4.5 stars

“Women in particular often change the world quietly, without recognition. But we’re doing what needs to be done and doing it well. That’s all that matters.”

Little-known fact about me: I always wanted to be a spy. Not the kind going out on chic international missions of danger and intrigue, but rather the ‘Amanda King’ kind of spy who quietly supports the intelligence effort closer to home. Perhaps through something that looks like innocuous secretarial work but is, in reality, a cipher to code … or break. Which is why I gobbled up The Codebreaker’s Daughter by Amy Lynn Green with great delight. The title alone made me want to read it, and once I began I didn’t want to stop. Dinah and her mother Lillian – who, initially unbeknownst to Dinah, was a codebreaker during World War 1 – are complexly layered (especially Lillian) and engaging, each in their own different way. And then there’s Roger who’s just so genuine and kind and good. I loved every scene he was in and every bit of his dialogue.

This story set mostly in DC during World War 2 (and looking back to Lillian’s cipher work at an enigmatic estate in Illinois during World War 1) has it all for spy wannabes like me – ciphers, secrets, psychology, intrigue, deception – and the best part is that it’s based on historical fact with characters who really existed, too. Women like Dinah and Lillian (who are fictional) and their friend Elizebeth Friedman (who was a real person) are some of the unsung female heroes of US-based intelligence during each World War. This look at the homefront Allied operations fascinated me, and I loved the overall vibe it generated for the story itself. Being able to follow Dinah and Lillian through their respective timelines – and watch them work toward the same purpose (and even together) in the World War 2 years – made for such an intriguing and inspiring read.

Because The Codebreaker’s Daughter isn’t just a spy story. Or even just a novel about the women who worked behind the scenes to support the US during the two World Wars. At its heart, this book is a poignant look at mothers and daughters – their conflicts, their communication, their commonalities, their differences. Dinah and Lillian are works in progress when it comes to their relationship, but I loved the mechanism that the author uses to pave the way for their better understanding of each other. It was the perfect way not only to connect the two timelines but to connect these two women and also let readers dig into their layers a bit more deeply. Lillian’s relationship with her own mother was complex at best, and the author uses their story and another character’s to highlight the struggle of mental illness with both compassion and dignity.

Bottom Line: The Codebreaker’s Daughter by Amy Lynn Green is, in equal parts, a fascinating glimpse into the women who helped win wars from the homefront and a reflective portrait of mothers and daughters (and all the complicated and wonderful layers that entails). The vibrantly-written characters felt real – even the ones who weren’t based on actual people – and beckoned me to sit with them over dinner with the Friedmans or around the radio in Margot’s parlor. Some intriguing history and surprising twists kept me turning the pages and invested in the story, and I want to read all the resources the author referenced in her note at the end. Whether they were involved in cryptography or morale (aka psychological) warfare or something else altogether, we owe a lot to those who fought the world wars from office buildings, boardinghouses, and living rooms right here in the United States. If, like me, you love historical fiction that highlights ordinary people who quietly did extraordinary things to see that right and good and freedom would prevail, then make sure you read The Codebreaker’s Daughter too!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

Historical fiction readers will enjoy this time split novel about the Great War and WWII. The mental health focus throughout was a heavy topic. Based on facts, this story reveals the pressure code breakers were under as they reviewed critical information while abiding to strict enforcement of rules. The spy was cleverly hidden until closely to the end. At times the story was slow but still interesting. Loved the author’s note. Recommended.

The Codebreaker’s Daughter, by Amy Lynn Green, is a Christian historical fiction story that takes place in Washington DC during WWII. This story focuses on Dinah as she moves to Washington DC to take a job as a codebreaker. The story also gives background information on Dinah’s mother and her friends. I enjoyed how the story points out that women and men were able to help with war efforts on US soil in such a way that greatly affected the war results. I appreciate the information about how emotionally challenging this job was. Since the job was a secret position, those working the job could not talk about what they did and the men were looked down upon since they were not overseas fighting. This is a nicely written story that drew me in right from the beginning and held my attention to the very end.

I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this story; this is my honest review.

The Codebreaker’s Daughter
By Amy Lynn Green
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Series: None
Rated: 4
Back of the Book: “In the heart of the US capital, Dinah Kendall's role for the Office of Strategic Services isn't the thrilling espionage career she dreamed of. Instead, she spends her days crafting rumors aimed at undermining Axis morale. As Dinah navigates her duties, she uncovers a startling revelation: Her mother, Lillian, was once a codebreaker, cracking military ciphers during the Great War alongside some of the nation's most brilliant minds. The deeper Dinah dives into her mother's past, the more secrets come to light--including the heavy cost of high-stakes codebreaking.
Lillian, though resolute in her decision to avoid war work, reluctantly enters the fray when old friends in Washington, DC, seek her expertise. Both mother and daughter find themselves working behind the scenes--and working together--to support the Allied cause. But just when Dinah begins to excel in her new position, everything she's worked so hard to obtain comes crashing down around her. Caught in a web of intrigue and unsure who to trust, she must piece together the truth in time to confront the shadowy threat that could compromise the impending D-Day invasion.”

Impressions: This was an enjoyable dual timeline of suspense, romance, and history. The dual timeline was natural to the flow of the story and allowed understanding into Lillians character. What a challenging situation it would be to work in a world of secrecy and on top of that no recognition or validation. This wear and tear is touched on in William and Elizabeth’s characters. I feel for Dinah and the challenges she faced in this story. It is not always easy to step into the world and be your own person. Your families have such influence and hold over you at times.

Quotes: “Breathe deeply. Think logically. Observe.”

“No one wants to be a bother. Don’t they realize asking for help is a way of giving someone else a chance to care for them?”

“What do you know? And what does it mean?” – These two questions helped Lily settle her nerves and became a mantra of sorts to her. I appreciate how grounding these questions are.

“My father taught me that when you’re not sure what’s right, do the most honest thing you can and let God sort out the rest.”

“Evil is ordinary, Miss Kendall. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. We might’ve see it mount loudly in radio speeches and heil salutes. But evil can also be found in denouncements and averted eyes, in broken windows and cold shoulders and nursery rhymes.”

Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book!

The Codebreaker’s Daughter

Dinah Kendall’s war work starts as a volunteer, chatting with Office of Strategic Services (OSS) candidates in her hometown of Gettysburg, PA. While her conversations seem innocuous, she’s gathering information on the information the candidates let slip. When they leave, she turns in a report to the training school commander. Despite never doing well in school, Dinah has an uncanny knack for understanding human nature—an ability that nets her a job in Washington, D.C., working for the department tasked with undermining the enemy's morale.

Dinah can’t wait to escape home and her mother's hovering concern and critical eye. She much prefers her father’s easy-going company. Life in the boardinghouse owned by her mother’s dearest friend poses its own hardships, such as making new friends and navigating conversations where she can’t reveal the exact nature of her work. To pass time during the evenings, Dinah starts working on the journal her mother gave her for her 12th birthday—a journal written entirely in code.

She discovers a different side to her mother—a woman who worked with the most well-known codebreakers during the Great War. The journal entries reveal a shy woman with a brilliant mind who worked at a mysterious place called Riverbank.

When someone turns Dinah in for breaking OSS rules and regulations, Dinah turns her powers of deduction to finding out who. In the process, she uncovers a spy within the OSS. For the first time, she asks her mother to help crack the code that will reveal the traitor to the FBI before Operation D-Day becomes compromised.

What I Loved About This Book

Lillian, Dinah’s mother, grew up with a mentally ill mother, which colors her ability to relate and respond to her own daughter. The author delves into complex mother-daughter relationships with respect and grace. Readers who struggle with feelings of parental inadequacy will relate to Lillian, and those who struggle with understanding their mother will relate to Dinah.

The dual timeline (Lillian’s story of her codebreaking work during the Great War and Dinah’s WWII experiences) helps readers understand the primary characters who developed and cracked codes and ciphers to bring about victory for the Allies. Fans of spy stories and World War I and II history will enjoy this novel.

🇺🇸 Book Review 🇺🇸

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this #gifted book!*

Title: The Codebreaker’s Daughter
Author: Amy Lynn Green
Genre: Historical Fiction
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Synopsis: “Women in particular often change the world quietly, without recognition…But we’re doing what needs to be done and doing it well. That’s all that matters.” As an only child in 1944, Dinah has long wondered just exactly where she fits in society and even more so in her family. The pressure she feels to live up to her mother’s expectations both make her wary and embolden her. When presented with a job opportunity working for the Office of Strategic Services comes up, Dinah jumps at the chance thinking maybe she can finally spread her wings and make a difference in the world and gain her mother’s approval. But little does Dinah know that Lillian faces doubts too. With a history of government work and codebreaking, now the mundane everyday feels lacking, and her role as mother isn’t quite as she expected either. Battling past trauma, Lillian promises to be everything her mother was not. When Dinah discovers her mother’s history, she realizes that her mother’s life may not be as perfect as it seems. Could this discovery be the key to healing the rift in their relationship?

Analysis: Codebreaking women in the World Wars?! Yes, please! I absolutely loved this unique perspective for a WW1/WW2 historical fiction. I will say this is a more character-driven novel. It’s not filled with the action packed settings of war, but I loved it all the same. It’s filled with the history of women in espionage and what their roles looked like in this time. It explores the challenges of living a life sworn to secrecy because of the government. And it dives deep into the mother/daughter relationship that you can relate to if you’ve ever felt you couldn’t meet someone’s expectations. I can’t forget to mention the sweet romance. I love Lillian’s husband. He may just be the best book husband I’ve read. And though there isn’t a lot of action, there was a surprising mystery element at the end! I highly recommend this novel for a little bit of a different look into the World Wars!

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Codebreaker's Daughter was a wonderfully-written mash-up of WWI and WWII codebreaker intrigue. I enjoyed this book immensely; Lily was a character with such realistic struggles, and Dinah was delightful and made me think hard about my own life.

I loved the setting. I always enjoyed WWI information because I'm a history geek, and through some WWII in the mix and I'm sold.

Overall, five stars!

I received a complimentary copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Amy Lynn Green’s The Codebreaker’s Daughter is a captivating historical dual-timeline novel exploring government cryptographers and their use of coded rumours to undermine German troops.

Lily and her daughter Dinah are the focus of this slow-paced novel. During WWI, Lily was solving ciphers, and in WWII, it was Dinah’s turn. Although the research was excellent and the topic engaging, the book’s repetitiveness and slow pace made it a hard read.

Given the book’s captivating start, I expected that espionage would be a key element. Sadly, the action didn’t really start until the end of the book. It was more about the relationship between the mother and daughter, and this caused the book to drag. However, the ending redeemed itself, and the book had a satisfying ending.

If you like solving puzzles and if you enjoy WWII books, you might like The Codebreaker’s Daughter.

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Bethany House Publishers via NetGalley for my honest opinion.

[Thank you to @netgalley and to Bethany House Publishers for my gifted copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.]

“What do you know? What does it mean?”

I’ve been so excited for another Amy Lynn Green book!

I really, really enjoyed this story. It’s a bit of a slow start, but the pace picks up. There are so many amazing historical details and perspectives in this story that I’d never known or thought of before. You can tell that the author put a lot of work into historical research, which I always appreciate. You don’t want to miss the Historical Note in the back of this book!

I loved that this book’s dual POV/timeline tells the story of a mother and a daughter and the author’s exploration of purpose and motherhood, through a biblical lens, of course.

If you are a historical fiction girlie, add “The Codebreaker’s Daughter” to your list!

Read “The Codebreaker’s Daughter” for:

-WWI and WW2 era
-Codebreakers and spies
-Dual-POV
-Dual-timeline
-Little known historical figures and events
-Christian fiction
-Exploration of purpose and motherhood
-Familial relationships
-Mental health reps

I highly recommend this title!

Another great work of WWII fiction by Amy Lynn Green! This one also took on a bit of a dual timeline in order to show some of Lillian's history as a codebreaker during WWI. This book is slightly more character driven as it highlights the mother/daughter dynamic between Dinah and Lillian, but there is definitely a significant plot brewing in amidst the character development. One thing to note as it relates to the story type - because I wasn't expecting it, the timeline jump threw me off a bit, particularly since Lillian went by Lilly in the earlier timeline. After discovering the rhythm of the book, that was helpful in setting the stage for the timeline we were in and helping the reader adjust. But thought it worth mentioning since it caught me by surprise initially. I really enjoyed getting know Lilly as a younger woman as she was finding herself and falling in love. And it helped to better understand the dynamic between her and her daughter, especially as we learn the dynamics of her relationship with her own mother. I enjoyed the unique perspective of this WWII story as well, as it took place on the homefront, in the Office of Special Services. It was interesting to see the many areas that were covered by the OSS and to get a feel for how they operated. And there was some intrigue brewing under the surface as well! One other thing I definitely recommend is to read the author's notes at the end as I was astonished at how much of the information in the book was based on real people, places and events. Though you expect historical fiction to have actual events, the people and places are typically fully fictional, so it was pretty cool to learn of several of the actual places and people - and even some of the events that you wouldn't expect. All in all, this was a thoroughly enjoyable story, filled with character development and intriguing story. I would easily recommend this to fans of historical fiction. Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of this novel. I was under no obligation to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.

This gripping dual timeline novel highlights the unsung contributions by female codebreakers and secret agents in America during WWI and II, through the story of a mother and daughter who played critical home front roles during wartime. Inspired by true stories, the histfic tale kept me rapt, in awe, and grateful for the brave unknown women we owe so much to. Highly recommended!

A quietly powerful dual-timeline novel exploring the unseen contributions of women in wartime intelligence — and the emotional cost of secrecy across two generations.

The Codebreaker’s Daughter traces the lives of Lillian, a WWI codebreaker, and her daughter Dinah, working in psychological warfare during WWII. Told through narrative and epistolary elements, the novel explores how secrecy, service, and identity intersect across generations.

The book’s greatest strength lies in its historical significance: shining a light on the vital but unsung roles women played in both wars. Through Lillian and Dinah, Green pays tribute to those who shaped history from the shadows. Rather than fast-paced espionage, the story focuses on emotional complexity and personal legacy — particularly the tension between professional purpose and family connection. Green’s thoughtful portrayal of intelligence work illuminates how women served behind the scenes, often without recognition, yet with lasting historical impact.

Though the pacing occasionally lags and the emotional stakes feel subdued, this is a quietly powerful read that will resonate with fans of character-driven historical fiction rooted in truth.

Recommended for fans of Sarah Sundin, Madeline Martin, and readers interested in women’s untold roles in history.

Another winning WWII novel from Green. Both mother and daughter had compelling stories, and I learned things about codebreaking (and historical codebreakers) that I didn't know before!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

“Women in particular often change the world quietly, without recognition. But we’re doing what needs to be done and doing it well. That’s all that matters.”
Take a trip back in time to a little-known piece of history of WWI and WWII codebreaking and espionage. Based on real people, places, and actions in the United States war offices, it is a story filled with twists, turns, and puzzles that you will find unforgettable. The role of women is especially highlighted, giving recognition to soon-forgotten heroes of the war. I love that Amy Lynn Green always does thorough research and presents an engaging writing style in proper historical context. Another smash hit from this talented author!
*I received a complimentary copy of this e-book from NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In THE CODEBREAKER’S DAUGHTER, AMY LYNN GREEN crosses seamlessly between the first and second world wars in a story full of intrigue, danger, codebreaking and espionage, as rhe characters work to win the war by any means possible, including the breaking down of the enemy’s morale.
We see how Dinah Kendall has not only learnt to pick a lock from her locksmith father, but is also showing promise of following in her mother’s footsteps in developing a prowess for codebreaking…..….
Dinah gets a job “spying on the spies”in her hometown of Gettysberg, which stands her in good stead when she is employed by the OSS in Washington…….
From 1917 to 1919 we see Lilian, with her friend Margot, employed at Riverbank by the eccentric George Fabyan, together with the famous codebreaking duo, Elizebeth and William Friedman……
I like to see the rather rocky relationship between Dinah and Lillian improve under the loving encourageent of father and husband, Roger Kendall…….
It is a beautifully written book whose story takes place against the reality of the two world wars that affected, not only America, but the whole world……..
I highly recommend this interesting and inspiring read to anyone who enjoys this genre.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

Do we want people to know us and appreciate us for what we do or who we are?

Identity is at the core of this fantastic historical fiction spotlighting a mother and daughter and their triumphs and challenges of working behind the scenes of wartime intelligence.

Green excels at describing the experiences of two women, Lillian and Dinah, and spotlights the challenges each faced in their time, revealing their personalities and contrasting the differences in the intelligence community between both wars. Some of this revelation is accomplished through narrative and some is accomplished through epistolary elements, but both serve to connect the past and present.

Under ‘normal’ circumstances, the mother-daughter relationship is complex; there’s so much emotion and drama involved as daughters venture into adulthood, so I was curious to see how this dynamic would change with both women involved in something they can’t talk about to anyone. I discovered how Lillian’s career strongly influenced her motherhood, and not being a mother, I was surprised to learn that it wasn’t as fulfilling for Lillian as she and I had expected.

Green held my attention with her little-known historical facts and details.

My takeaways: Empathy is an important addition to our relationship-building toolkit. Communication is key.

I was gifted this copy by Bethany House and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.