The Rose Code: A Novel

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars | 54,720 ratings

Price: 1.99

Last update: 01-31-2025


About this item

Don’t miss the thrilling new novel from Kate Quinn, The Briar Club, coming July 9th!

“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...


From the Publisher

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The Briar Club The Phoenix Crown The Diamond Eye The Rose Code The Huntress The Alice Network
Customer Reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars
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4.6 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Placeholder
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and well done in every way
    Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2024
    Excellent story. Had me reading till 2 am. Exciting action with many twists and turns. Well developed characters. Historical basis made it even more fascinating.
  • Diana D
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and thrilling
    Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2024
    I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It's the third of Quinn's novels that I've read, and I love her more with each book. She has a knack for blending history and fictional elements into truly intriguing and memorable stories that open up windows into historical events and the real people involved in those events. The research Quinn must have done for this novel boggles the mind, but she doesn't overwhelm the readers with all she learned, so the story never gets lost in the midst of all the facts. Character development is excellent; I really, really loved the three main protagonists. I could hear their voices, feel their joys and frustrations and heartbreak and fear, and marveled at their resilience and intelligence. Quinn is a master at making her characters leap off the page and come to life. This novel has made me want to know more about the tremendous work and contributions of those who worked at Bletchley Park. I appreciate Quinn's habit of including further reading suggestions at the end of her novels for those who definitely want to know more of the actual people and events that inspired her stories. I will most definitely read more by Quinn.
  • Carol
    4.0 out of 5 stars A good read.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2024
    I am looking for new authors so have had some hits & misses.
    I did enjoy reading this mainly because being English Bletchley Park is very well known to me.
    The story was interesting & I liked the characters.
    I do have a habit of scanning pages if It strays away from the story but did little of that with this book so am happy to have read it.
    I am looking for the next book now so will try another one from this author.
  • CH
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another great book by Kate Quinn
    Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2025
    Wow wow wow! What a great book to finish the year with. Kate Quinn is a great writer. Suspenseful and hard to put down.

    I tend to measure a good book by 1) the writing- it was well written and sure held my attention. 2) the timing- fast paced but evenly paced as important things unfolded, 3) character development- I really felt like I knew the women highlighted and enjoyed reading the historical background of how Quinn used several real historical figures and 4) the story- my favorite genre is historical fiction and I knew nothing about Bletchley Park and learned and more importantly appreciated how important this was to WWII. HIGHLY recommend!
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the WWII novels
    Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2025
    Outstanding read! Like the Bletchley code breakers spiraled into the codes they were working on, this book sucked me in and I forgot the world was still out there. Hard to read 648 pages in one go, but I could hardly put it down. It takes an excellent story and skillful writing to get me to write a review, but there you have it.
  • Tracy Eckersley
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Tribute to BP and a Thrilling Rlead
    Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2025
    I’m obsessed with all things BP, especially the women who worked there. Quinn does a masterful job of fictionalising real figures, creating characters one cares about while opening the doors of BP’s secret WWII codebreaking. Despite figuring some things out early in the book, I remained engaged in the story as the thrilling actions of the main characters unfold.

    I liked it enough to forgive Quinn the rather ridiculous ending, set amongst the backdrop of the royal wedding, especially when I read about the real people upon whom she based many of the protagonists.
  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very depressing book
    Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2024
    I was happily reading along and felt this was a great book. Then tragedy, after tragedy, after tragedy hit all 3 of the leading females in this book.

    WARNING: SPOILERS
    One of these tragedies was devastating, ripped my heart out, made me cry. One of the heroines lost two of the people she loved most in a senseless air raid. I discovered later, in the author's notes, that those 2 people were not a true part of this story, as most of the rest was. I felt horrified that the poor woman had to be put through such terrible pain and loss, merely to give another tragedy to the story.

    I do not like books like this, with such depressing and useless situations. I read books to get out of my head, and absolutely dislike depressing stories. I like happy endings, and won't read authors like Jodi Picoult, and now Kate Quinn who base so much of their books on depressing events.

    If you are looking for some happy endings and don't want to be dragged down by deaths, sadness, and major characters' hearts ripped out, I would avoid this book.
  • KMD
    5.0 out of 5 stars Long and delicious...
    Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2024
    Yes, the book is very long but utterly delightful--like a wonderful visit with an intriguing and enjoyable friend. Actually, by the end of the book, you do feel as if you know the characters very well: you love some, others not so much. The Acknowledgements chapter does a wonderful job discussing who the book's characters are based on in the real world during WWII which adds a richness to the whole experience. I have loved her work and perhaps Diamond Eye is slightly better but Rose Code is equally rewarding, and engrossing in its own right. Enjoy!!!

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