The Rose Code

 

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

Historical Fiction

2021

Finished on September 6, 2025

Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

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 code-breaking 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...

The Rose Code is a marvelous novel! I enjoyed each thread of the tale, never once feeling that the 600+ pages were too much, unable to put it down. I grew to care about the three main characters, and enjoyed the glimpse into the historical elements of Bletchley Park. The dual timelines are well-executed, and the characters fully fleshed out. I did have a tough time envisioning the British bombe machine, and an even harder time understanding how it worked, but found some videos that helped clarify how they functioned. 

In addition to the elements of World War II, the romantic stories were both tender and heartbreaking. The mystery thread kept me guessing, but the final scenes of the arrest were too mad cap, reminding me of the Laurel & Hardy screwball comedies. 

Two years ago, I tried to listen to The Huntress (also by Kate Quinn), but gave up after a couple of hours. I simply couldn't get interested. Now having read and loved The Rose Code, I wonder if I should try The Huntress in the print format. I do know that I want to read The Alice Network, so maybe I'll give that one a read first. Oh, and her latest, The Briar Club, is getting rave reviews, too. Guess I'll have to read that one, as well.

I love shows about World War II and think The Rose Code would make a great TV series. Now I'm inspired to re-watch The Imitation Game (starring Benedict Cumberbatch). Hmmm... I did a quick search to see if the book has been optioned for a film or limited TV series and found the following:

Black Bear Pictures is developing The Rose Code into a TV series. Black Bear Pictures previously developed the movie The Imitation Game, also about Bletchley Park codebreakers.

Yay!!