Review - Code Name Elodie by Anna Stuart

Code Name Elodie by Anna Stuart

Publisher: 29 March 2023
Release date: Bookouture

Back cover blurb: 1943, Bletchley Park: In the dark of night, my heart is pumping with adrenalin as I wait for news of the secret agent operating under the code name Elodie. She has a dangerous part to play in the Normandy landings and so many lives are at stake. But I couldn’t bear to lose her... Valerie Rousseau is burning with determination to help free her beloved France from the Nazi regime. Working at the mysterious Bletchley Park, she strikes up an unexpected bond with smart, fiercely loyal Fran Morgan as they spend long days together with their heads bent over maps of France in preparation for the Allied invasion. Their friendship grows increasingly important as they distract themselves from the dark days of war with afternoons skating across the icy pond at the heart of Bletchley Park and evenings talking late into the night. But Valerie’s wartime role is shrouded in secrecy and there are things that she can’t even tell Fran. When Valerie volunteers for a dangerous mission linked to the D-Day landings in Normandy, Fran is devastated. Valerie has knowingly put her life on the line and Fran is terrified that she will never see her again. Soon, Fran hears about the bravery of the agent operating under the code name Elodie. She’s certain it’s Valerie and she knows the work she is doing in her little office, overlooking the green fields of England, could be the difference between life and death for this secret agent… Can both women secure victory for their country? Or will the fight for freedom cost them their love – and their lives?

Code Name Elodie is the 2nd book in Anna Stuart's Bletchley Park Girls book series, but it can read as a standalone.

Personally I haven't read the first installment (though wish that I had, simply because the writing is so good).

This is the story of Fran, Steffie, Ailsa and Valerie, all doing their bit for the war effort, in varying degrees of secrecy and danger at Bletchley Park (BP as it's affectionally known).

Each woman is exceptional at her job, and with war time comes opportunities and challenges that they may not have had to think of previously. Each of them in turn is forced to make a decision that will impact their future. But if they don't make it, they could impact the war.

The book covers operation mincemeat and the D-Day landings from a particularly unique perspective, that of the folk who were working so hard, day and night at Bletchley Park to decipher and deliver the intelligence to ensure that the troops were where they needed to be, and the enemy as far away as possible.

I'm not 100% sure that the title fits the novel to be honest, though I can offer no more sensible suggestions, I just felt that it wasn't all about Elodie (as much as that part of the story is important).

This is a brilliantly written, thoroughly researched historical fiction novel (with a sprinkling of factual information) and I look forward to reading the next in the series ... and also actually going back to read the first in the series! 

Code Name Elodie is available to buy now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.