I Absolutely loved this story, loved how it was based on the real life story of the woman who used her codebreaking skills to bring down Prohibition gangsters and WWII Nazis, and who ultimately helped found the present-day CIA, other win was you got 2 different time lines that helped you understand the characters and how and why codebreaking was and is still important to this day . And the author brings to life the characters themselves ,and makes her story enjoyable to read .

Lady Codebreaker
By: K.D. Alden
Review Score: 4 Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints
•This book is intriguing right from the start.

•I loved the time jumps, and how they brought the story together.

•It was really interesting to learn about the beginning of codebreaking in war, and how hard Grace and Robert worked to be successful.

•I loved Grace and Robert’s relationship.

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Lady Codebreaker was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and Forever, Grand Central Publishing. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy this wonderful book!

Release Date: 3/12/24

Lady Codebreaker is such an interesting book. We meet Grace, a girl who doesn’t want the quiet life expected of her, who then tumbles into a world of code breaking as World War 1 rages on.

She finds that she is actually very good at what she does, and is highly sought after for her skills. She struggles with being a woman in a man’s world, especially as she is married to a man who is just as brilliant in code breaking as she is.

This book covers a ton of history, weaving in both world wars, Eleanor Roosevelt, the beginning of the CIA, and the struggles the United States had during prohibition. Even so, the story never drags, and is an amazing mix of fact and fiction.

If you like historical fiction, you will like this book!

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This Historical fiction story set during WWI & WWII was pretty good. Some parts I found slow, but the codebreaking aspect was really interesting. Grace, our FMC, was extremely smart and determined to prove herself to her male counterparts and boss. I love getting to see female representation in aiding in the war cracking codes.

Alden’s new novel inhabits the world of significant U.S. military and political events in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, including the derailing of Nazi spy networks in South America, during WWII. In 1917, Grace Smith is swept into a whirlwind romance with Colonel Robert Feldman and his cryptanalytical world. The two head up a unit at Riverbank, decoding hundreds of messages with a majority-female team of experts. The couple’s successful collaboration ends when Robert, one of America’s most brilliant cryptanalysts, is sent to SIGINT headquarters, where his highly classified work takes him into a very dark world. Grace’s subsequent fight to prove herself equally worthy is thwarted by male condescension time and time again. Eventually hired by Coast Guard Intelligence during Prohibition, she wages war on smugglers, bootleggers, racketeers, and mobsters, who are costing the government millions in unpaid tax revenues.

Lady Codebreaker is a cracking good read. The novel’s main theme involves endless hours of tedious puzzle solving and analytical work, the details of which are about as exciting as watching grass grow. Recognising this, Alden knew her novel had to become more than tracking Grace as she untangles endless lines of gibberish. With admirable success, she opens up a remarkable decades-long love story, tied into a military/naval spy thriller. Grace’s struggle to prove her underestimated brilliance in a man’s world, and her wish to serve her country, juggled with her deep love for a man broken by his 40 years of government service, make for a poignant and stirring, sometimes heart-pounding read. The prologue, set in 1958, presents a nuanced picture of Grace’s daily struggle to pull her husband from the ‘dark abyss of extreme melancholia’ and suicidal ideation, his fragile mind irrevocably fractured after Pearl Harbor. Alden handles it all with tenderness, compassion and truth, and I was deeply immersed throughout.

Lady Codebreaker by K.D. Alden is historical fiction based on Elizebeth Smith Friedman’s life. I love WWII fiction, so I took a chance on this book that spans 4 decades and covers both WWI and WWII wars, and I was not disappointed!

Alden’s writing is clear and interesting and gives depth to the characters. She makes the topic of codebreaking very interesting and I found myself wanting to learn more about it. It was great to learn about Elizabeth through the character, Grace. She and her husband worked as cryptoanalysts for the government during WWI-II and beyond. I had never realized the importance of these roles in fighting enemies.

One thing I love about the main character, Grace, is that she is intelligent and strong, in a time when most women either stayed home or were secretaries. This story portrays how hard it was for her to gain the respect of most men in a male-dominated workforce. She even stood up to J. Edgar Hoover when necessary.
However, she also displays great love and sacrifice for her husband, especially when he faces serious depression and mental health issues.

I highly recommend this to other historical fiction lovers. My thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Forever, and NetGalley for this ARC.

Review: The Lady Codebreaker by K.D. Alden

I really enjoyed reading this book! Despite there being some parts that were drawn out, it was so interesting and I was invested in what was going on. The book covers from WWI to the Prohibition era right through to WWII. The author included difficult relatable real life moments with grace & feeling. The character development was well done and you felt feelings towards certain characters for sure. It left we wanting to learn more about certain things in the book. I also loved the info from the author at the end as to what she had fictionalized, quite fascinating & helpful.

I would recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

This was an interesting historical fiction spin on a real person who was a renowned cryptanalyst. While I think that some parts were really drawn out, overall, I liked the story and found it interesting. Grace definitely has some balls, and she deals with a lot of ignorant men who don't respect her because she's a woman. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved the use of code breaker in this historical setting, it had everything that I wanted from this type of book. I enjoyed that this book showed Grace’s accomplishments from Prohibition and WWII. It worked well overall in what I was looking for and thought the book and I was invested in what was going on. K.D. Alden has a great writing style and the characters were wonderfully written.

“You can love someone without him swallowing you whole. You can still have a mind of your own - ambitions of your own.”

As a woman in STEM, I wish to stand on the highest peak with a loudspeaker and point historical fiction lovers towards this book. I can’t say enough good about it - it’s worthy of all the stars.

First of all, a standing ovation for an author who can seamlessly incorporate fact with fiction. I was in complete awe of her skills. This is the second book this week that has astounded me! My husband thought I was watching sports because I was ‘WooOoo HooOoo–ing’ and ‘yesss-ing’ as I read a well-incorporated section - an educator thing. I read a lot of historical fiction and am often irked at the blaring insertion of research, sometimes paragraphs at a time, inserted in the narrative. Thank you, K.D. Alden, for your masterful writing. I still have a book hang-over, days later.

Secondly, Grace Smith Feldman is now one of my favourite literary characters of all time. She single-handedly went through many of my previous fears and dealt with each of them. I’m not a brilliant cipher expert for the military, but I know what it’s like being in the minority in one’s field of study and wondering if everything I’ve fought for in my career would be lost in the ‘we’ instead of ‘me’ aspect of marriage. Grace’s story highlights the challenges women endured at a time when society wasn’t as accepting/respecting of women in certain fields/careers. I appreciated both ends of the spectrum; the comradery/support between the females as well as the rivalry/secrecy between them and their colleagues. Through it all, Grace shines as a beacon for courage and tenacity for all women.

Grace’s character was well balanced with the mental health continuum of her husband. It was shocking to see the effects of duty and the lack of support within the field. I cried when the van pulled up to ‘secure’ the books and when she woke him up one morning. I could imagine the anguish and understood the indignation. Alden has balanced emotion with science compellingly. You need to experience this!

I appreciated the chance to learn and armchair Google the following:
✒️Difference between a code and a cipher
✒️Role of a cryptanalysis and a steganography
✒️Two branches of cryptography
✒️Value of algorithm
✒️Different types of cipher: pigpen, Beale, British Playfair, German transposition, etc.

In the midst of this recently popular historical fiction topic (code breaking), K D. Alden’s book stands tall, heads above many of the others writing on the same topic.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the gift of this spectacular story, offering it with no expectation of a review.

Lady Codebreaker is a historical fiction based on the real-life story of Elizabeth Smith Freidman. The story follows Grace as she becomes a cryptologist against all odds. The book centers on extremely difficult times in history and provides a roller coaster of emotions with heart, humor, and resilience. I could not put the book down!

I received an advanced reader’s copy through Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinions.
This one appealed to me for a bunch of reasons: historical fiction about an actual person/event, type of work being done and it helped a lot that Grace was from small town Indiana. I’d read other things about Elizebeth Fieldman so she was already familiar to me.
This book checked all the boxes for me, it was really interesting and walked you through the behind the scenes of code breaking. Especially, during the time periods before and after the two world wars where it was groundbreaking and crucial to the winning of the wars.
Admittedly, there was a few parts that were a little out there, and the author explains in the notes that some things were smashed together time and space and other things didn’t happen just to Grace. But it was a fun read, I liked it a lot and I would recommend it.

Based on a true story of a codebreaking husband and wife, this book spans World War I into the Cold War, and includes many real-life characters, such as J Edgar Hoover and the Roosevelts, that were instrumental in our nation's history. Grace and Robert have such an interesting relationship, particularly for the time, and both suffer quite a bit at the hands of their intellect and careers. Grace is a steel magnolia, standing firm in the face of personal and professional adversity, and though I know it was the done thing at the time, it bothered me that she never got credit for her amazing work....I guess she is now, in this story!

Based on the true lives of Elizebeth Smith Friedman and her husband William, Lady Codebreaker by K.D. Alden spans multiple generations, from the Great War through WWII and beyond. Elizebeth (Grace in the book) was raised a Quaker but went against traditional Quaker beliefs and defied her father to leave home and work. Through a series of events, Grace met William (Robert in the book) which led to their personal and work relationships.

Elizabeth/Grace showed nerves of steel throughout her life, both in her personal life and in her career. Codebreaking numerous messages, she helped during prohibition and WWII. She came against the like of J. Edgar Hoover and stood firm and won.

Without giving away the story, I simply say this: the story is well worth the read. A copy was provided for my review, but all opinions are my own. Releases approximately March 12, 2024.

I received an E-Arc from the publisher and Netgalley for an honest review!

This was an adventurous book! Intrigue, historical adventures and romance takes places in this story. So much was happening!

The ups and downs of code breaking with Grace and Robert. You get a feel how they connect through so many different things. The ups and downs!

I enjoyed how many things that Grace went through. She had friendship, rivalry, romance, heartbreak and adventure. She showed off her strength many times. I loved the beginning of the book how she was brought into the fold of codebreaking.

Robert had his own ups and downs. I loved how he flirted with Grace. He endured depression and his mental health during post war times. This was a hardship on him and even on Grace. Remember back in the day they did not have as much help as we do now.

The story works through pre and post war. I got a sense of the mental state of mind of Grace and Robert during both times. You can see how how human they are.

I did love the dog's name that Grace and Robert had!

I rarely read this type of genre but I"m glad I did! It's a great story and pick it up if you like codebreaking, adventure, historical fiction and a relationship that has been through so much. Pick it up when it comes out, you won't regret it!

I enjoyed the fictionalized account of Elizabeth Friedman. She was a fascinating person who was never credited for her work in either of the world wars.

The story pulled me in from the first chapter and held it throughout my reading. Captivating and fascinating, Lady Codebreaker is outstanding historical fiction.

K.D. Alden is an author I can’t wait to read more of.


Strong recommendation from me.



Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the DRC!

I’m a marketing and publicity associate Forever, so I am reading this for work! Aaaaaaand there's a character limit on reviews here are some more words

Lady Codebreaker by K.D. Alden is a great historical fiction that is based off of a fabulous real and courageous woman: Elizebeth Smith Friedman.

Spanning decades, from around WWI to the post-WWII era, we are taken alomg for a ride to see all of the fascinating and larger than life events that happened to a complex, intelligent, feisty, and strong woman. I never knew of Elizebeth amd it was great to learn about her and her husband and the roles they played in codebreaking for the US.

Of note, the fact vs fiction note by the Author at the end of the book is definitely worth reading as it gives a lot of context and sets straight some of the liberties that were taken in order to be able to have a novel that was realistic, interesting, and workable.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Forever for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 3/12/24.

Histfic fans will adore this brilliant tale based on the true life of codebreaker Elizebeth Friedman and her husband Robert. Crackles with intrigue, romance, courage, and the fight to safeguard America during WWI and II, from Al Capone, and even J. Edgar Hoover.

To me, a great historical fiction novel hits two notes: it is in itself a captivating story, but also it is interesting enough that I want to learn more about the history it references. Lady Codebreaker definitely hit both of those notes, and I find myself obsessed with codes once more, picking up the threads I left after reading Alan Hodges’s book on Alan Turing.

Lady Codebreaker follows the story of Grace and Robert, a married couple who are cryptoanalysts for the US military. The story spans a massive 4 decades, starting from their entry into code breaking and moving into the aftermath of World War 2. Readers get a glimpse of the painstaking process and the import of code breaking from the tail end of WWI through the prohibition and all through WWII.

Through Grace, we experience the position of women and the challenges and heartbreak that went along with simply being female in that time. We get a taste of the strength of female friendships and the bitterness of rivalry. There are so many beautiful quotes in this book that I can’t wait to take a highlighter to once I get a physical copy.

In Robert, we get a heartbreaking look into issues of depression and mental health. This theme is apparent from the very beginning of the prologue, and every time we jump forward into the post-war era, my heart broke a little more for him.

The way Alden weaves the story through the decades, jumping the reader back and forth between war time and post-war time makes the unfolding of events hit so much harder than a purely chronological telling. It also makes the vast timespan encompassed by the plot feel less overwhelming.

This is a wonderful story for any historical fiction lover, woman in STEM, proponent of mental health awareness, and any woman looking for a beautiful yet heartbreaking read. I will absolutely be adding this to my high school math classroom library (the romance is all closed door) as soon as it is released for use in book groups.