Review: The Amber Shadows

By Lucy Ribchester
First UK Edition (Simon & Schuster, UK, 2016)
US Edition (Pegasus Books, 2017)

A brilliant novel of lies and intrigue at Bletchley Park by the author of the bestselling debut The Hourglass Factory.

The Amber Shadows sweeps readers into the realm of World War II-era Britain where Honor "Honey" Deschamps, aged 24, has been posted to top-secret Bletchley Park where she works as a typist with a team of codebreakers. Most of Honey's colleagues are hiding personal secrets, as they work with life-and-death intensity during wartime. After a charismatic stranger, Felix, delivers a mysterious parcel to Honey, this fast-paced mystery spins through many twists and turns. 

In late 1942, when this novel takes place, stakes have never been higher in Europe. Air raids happen with daily intensity. German U-boats dominate the Atlantic, interrupting allied supply lines. These U-boats communicate using ciphers, which the allies haven't been able to crack. Much depends on the secret cadre of cryptanalysts and Hut 6 Typex operators like Honey who decipher wireless messages intercepted by allied spies. Life at Bletchley happens in deepest secrecy. Read the full review on BookBrowse.