Lady Codebreaker, K.D. Alden
Lady Codebreaker, K.D. Alden
List: $31.99 | Sale: $22.40
Club: $15.99

Lady Codebreaker

Author: K.D. Alden

Narrator: Elisabeth Rodgers

Unabridged: 14 hr 20 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Forever

Published: 03/12/2024


Synopsis

Fans of Kate Quinn and Kristina McMorris will love this gripping historical novel based on the true story of the woman who used her codebreaking skills to bring down Prohibition gangsters and WWII Nazis, and who ultimately helped found the present-day CIA.

Grace Smith has never been one to conform to society’s expectations. She flees small-town Indiana to seek adventure—and finds more than she bargained for when she’s hired by an eccentric millionaire to learn codebreaking. Soon she’s using those skills to help head the government’s fledgling cryptanalysis unit.

During Prohibition, Grace takes up the fight against rumrunners—not to mention Al Capone himself. And as the country careens from one Great War to another, it’s Grace who must crack the secrets of foreign governments, catch spies, and derail saboteurs . . . before it’s too late.

With wry wit and sheer grit, she forges her own path as a codebreaker, wife, mother. She’s spent a lifetime going up against powerful men and winning. But as war rages and the stakes grow impossibly high, Grace faces a truly impossible choice: her family or her country?

Reviews

Goodreads review by Madison on March 12, 2024

Lady Codebreaker by K.D. Alden Historical fiction. Stem. Grace Smith doesn’t want the expected husband, children and dreary housewife role. She knows she has no way to escape that life so flees Indiana, tries job hunting in Chicago and ends up hired to find codes written in Shakespeare’s works. That......more

Goodreads review by Blaine on May 20, 2024

A highly enjoyable novel, loosely based upon the life and careers of William Friedman, and his wife Elizabeth Smart Friedman. This gives us a wonderful insight into the inner workings of cryptology in America from some early stages prior to World War I. Prior to that our main characters, Grace, and......more

Goodreads review by Alyssa on April 29, 2024

A book I couldn't put down! Based on a true story, the book chronicles the life of an extraordinary woman whose talents helped save this country multiple times. While her codebreaking skills were as good or better as any man's, Grace had to contend with condescending attitudes, downright insults, an......more

Goodreads review by Literary on December 10, 2023

Histfic fans will adore this brilliant tale based on the true life of codebreaker Elizebeth Friedman and her husband Robert. Crackles with intrigue, romance, courage, and the fight to safeguard America during WWI and II, from Al Capone, and even J. Edgar Hoover.......more

Goodreads review by Shannon on April 03, 2024

What an UTTERLY engrossing historical fiction novel based on real life events that spans five decades. This book covers Quaker Grace Smith's life as she first meets her Jewish husband, Robert Feldman, when they both begin training as codebreakers during the First World War through the Prohibition er......more


Quotes

"Lady Codebreaker is a refreshing and brilliant standout addition to the library of historical fiction.  Based on a true story,  K.D. Alden masterfully tells the sweeping story of codebreaker Grace Feldman, a woman ahead of her time whose tireless daring helped defeat the likes of Al Capone and Adolf Hitler, but whose gifts were mostly overlooked due to her gender.   This isn't just another war story, but also a tale of love and sacrifice along with fascinating historical anecdotes and characters to add richness to an already compelling narrative.  Alden's meticulous research brings  Feldman's story to life making this an emotionally gripping and utterly satisfying novel."
 —Karen White, New York Times bestselling author

"K.D. Alden brings history to life with rich storytelling and deep emotion."—V.S. Alexander, author of The Magdalen Girls