If you enjoy a vintage story with an FBI/police procedural feel and a gentle romance, you'll enjoy this August release by Johnnie Alexander. The novel introduces an entire new series that celebrates heroines of WWII.
In The Crypographer’s Dilemma, Eloise Marshal, the grieving heroine, is an unassuming code developer, content behind her desk, who is pulled into the FBI, trained, and assigned to the task of decoding encrypted messages that may uncover saboteurs in the USA. She can’t do this inside her comfort zone but is partnered with Agent Phillip Clayton whom she first met in the home of his uncle. She considers Phillip arrogant and uncooperative. Of course, he's dealing with his own issues that have nothing to do with her. Their relationship takes a turn, but so does the danger as they follow a trail across the country together. I think the story especially shines when the two MCs share little quips back and forth and we see them drawn out of themselves as they are pulled closer together.
The author must have done a ton of research to bring readers this aspect of the war—the code developers and those assigned to protect the country from infiltrators bent on doing us harm. I learned about actual incidents I’d not heard of before. I recommend this engaging read, a WWII novel that is not too heavy, not too light, but just right.
I appreciate Netgalley for an advanced copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
