason and secret-keeping in the post-war jubilation, there's never a dull moment. The Rose Code is pure genius and Quinn's best... so far.”
— Stephanie Dray, New York Times Bestselling author of The Women of Chateau Lafayette

“Quinn (The Huntress) returns to WWII in this immersive saga. [Her] page-turning narrative is enhanced by her richly drawn characters and by the fascinating code-breaking techniques, which come alive via Quinn’s extensive historical detail. This does not disappoint.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Quinn writes with an immediacy and level of detail that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Her latest is a deft blend of romance, mystery, and suspense that will appeal to lovers of those genres, and to her many fans.” — Library Journal (starred review)

“By turns heartbreaking, fascinating, and mysterious, Quinn’s latest historical novel is likely to turn up on 2021 best lists.” — Booklist (starred review)

Readers: Prepare to be swept away by The Rose Code. A richly deserved tribute to the WWII codebreakers of Bletchley Park, Kate Quinn’s latest novel is a tour de force. Exhaustive research, vibrant characters, and pulse-pounding suspense combine in a riveting tale destined to be a book-club favorite. I absolutely loved it." — Kristina McMorris, New York Times bestselling author of Sold on a Monday  

“The Rose Code is a firecracker of a novel! By illuminating the top-secret work done by codebreakers at England’s Bletchley’s Park, Kate Quinn has created a fresh take on World War II and created three unforgettable heroines who use their intelligence, grit, and tenacity to help save the world from Nazis. Clear out your calendar, because once you start reading this one, you won’t put it down.” — Elise Hooper, author of Fast Girls

“An intricate play of love, loss, betrayal and redemption, Kate Quinn’s novel is every bit as complex and fascinating as the codes being broken at Bletchley Park… Impossibly gripping from start to finish, The Rose Code is a cracking good read!” — Celia Rees, author of Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook  

“If historical fiction featuring female heroines with a little spy drama mixed in sounds like your cup of tea, add Quinn’s latest novel to your list.” — CNN.com

“Twisty and evocative.” — Popsugar

From the Publisher

A knockout of a story, written by the reigning queen of historical fiction. Quinn’s trio of heroines practically leap off the page in this stunning novel, which melds spy-hunting with love stories that will stir your soul. A book for the ages.

Fiona Davis

The Rose Code is a firecracker of a novel! By illuminating the top-secret work done by codebreakers at England’s Bletchley’s Park, Kate Quinn has created a fresh take on World War II and created three unforgettable heroines who use their intelligence, grit, and tenacity to help save the world from Nazis. Clear out your calendar, because once you start reading this one, you won’t put it down.

Elise Hooper

An intricate play of love, loss, betrayal and redemption, Kate Quinn’s novel is every bit as complex and fascinating as the codes being broken at Bletchley Park… Impossibly gripping from start to finish, The Rose Code is a cracking good read!

Celia Rees

Kate Quinn does it again! This rollicking tale of espionage and female solidarity is a tour de force that will make you laugh and cry at the same time. For the quirky, complicated and unforgettable women of Bletchley Park, beneath the lipstick and lace lurks a gritty life of danger and daring. From frantic efforts to decode Nazi messages to the consequences of treason and secret-keeping in the post-war jubilation, there's never a dull moment. The Rose Code is pure genius and Quinn's best... so far.”

Stephanie Dray

By turns heartbreaking, fascinating, and mysterious, Quinn’s latest historical novel is likely to turn up on 2021 best lists.”

Booklist (starred review)

Readers: Prepare to be swept away by The Rose Code. A richly deserved tribute to the WWII codebreakers of Bletchley Park, Kate Quinn’s latest novel is a tour de force. Exhaustive research, vibrant characters, and pulse-pounding suspense combine in a riveting tale destined to be a book-club favorite. I absolutely loved it."

Kristina McMorris

"The Rose Code is everything you love about an unputdownable novel and more. In her signature fashion, Kate Quinn expertly and vividly breaks wide open the secret world of Bletchley Park’s remarkable codebreakers. An unforgettable war story to be sure, but also a tale of friendship, fortitude, and forgiveness. Utterly satisfying."

Susan Meissner

A knockout of a story, written by the reigning queen of historical fiction. Quinn’s trio of heroines practically leap off the page in this stunning novel, which melds spy-hunting with love stories that will stir your soul. A book for the ages.

 Fiona Davis

If historical fiction featuring female heroines with a little spy drama mixed in sounds like your cup of tea, add Quinn’s latest novel to your list.”

CNN.com

Twisty and evocative.

Popsugar

02/26/2021

In 1940 England, Mayfair society debutante Osla Kendall and brassy, determined typist Mab Churt, from London's East End, seem to have nothing in common—until they become roommates and colleagues decoding German messages at the top-secret cryptanalysis center at Bletchley Park. Elizabeth Finch, their landlady's shy, silent, bullied daughter, is an even less likely companion, but she possesses an unnatural talent for puzzles and soon is poring over code with an intensity that makes the rest of the world fall away. The stress of the work at Bletchley is relieved by Mad Hatter tea parties and high jinks, but eventually these give way to bitterness and betrayal, as the war exacts its cost on each of the women, leaving them scarred and alone. It is not until several years after the war and Bletchley's disbandment that the discovery of a possible turncoat forces the three women into an uneasy alliance and a frantic race to catch the traitor before it is too late. VERDICT Quinn (The Huntress; The Alice Network) writes with an immediacy and level of detail that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Her latest is a deft blend of romance, mystery, and suspense that will appeal to lovers of those genres, and to her many fans.—Cynthia Johnson, formerly with Cary Memorial Lib., Lexington, MA

Library Journal