Set in WWII in London, this is a book with twists and turns where you don't expect but still an easy, and enjoyable read.

This is both a well written and well researched novel .Fiction though it may be, there is a lot to learn. A strong story of Olivia who becomes a code breaker during WW 2. Espionage and treachery abounds. Recommended.

A really gripping story set in the Second World War, fictional but with many real-life elements. Lots of tension and some unexpected twists - hard to put down!

I absolutely adored Deborah Swift's story, inspired by real events in the Second World War. From the first page, when we first meet Nancy, I was hooked. I'm fascinated by the female agents of the Special Operations Executive, and love writing and reading about this aspect of the war. The Silk Code was an incredibly authentic, exciting addition to the genre, and I learned so much.

In 1943, Nancy joins the SOE, and is set to work deciphering the codes sent back from agents in the field. But then she meets Tom, a quiet coding genius, and together they devise a new method of coding on silk. Their relationship grows, and they fall in love, but it can't last.
There is a traitor in SOE, and suspicions turn towards Tom. When Nancy is asked to spy on Tom, she must make the ultimate sacrifice. I genuinely couldn't put this down, the pages turned themselves, well into the night! Espionage fiction at its finest!

A very enjoyable read about operatives working during the Second World War to decipher coding and working in Holland with the resistance. It was a great read and informative on the life of an SOE.
Review posted with Waterstones

Anyone who follows my page, knows that my favourite genre is historical fiction so I was super excited to be sent an advanced copy from the team at @hqstories - this story is filled with love, bravery, temptation, duty and turmoil and I loved it. Nancy is an intelligent, head strong woman who certainly knows her worth and it was lovely to read her evolution from beginning to end. The twists and turns throughout, kept me wanting to read on and I wasn’t disappointed. Today is the publication day in the UK for this gem, so if you’re a fan of historical fiction, it should go right to the top of your #tbrpile

Deborah Swift brings the secrecy and twisted allegiances of World War II to life in The Silk Code. Following Nancy Callaghan, Tom Lockwood, and Neil Callaghan, Swift weaves a complicated story of loyalty, espionage, and secrecy in the heart of London during those dark wartime years. Set within the SOE and their operation in the Netherlands, SOE leaders force Nancy to choose between Tom, her brother Neil, and her country, but neither Nancy nor Tom have all of the information. Eventually, decisions and broken trust catch up with the main trio of characters, forcing them to finally decide where their loyalties lie. Deborah Swift’s major and minor characters are brilliantly lifelike, passionate, and dynamic, and even the flawed characters are sympathetic and capable of growth. Swift’s settings are not the forefront of the story, yet she successfully orients the reader in the various locations across the United Kingdom and abroad in the occupied Netherlands. As for Swift’s prose, her dialogue and characters drive the story forward, creating a vibrant wartime environment for the reader. The Silk Code is a promising and dynamic historical fiction novel that brings the complicated reality of wartime espionage to life in Nancy, Tom, and Neil’s stories.

This is very different to previous historical novels I have read set in this time but in a good way. It had me gripped from the start. I loved how Nancy was no push over and yes there were elements of romance in the book but she was never a damsel in distress which I really liked. Plenty of twists and turns and not knowing who to trust. I was definitely surprised with a few of them!

Would highly recommend this book. Really different to the usual historical fiction (that I have personally read) with a lot more action and twists which I thought were great.

Will definitely be looking out for more books by this author.

A great WW2 novel. Interesting characters and good plot twist. Good to see a book written from the perspective of a woman working in the secret services during this time period.

5 stars, which I do not give lightly. A beautiful combination of suspense and historic fiction. Daniel Silva meets Noelle Salazar. A moving story of intrigue and betrayal.

In 1943, Nancy leaves her life and cheating fiance in Scotland to take a secretarial position and start a new life. Secretarial work quickly becomes espionage as she is recruited to be an SOE code breaker. While she is drawn to fellow codebreaker Tom, Nancy realizes that the SOE has been compromised. Not knowing who to trust, Nancy fights to survive Englandspiel. Swift doesn't pull punches with this story, nor does she shy away from the lesser-known, or discussed, aspects of life in WWII England and Europe. The romance angle took second fiddle to the true fears and threats that saught the main characters. The research and dedication to historical accuracy were impressive.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a good spy novel or historic fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an epic read, it’s not often I read a book that draws me in, to know this was based on a true story makes it even more amazing. What was asked of these people at this time was awe inspiring. I urge you to just read this book.

Ever since Deborah Swift first wrote about "The Silk Code" in her newsletter, I have so been looking forward to reading it. If it's about WWII and codes, fiction or nonfiction, I want to read it. If this describes you as well, I think you'll enjoy "The Silk Code," too.

I read this book in one sitting. It was that exciting. Nancy Callaghan has had a very nasty break-up (thanks to her former best friend) and wants to get out of her little town. Her brother is doing war work in London, so she asks his help in getting a job. Nancy figures she can type, so maybe she can work at the same place.

Soon her superiors realize she is over-qualified. Because she's a natural whiz at coding and can speak several languages, Nancy is assigned a different post. Her life suddenly becomes much more exciting-- and dangerous. Who can she trust? Are the people she meets really who they say they are?

Will Nancy survive World War II?

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of "The Silk Code."

Heartbroken Nancy Callaghan decides to move to London following a betrayal of the worst kind by her (now ex) fiancé and a so called friend. Her Brother is based there, and it seems the logical thing to do to room with him for a while until she can find her feet.

She lands herself a role quicker than expected due to a natural gift for languages, and a cool and sensible demeanor. She had no idea that her Brother was working for the secret services, but of course she wouldn't, because that would defeat the object...

Having landed a secretive role herself, Nancy takes to decoding work at the Special Operations Executive (SOE) immediately and competently. Soon she is deciphering the most difficult of messages, and spotting anomalies and pointing them out to her superior, Tom Lockwood.

Despite an almost instant attraction between them, Tom and Nancy are (at first) determined to remain professional. Nancy herself is reluctant to trust another so soon after her last relationship. But Tom is very different to her ex-fiancé, and she realises that she can trust him to the ends of the earth.

Or can she?

At first believing her Brother is jealous of her relationship, she dismisses his concerns about Tom. But when she is called in to a meeting with senior staff at SOE, she begins to wonder if she shouldn't have been so quick to trust.

What she doesn't know, is that the traitor in question is closer and more devastating than she could ever imagine..

A wonderfully researched WW2 novel, that I highly recommend and can't wait to read more from this author.

Absolutely brilliant ,such believable characters all with in the turmoil of the second World War ,with the bravery of those who trained & went to work behind enemy lines, to those work hard to break the codes being transmitted , & the everyday folk who batted on regardless of being bombed & those very brave souls in Europe who suffered awful things under the hands of the Nazi's who invaded their countries . #NetGalley, #GoodReads, #FB, #Instagram, #Amazon.co.uk, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/8a5b541512e66ae64954bdaab137035a5b2a89d2" width="80" height="80" alt="200 Book Reviews" title="200 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>, so I highly recommend this Book .

Thank you for the chance to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion.

This was my first book by this author but won’t be the last especially as she teases with a possible follow on for some the characters from The Silk Code

I love historical fiction and being a child of the late 50s I have no actual knowledge of WW2 other than snippets from mu family.

Well this book WOW - what a well researched well written book with believable characters who get involved with espionage, intrigue, death and murder but murder for a cause,

I have to admit that I disliked Nancy’s brother intensely - he was a spineless coward in my view who could have acted differently but didn’t.
But was he any better than those who were so-called in charge of the SOE and seemed to ignore anything that might bring them to the attention of MI5?
Based on the real Englandspiel - I was appalled at how little life seemed to mean to the higher ups - but this was so well written that I was hooked and couldn’t wait for the next bit of action (or inaction)

A real thought-provoking book that I would thoroughly recommend to anyone that has an interest in the clandestine side of the war effort.
The notes at the end added to the historical context

Thank you again

Sadly this title did not keep engaged and I did not finish it. I found it somewhat cliched , and just lost interest. A shame, because I have enjoyed other titles by this author and certainly will try others.

Another superb WWII novel telling of the awesome bravery in the face of adversity of one woman. This book had me hooked from the first page. In 1943 Nancy breaks up with her cheating, aristocratic fiancé who had basically told her that she was only useful as a bandage roller during the war. Deciding she needed to do more for the war effort she heads to London to lodge with her brother who has arranged an interview for secretarial work for her at his place of work in the Special Operations Executive in Baker Street. However, as she is fluent in the Dutch language and proficient in French and German she secures a position in the decoding department instead. She soon meets and is drawn to Tom Lockwood who develops methods of sending and receiving coded messages. Nancy and Tom soon become aware of a traitor in their midst at Baker Street. Everyone seems to be a suspect. Nancy shines at her work and eventually takes up the challenge to train as an operative within the resistance behind enemy lines in Holland which has been infiltrated by Germans. The story is based on the true events of ‘Englandspiel’ which I previously knew nothing about. I’ve enjoyed learning yet more about the horrors of WWII and the bravery of men and women like Nancy and Tom. A sequel maybe? My thanks to NetGalley and HQ for the opportunity to read and review a book that will stay with me for a long time to come

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.

What a nice change to read a book without any real extremes in violence, sex and murder. Yet, the theme of Germany involved in WW2 violence and murder to the extreme was included; it was dealt with nicely by this excellent writer, who I didn’t know before this book, but will read more of in the near future, as I’ve just found out that she has many to her name. By the end of this novel I didn't realise what a high body count had been recorded, so the writer must be applauded for handling this so well.
Secrets and lies were central to the theme of this story, from decoding messages from abroad during the war time; some folks trying to help the Germans walk into Britain and living on life’s edge when spies are inserted into Holland, while occupied by the Germans.
There were a couple of characters who were especially unhelpful or simply fools, but this moves the story along. The fascists trying to infiltrate England are dreadful in this portrayal, which is again, helpful, in mixing up the events as they occur.
This writer brought a lifelike experience to the blitz. I wasn’t there, but I felt as though I knew what it was like. The information about life at the time, food rationing and travel,fleshed out the way people had to live then.
I wondered if it was so easy for a person to become a spy so readily, but perhaps at that time they took whoever they could, especially after losing so many.
The brother will leave you wondering about consequences and the lover will leave you considering life’s choices. I really enjoyed this story.

An easy to read book but for me it lacked real depth of character or story. I did like that it was based on truth and it was fascinating to learn more about how women supported the war effort, but what some might find fast paced, I found a bit jarring with all the jumping from one crisis to another. Nancy and Tom could be interesting characters but I felt they could have been developed more - Nancy certainly, who seemed to go from wronged fiancée to a highly functioning operative in the blink of an eye. I envy the talents of writers who can formulate a story but for me this was a bit meh.