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| Image copied from Goodreads |
The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin was the first read of 2026 of my Online Kidlit Book Club. I was excited to delve into this one as it was a historical mystery that involved spies, intrigue and Bletchley Park in England. I was not disappointed. This novel was an adventure that was well balanced for the intended reading audience in terms of the history it incorporated in with the fictional suspense. It also had a lot of heart as the two main characters are a brother and sister that have become estranged by loss and the war.
The story opens with Lizzie, the sister for the main character duo, escaping from her escort tasked with taking her to America where her grandmother resides. Lizzie is determined to do the opposite of escape to safety from the coming German Blitz on London and other parts of England that is imminent. Instead, she had decided to seek out her brother Jacob once she discovers where on the map he's dropped off to and to figure out what happened to their mother who everyone thinks is dead. Finding her way to Bletchely Park, by way of Jacob being tasked with bringing her there, the adventure begins.
Of the two characters I loved Lizzie! She is smart, determined and full of optimism even though everyone keeps telling her that her mother is dead. Lizzie refuses to believe it. She finds coded information hidden in her mother's room right before she is whisked away to Bletchley by her brother that is further proof for her that their mother was more than she seemed and is in fact very much alive still. Add in the historical details of the work that was done in Bletchley Park to break the enigma that is the German intelligence exchange system and this is a mystery that is full of tension, suspense, and heart. Lizzie soon figures out what is really going on at Bletchley despite Jacob's efforts to keep her in the dark. As someone who is hired by the general in charge of the park to be a message courier about the manor she is in able to watch and observe the hive that is the park. As clever as she is, it doesn't take her long to piece things together.
The backdrop of the start of WWII is also a character in the story. The parts that are told from Jacob's point of view give us a glimpse into British intelligence and recruitment during the war as Jacob is recruited as a university math major to be a part of the think tank that is Bletchley. We see firsthand the pressure the people involved in this code breaking were under to prevent the Germans from invading England and to figure out what their targets would be for the bombing they did of England to break the British spirit. As the British fought largely alone at the start of the war once the Germans occupied France. A few details were also included as to how the British were able to get their hands on the enigma machines in the first place in order to start working at breaking the coded ciphers the Germans used to relay their messages. While I was not as engrossed in Jacob's side of the story, anyone interested in coding, ciphers and complex math would probably enjoy this side of it. I did like getting to see some of the real life people in the story also such as Alan Turing. The ending when the two siblings finally figure out the real story of what happened to their mom was tension filled and very like a James Bond moment. All in all, if you or a young reader that you know enjoys historical mystery fiction set during WWII then I recommend picking up The Bletchley Riddle. I think this book would also be appropriate for those teaching this historical period to upper elementary or middle school students.
My next review for February will be a really good gothic mystery that I read as a NetGalley ARC, Murder Will Out by Jennifer Breedlove. The book cover and the description are both copied from bookshop.org. To obtain copies of either books mentioned in this post just click on the title to order a copy from bookshop.org and support indie bookstores. I also recommend supporting your local libraries by checking out or requesting they obtain copies of either of these books for their shelves as well.
Come for the memories. Stay for the murder...
Little North Island, off the coast of Maine, is so beautiful it could be a postcard. Organist Willow Stone cherishes her memories of childhood summers spent on the island with her godmother Sue... even though her visits ended abruptly, and she hasn't seen or heard from her godmother in over fifteen years. Until a letter from Sue—and word of Sue’s death—brings Willow back to the picturesque island.
The islanders rarely mention Sue without also bringing up Cameron House, and the controversy around Sue’s unexpected inheritance of the sprawling mansion. When Willow overhears someone threatening the next heir to the property, she starts to question whether Sue’s death was really an accident, and can’t help but wonder whether someone on this sleepy island is willing to stop at nothing—even murder—to claim Cameron House for their own.
