I wanted to read this book because I usually do not pick books like this. However, it turned out to be too technical for me. I found it interesting but was unable to complete it because of the way the story unfolded. Someone more accustomed to war stories would definitely enjoy it more than I did.

3.5 stars. While WW1 isn't my normal genre I found this an impeccably researched book and extremely interesting. Bravo to the author for seamlessly weaving the details in without making it come across like a history lesson.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this in exchange for my review.

A reasonably interesting yarn based around the early days of British naval intelligence - the famed Room 40. The writing weaves together a fictional story with historical background facts, including the battle off Coronel and the later Battle of the Falkland Islands. The fictional story stretches credulity somewhat, but not enough to spoil the tale. it passed a pleasant few evenings reading and I wanted to see how the story ended, so I guess that tells us it was a perfectly reasonable novel.

If you enjoy historical fiction and want a change from the plethora of novels that focus on WWII, this might be a good option. The story is told from the British perspective and appears to be well-researched. The reader gets a glimpse into what intelligence-gathering and code breaking looked like at that time.

I enjoyed this read but did find it slow and sometimes difficult to follow in terms of changing from one scene to another, but definitely worth checking out for those history buffs out there!

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to review!

The author has a good imagination, and seemed to capture the historical feel pretty well. This is my kind of story, and I enjoyed this. I found it compelling. Recommended.

Thanks for the free review copy!!

Military history is a passion of mine, especially subjects surrounding the two world wars. A lot has been written about espionage, SOE, Bletchley Park etc. of WWII, less so regarding WWI, so the synopsis for this story really intrigued me & didn't disappoint. It's very easy to read, draws you in & has a ring of historical truth about it: someone who has done the research & sets the scene perfectly. (No matter how good the story, I will often switch off if an historical element is missed or feels wrong for the period.) The battle scene was particularly well done (Coronel) & knowing the history of the period, I was looking forward to the next battle in the south Atlantic, but this was told in hindsight, which was the only disappointment.

The other issue is with the editing itself, not the story. i.e. a scene may be set in an office in The Admiralty, you start reading a new paragraph & the scene has moved to onboard ship, in the south Pacific without any delineation, which I found upset the rhythm of my reading. If you could add ********* or a sub-heading "London" to break up the scenes, it would make for a better reading experience.

A really enjoyable, well-written story & I for one, would be interested in reading a sequel.

I had to remind myself that this was pre-WWII - so things were a bit different when it came to code breaking (and what had been invented/created to assist with that). This book is very detailed and well researched. At times I felt the story - while compelling and interesting - moved a bit too slowly for my enjoyment. It was a good read and not what I expected, but in a good way.

While I’ve read a bunch of WWII books, I haven’t read much about WWI. This is rich with details and definitely a page-turner like the sticker says. The plot was multi-faceted and engaging throughout. It was nice to read historical fiction that isn't about women or romance. I like those too but this one was a refreshing change.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

This was a good read. I had to remember a couple of times that this was set in WWI and I think the author managed to get the historical setting right. Thanks for the ARC - looking forward to reading the next one