Publication Date: August 13, 2024
1930s, Poland. We hold our breath as the gears turn, waiting to see if years of work have paid off. The operator looks at me with tears in his eyes. He nods his head. We’ve done it. The code has been broken. But with war brewing, will it be enough to save us?
After graduating as the first and only woman on her university course, orphan Beata is set on joining the Polish Cipher Bureau. She’s determined to save her country from invasion by cracking the Enigma code. But, as the Germans close in, Beata and her team need help…
Meeting with British Intelligence, Beata passionately describes her work: and catches the bright, sparkling eyes of one of the agents, Harry. His excitement about her efforts with Enigma and how vital it is for all their futures makes her more determined than ever to do what’s right.
But those stolen moments might be their last. Any hope of preventing war is dashed as gunfire rings across the rooftops and boots sound on the cobblestones. The Nazis have made it to the city. Beata and Harry must flee.
With their duties tearing them in different directions, their only hope is to reunite at the home of British codebreakers, Bletchley Park. But carrying the final key to the Enigma code, and with the Nazis close on her tail, can Beata keep the secrets she holds safe and turn the tide of the war? And will she ever see Harry again?
Inspired by the true story of the brave Polish mathematicians who worked on the Enigma code, this completely addictive World War 2 historical novel is perfect for fans of Kate Quinn, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and My Name is Eva.
During World War II, it wasn’t just the Allied soldiers who made inroads in defeating the Germans. Brave civilians used their skills to solve coded military and diplomatic messages.
Author Gosia Nealon draws upon historical records to weave a fictional tale in The Codebreaker Girl. Inspired by the true stories of Polish mathematicians and cryptologists, readers will follow Beata on the quest to break the Enigma code.
With her humble beginnings as an orphan, Beata landed a job with the Cipher Bureau of the Polish Armed Forces because of her multilingual skills. Those skills earned her a primary spot during a joint effort between the Polish, the French, and the British as they tried to break daily codes.
With the Germans invading Poland and destroying her beloved orphanage, Beata is forced to flee with her team so they can continue to decode and decrypt messages sent from the German Enigma machine. She grows close to one of the British representatives, but the war doesn’t slow down for love.
The tone of the story changes when Beata is captured and sent to a German death camp. The author uses that as a reminder of the horrors of the war. Will she survive the atrocities and find happiness with Harry?
The Codebreaker Girl shines a light on a valuable group of people whose efforts helped shorten World War II.
While Gosia Nealon is a proud New Yorker, she was born and raised in Poland. Her journey to the Big Apple revealed a wealth of cultural differences, but also the values that connect us all. Like the fierce desire to protect family, find love, and ultimately, discover who we are and why we’re here.
Gosia’s award-winning short stories have always delved into life’s biggest questions, but it was the drama, sacrifice, and tragedy of WWII that led her to pen her debut novel, which won a gold medal in the 2022 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY).
Growing up in Poland, Gosia heard many firsthand accounts of the war, told from a perspective rarely captured in mainstream literature. She was compelled to breathe life into two young people falling in love in the midst of the most terrifying conflict of our time.
