The Silk Code
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4.4 • 82 Ratings
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- $1.99
Publisher Description
‘The Silk Code had me absolutely hooked… A great storyline full of bravery, trust, love, survival, betrayal and determination.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Based on the true story of ‘Englandspiel’, one woman must race against the clock to uncover a traitor, even if it means losing the man she loves.
England, 1943:
Deciding to throw herself into war work, Nancy Callaghan joins the Special Operations Executive in Baker Street. There, she begins solving ‘indecipherables’ – scrambled messages from agents in the field.
Then Nancy meets Tom Lockwood, a quiet genius when it comes to coding. Together they come up with the idea of printing codes on silk, so agents can hide them in their clothing to avoid detection by the enemy. Nancy and Tom grow close, and soon she is hopelessly in love.
But there is a traitor in Baker Street, and suspicions turn towards Tom. When Nancy is asked to spy on Tom, she must make the ultimate sacrifice and complete a near-impossible mission. Could the man she loves be the enemy?
An utterly gripping and unputdownable WW2 historical fiction novel, perfect for fans of Ella Carey and Ellie Midwood!
Readers LOVE The Silk Code!
‘Characters that you could get into and a storyline that kept you hooked wanting to read on to find out what happened next – my sign of a good book!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A brilliant book, one of Swift’s best. I can’t wait for the next one.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I loved the characters that Deborah Swift crafted… well written and a good mix of historical fiction and mystery.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Really enjoyed this book… [a] fantastic read.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘The depth of research this author does is obvious but she makes it so easily absorbable with characters you either hate or love and a plot that just keeps the pages turning.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘An excellent book on World War 2 history.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
About the author
I write historical fiction, a genre I love. I loved the Victorian classics such as Jane Eyre, Little Women, Lorna Doone and Wuthering Heights. As I child I loved to read and when I had read my own library books, I used to borrow my mother's library copies of Anya Seton and Daphne du Maurier. I have loved reading historical novels ever since; though I'm a bookaholic and I read widely – contemporary and classic fiction as well as historicals.
In the past I used to work as a set and costume designer for theatre and TV, so I enjoy the research aspect of creating historical fiction, something I loved doing as a scenographer. Each book takes about six months of research before I am ready to begin writing. More details of my research and writing process can be found on my website. I like to write about extraordinary characters set against the background of real historical events.
Customer Reviews
The Silk Code
This is a fast paced and very readable book about WW2 and the British radio coders that infiltrated the occupied lands of Holland. The heroine is very believable as the upper class naive English girl transformed into a cryptographer then an agent behind enemy lines. I think it would make a great film or pbs tv series.
emotional, intense read
The Silk code is packed with action, deceit, treason and "Oh My Gosh" moments. The author grabbed my interest from the beginning. I became invested in the story and many of the characters. At times I had to pause a few before going on, fearing what was going to happen next to Nancy.
Nancy ended up in London, staying with her brother (not my favorite character). She thought she was going for a typing job at one of the war divisions on Baker Street. Her knowledge of French, German, Dutch and English makes her very desirable for more than typing. Her ability with puzzles has her standing out among other applicants. Soon she is knee deep in decoding for agents sent to Holland.
Nancy fled Scotland after a nasty breakup. Yet soon she finds her self drawn to Tom, the man that had taught her about coding. The chemistry between them heats up the pages. The tensions between Tom and her brother add fuel to the fire.
Tom has noticed problems in the coding. Something is wrong. It doesn't feel right. With Nancy's help he comes up with a solution but he has to sell his idea to others. At the same time someone is trying to take him down. What an eyeopening story. I didn't want to believe that it was so easy to infiltrate and influence others. How did they get anything done when everything, everyone was under suspicion?
War makes for strange bed fellows. War makes for dramatic stories. War makes for stories packed with action. War makes people grab a connection wherever they can. The Silk Code brought all of this out in a story that was difficult to put down and very easy to pick back up.
I am not sure about the ending. I am hoping that there will be a lot more stories. I hate being left hanging, but I guess it is something that many experienced during WW2.