This book is based on real people! The fact that not only was codebreaking imperative to our victory in war (whether domestic or international) but the way women had to fight to LITERALLY be IN the room, let alone be taken serious or treated equally still blows my mind.
Not only did Grace teach us to fight for our right to serve our country she also taught us to fight for our partners/spouses and to never leave our people behind. I was fortunate enough to be able to read and advanced reader copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.
This book is one I will purchase to make sure it is in my personal library for years to come!

Spanning four decades (1917-1958), Lady Codebreaker is a story of both World Wars, prohibition, mental health and the struggles of women in STEM during that time. The story follows Grace Smith, one of the first lady codebreakers, as she deals with being in a male dominated field and politics while describing her process and contributions to the intelligence field.

Alden does a great job at writing captivating characters. Grace is incredibly complex and intelligent and Alden does a great job at bringing all of her complexities and failings into the novel. The other characters are extremely well written and complex in their own right.

Alden did a fantastic job of blending fact and fiction while making this a very enjoyable read. This story had a bit of everything: a love story, espionage, scandal, mysteries and even more. I was totally engrossed as I was listening. After reading this I definitely want to learn more about the female codebreakers during that time in our history.

I appreciate Alden for writing a woman's story who has fallen through the cracks in our history. I recommended this book to anyone who likes stories of women's empowerment and historical fiction. This was 4.5 stars for me.

I really enjoyed this story! Grace Feldman didn't want an ordinary life so she escaped her small town and found a job finding codes in Shakespeare's works. Soon she is learning cryptoanalysis with her coworker Robert. She falls in love with him and she soon becomes one of the nation's top codebreakers during WWI, Prohibition as well as WWII. During this time she had to navigate being a female in a male dominated. This was based on a true story.

My thoughts: This was a fascinating story that I couldn't put down. I learned a lot about codebreaking as well as its prevalence and prominence during wars, as well as during the prohibition with the rum runners as well as all manner of law enforcement issues. Grace was a fascinating person, and I loved her romance with Robert.

Thanks to @netgalley, @foreverpublishing and the author for this ARC

One of the main reasons that I love to read historical fiction is to hear about people and stories that aren't as commonly taught. If it happens to be about a brilliant and courageous woman, bucking the conventions of the time, all the better! Lady Codebreaker is the perfect kind of historical novel for me. K.D. Alden tells a fictionalized story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman and William Friedman, real life codebreakers. In Alden's book, they are known as Grace Smith and Robert Feldman.

Lady Codebreaker opens with an action scene in 1958, in the home where Grace Feldman is living with her husband, Robert, and a raid is occurring on his historical codebreaking materials. This opening had me hooked immediately, and then is followed by and answering all of the reader's questions from the beginning. Starting with Grace's narrative in 1917, when she leaves her parents and sister for a different kind of life, she starts down a path that leads to analysis to prove Francis Bacon the true author of Shakespeare's works and quickly finds herself deep into cryptography. A natural at codebreaking, Grace meets another brilliant mind, Robert Feldman. Word of their inventive work reaches the ears of the US military and they quickly find themselves utilized by the US Army. One continuous thread during the book is the relationship between Grace and Robert, first as friends, then romantically. Grace herself is such a fun literary heroine and I really loved learning all about her exploits over four decades as the first American female codebreaker, through the beginnings of the codebreaking program to fighting Al Capone. I also loved learning about cryptography in general through several Google deep-dives that were inspired by Lady Codebreaker. I couldn't wait to finish it and read the Author's Note describing how much of the book was true. I was in awe of Grace's intelligence, tenacity, and bravery throughout so I was pleasantly surprised to learn that most of it was historically accurate.

If you like historical fiction with a woman in STEM who refuses to settle in any aspect of her life, and has a thread of romance in a fulfilling relationship you'll root for throughout, you will enjoy this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the advanced reader copy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own

Interesting premise, yet I could not get into the story. I did want to finish though so this is likely not the Author's fault, I just haven't been able to retain information lately

Alden's engrossing work of historical fiction is based on the real woman Elizebeth Smith Friedman. She obtained a college degree in the early 1900s, and trained as a cryptanalyst or code-breaker along with her future husband Robert. They both worked for the U.S. government during World War I, then after the war Elizebeth worked for the Coast Guard and used her code breaking skills to bing rum runners and mobsters to justice. By the time World War II began, Elizebeth and Robert were working for different branches of the military, and were forbidden from speaking about their work to each other. Elizebeth and her team cracked one of the German enigma machines, saving countless US lives.
Robert suffered from mental illness from the 1940s on, with depression and suicidal thoughts being his constant companions for the rest of his days.
Alden gives one of the best descriptions of depression that I’ve encountered: “a toxic fog rolling into harbor in the brain, a sticky, murky humidity coating and clinging to everything in its path, smothering joy, light, love or any creative impulse.”

I love learning about women in history, and this was no different. What an interesting story this was.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

I love a brilliant woman in STEM and have long had a special affinity for the female codebreakers who helped to win World War II. This book is especially fascinating in how long it follows her life. Lady Codebreaker begins in 1918 before the first World War I. As K. D. Alden notes at the conclusion, the book follows four decades and two world wars. In between those wars, it also tackled Prohibition, and afterwards, it examines the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover. I loved seeing such a sweeping historical fiction that really showed how those events flowed from one to the next. Not only did I enjoy it now, but it's the kind of novel I would have read to study for American history exams back in school.

The main character of Grace is spectacular. She is such an amazing woman, and I was impressed to learn about the real woman who inspired her character. The book ended with a great historical note that separated fact from fiction. And it made me want to dive further into learning about cryptology.

This novel included a bit of everything: a love story, espionage, scandal, mysteries, and more. I was utterly engrossed through every time it covered. Parts are quite intense, so I do recommend checking the content warnings. I was so glad I read this and plan to read more from K. D. Alden.

CW: sexual harassment, depression, pregnancy complications, PTSD, suicidal ideation

In this amazing, high-stakes historical fiction novel, readers follow Grace, a young woman looking for a job in early twentieth century Chicago. The job offer she receives, however, sets her life on its head and places her at the core of American intelligence for the next several decades as a codebreaker for the military in both World Wars and for the Coast Guard during Prohibition. The novel flashes back from her memories to the 1950s when the government loses faith in her husband given his health issues and the Red Scare (spearheaded by Grace’s nemesis J. Edgar Hoover) as she tries to protect her husband and his legacy. Alden’s characters are the heart of the story, and Grace is an incredibly complex and intelligent protagonist, and Alden has brought all of her complexities and failings into the novel. The other characters, historical and historically inspired alike, are also incredibly detailed with backstories and motivations that conflict with or coincide with Grace’s own. This fascinating and unique perspective on the first half of the twentieth century gives readers insight into military intelligence and the world of lies and secrets that Grace became so good at operating in as a talented codebreaker.

I wanted to like this book because of the code breaking done by a woman during the period of WWI, the period after this war, and then WWII. I enjoyed the background of what the main character was experiencing, learning how to understand and break codes and how she shared her knowledge with others. However, the way the characters were written was flat and uninteresting. The book was over long and tedious, and I struggled to finish the book. Since this was based on real characters it is a shame that their story came across as dull and boring.

Historical fiction based on a true life figure is best when it draws you in and invites you to research more. Lady Codebreaker does this and more, fictionalizing the true life of Elizebeth Smith Friedman.

The book spans the life of Grace Smith, one of the first lady codebreakers from prohibition through WWII. As she deals with both a male dominated field and politics, this book beautifully describes Grace's process and contributions to the intelligence field. I would love to go and visit Friedman's papers in VA and am definitely going to read more about her life.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

I love a good WWII novel, and this one also includes some pieces from WWI, prohibition, and the late 1950s. Bonus!

The Codebreaking was cool and brought the intensity, but the love story is also compelling.

I liked parts of Lady Codebreaker, but I found it miserable to keep reading about Grace being mistreated due to her gender. The author kind of tried to make her a plucky survivor, but I have experienced this type of thing in real life and it didn't just bounce off me. I think the book was well-written, but it has this habit of trying to blend the outsized and fantastical with the miseries of real life. Tonally, it just didn't work for me.

The premise of a lady codebreaker intrigued me. Espionage and deciphering secret messages written in code is quite fascinating, so needless to say I was looking forward to this read!

Here we meet Grace who is headstrong and feels no desire to conform to the expected life duties of a woman, she wants a career and is moved by the success and health of her country. She finds herself with an incredible gift of decoding cryptography and puts it to use through various stages of the countries unrest. WWI, Prohibition and WWII.

This story started off strong, however I felt that it lost a little steam in the middle. While I respected Grace's character and her journey, I did find myself wishing that it was a little shorter. The obstacles and challenges that Grace encountered started to feel a little repetitive and I wished that the actual code breaking was little more mysterious than it was. Grace was a force to be reckoned with, only some of those parts felt implausible to me. I enjoyed this read, just not as much as I was hoping.

What an UTTERLY engrossing historical fiction novel based on the real life of codebreaker Grace Smith that spans five decades. This book covers Grace's life as she first meets her husband, Robert Feldman, when they both begin training as codebreakers during the First World War through the Prohibition era when Grace takes on smugglers like Al Capone and later during WWII when she works to thwart the Nazis.

Not only is this a story about a smart, clever woman, it is also a great look at the challenges of being a working woman in early 20th century America, misogyny in the workplace, the turmoil and guilt of later being a working mother and the additional burden of being a caretaker for a mentally ill spouse. Fantastic on audio narrated by Elisabeth Rodgers, this is for sure going to be one of my favorite reads of 2024!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This book is perfect for fans of Kate Quinn's The rose code and Genevieve Graham's The secfet keeper. Fans of historical fiction and strong female protagonists will not want to miss it!!

Grace leaves Indiana looking for something more. She ends up being hired to learn code breaking. When the government needs cryptanalysts during the prohibition Grace helps break codes and capture rumrunners. This leads to more intercepting of codes as the US comes closer and then eventually entering WW II. Grace faces incredible opposition not only from her male counterparts but from societal norms. Hoover is especially troublesome for Grace.
With fierce determination and unwavering loyalty Grace leaves her mark as one of first female codebreakers.

Not only was the history fascinating but Grace’s character is so visceral and complicated you can’t help but be sucked into her incredible story!

Lady Codebreaker was very interesting - I never knew what cryptanalysis or cryptography was until this book! It caught my attention & kept it the whole time. Grace is smart & proud at what she does, while remaining quiet & keeping it a secret. I enjoyed it & I love that it’s based off of a true story!

Lady Codebreaker, a fictional historical story based on the life of true heroine Elizebeth Smith Friedman, by K.D. Alden, is in a class by itself.

Spanning four decades (1917 - 1958), this is a story of WWI, WWII, prohibition, mental health, and the struggles of women. This is also an emotional love story told in such a way by Alden that one feels like they are right there with Grace and Robert throughout all their ups and downs.

Alden did a superb job seamlessly blending fact and fiction based upon America's first female cryptanalyst making this a very enjoyable read. Alden had this reader enthralled from beginning to end as I rode an emotional roller coaster throughout reading this gripping story. Thank you K.D. Alden for writing a book about this amazing woman, one of many women whose stories are all but lost to our history.

I received a complimentary copy of this awesome book, Lady Codebreaker, from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley. I was under no obligation to write a favorable review, and all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the opportunity to read and review this book!

When Grace is hired by an eccentric millionaire as a Shakespeare expert in the early 1900s she has no idea what is in store. Soon, she is learning codebreaking, and will use those skills to aid the United States in World War I, during prohibition, and during the World War II. Grace faces countless barriers, even when taking down master spies, foreign agents, and rum runners. However, some of her most difficult hurdles are faced when questions of love, family, and loyalty, are questioned by those she is closest to.

This was a fun historical fiction that spans many decades. My absolute favorite part was Grace’s years working for the United States Coast Guard (first during prohibition and then during the second world war). If you didn’t know, by husband is in the Coast Guard, and I was giddy reading all about the service as it existed a century ago! Grace’s relationship with her husband was challenging, even from the beginning, and I felt for her as she attempted to navigate difficult conversations and choices in her family and career.

Loosely based on the life of Elizebeth Friedman, Lady Codebreaker follows the career and marriage of Grace Smith Feldman from her arrival in Chicago in 1917, a young woman seeking a job that uses her brain, to her retirement in D.C. ~40 years later, following a successful career as a cryptanalyst for the Navy and Coast Guard. Along the way, Grace Smith meets Robert Feldman, who convinces her to marry him even though she is terrified that being a wife generally means being under her husband's thumb and retreating to the kitchen and raising children. Fortunately, Robert is unusually open minded for his generation and the pair are two of the first American cryptanalysts, initially working together, during WWI, then in separate agencies for the rest of their careers. Many of the men Grace with with and for along the way, however, are not so forward-thinking, and Grace must navigate societal expectations of her day, chauvinism, and a mother-in-law who calls her a shiska to do what she enjoys and is good at, serving her country through WWI, prohibition, and WWII. Well written and thoroughly researched, Lady Codebreaker is historical fiction with touch of romance and a dash of thriller and the kind of story that makes me grateful for the women that forged the way for women like me to have careers in STEM today.