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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Killing Code reads really well! It's fast-paced, exciting, and set in the middle of a war. We have three things going on simultaneously, Kit's secret, some romance, and the murders of young women employed by the government.
Despite being for the war effort, this facility also seems to be a woman's haven. There is the freedom to work with other like-minded women, talk, even if some of them resent that for them, and dream about something better after the war.
While Ellie Marney wrote an excellent book, it's closer to three and a half stars than four for me. Someone with so much experience should have been able to pick up on certain things. For instance, while I loved Kit and Moya overall, sometimes I felt like Kit was snapped into becoming super flirty with Moya when the rest of the time, she came off pretty shy. I couldn't understand how her personality flipped in those moments. I also loved Violet and Dottie as characters, but I felt like Violet was used to superficially exploring race issues in the US. I think Violet was the only black girl we interacted with in the book, which is odd. Even worse when you realize that Moya was a supervisor who could have tried to at least foster more significant interaction between these units.
On the plus side, Raffi was fun, and I loved that he was quick to understand why Kit wasn't dancing. After Kit first suspected and dismissed, who she thought the killer was, I was sure it was that guy. Many misogynists hide like this, and we find out far too late. I did like how well researched the book was and Kit's secret. That added an absorbing layer to their actions and the risks involved.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a different perspective on wartime in this historical mystery and I am here for it. The reader follows a good of female codebreakers during WWII as they try to solve the murders of Washington girls while also helping the country decipher Japanese encrypted messages. It has strong female characters who want more out of life than what they have been dealt, diversity within the characters and queer love representation within the plot when it was something no one ever talked about.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book:
“Step into the boat, or stand alone at the dock as the boat pushes off.”
- This is basically what starts out the main character's path in the beginning of the book. You can either make the choice to do something with your opportunities in life or stand back and watch that life and those opportunities pass you by.
“ ‘You’re not Katherine Sutherland,’ the girl says. ‘You look kinda like her, but you’re not her.’ “
- While Kit is ever vigilant, she doesn’t realize that someone else knows who she really is and that scares her. That person holds all the cards that could end the life she is currently living and all the relationships she has made since she “stepped into the boat”.
“I can only save the life of one girl at a time”
- Faking your identity and having a government job is a recipe for disaster. Now that Kit is close to being found out, it could mean her life is forfeited if she is caught. What are Moya, Dottie, Violet, and her going to do?
“My mother would be grateful just to be included. But I’m not from my mother’s generation. I have higher expectations”.
- Violet is strong in her convictions, but it's still difficult for a person of color, especially a woman, to be taken seriously and to be openly part of something. The other girls try to not make her feel lesser and see her as an important part of their group even if the world around still might not.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Book Review
Title: The Killing Code by Ellie Marney
Genre: Historical, Mystery, Romance
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Review: The opening to The Killing Code was interesting for me as it is a World War 2 historical fiction blended with a murder mystery. I like murder mysteries but historical fiction has always been a hit or miss genre with me personally. We are introduced to two girls initially Katherine and Kathleen, Katherine is a upper class young girl at a boarding school in Arlington House but she has suffered with an illness all her life and knowing she is going to die she tells Kathleen, her nurse and maid, to take her identity and live a life she wouldn’t be able to otherwise and she agrees. After Katherine dies Kathleen becomes her and as she is leaving Arlington House since it is now going to be used for the war effort she is offered a job as a code breaker and takes it. Nine months later she is still there and seems to be a very good code reader as she has broken several codes that month alone. However, I am waiting for the murder mystery element to kick in since that is the element I will enjoy more.
As we approach the 1/4 mark in the novel, the murder element is introduced and not in the way I was expecting. Kit ends up finding Moya because Dottie hasn’t returned home from a local dance and they think she might have just got drunk rather than something bad happening to her. During their search to find Dottie, kit literally stumbles across the body of Libby another girl from their unit who has been brutally murdered. They go through the process of informing the police and giving their statements and it turns out that Dottie was drugged and left feet from where Libby was murdered and she might have even been the intended target since the outfits she and Libby were wearing w ere very similar. After returning to Arlington House Kit learns that one of the black code breakers, Violet DuLac knows she isn’t who she says she is and blackmails her into helping her. Violet’s friend, Dinah was murdered three weeks ago and she believes that the murders are connected and this is strengthened when she confirms that the glasses Kit saw int he bathroom were Libby was killed belonged to her friend meaning there is a serial killer on the loose and the police aren’t looking into it because of Dinah’s race since America is still very segregated at this point in time so they decide to investigate the murders themselves.
As we cross the 1/4 mark in the novel, the girls are now investigating two murders but they do realise they are missing a lot of information that they need to get their hands on to find out the truth behind the killings. Violet is able to get hold of a lot from a friend who works at the hospital where the bodies were taken and they now know that both girls were strangled but stabbed the death, both were raked and both had a Nazi symbol carved onto their body making them think that this man might be American, he might be a serviceman but ultimately he is loyal to the Germans and might even have connections to the Nazi party which makes these murders political in a sense. I didn’t really like the introduction of a potential romance between Moya and Kit since I don’t think it is needed. In some book romances do work well like in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder but I don’t think it has the right setup here. Kit is also completely unaware of Moya’s attraction to her as she is more focused on the fact that reviews are coming up for their security clearance and her real identity might be discovered so sooner or later she is going to make a run for it but Violet comforts her telling her they will work it out together since both have a lot to lose if this doesn’t work out for them.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, there does seem to be much happened. The girls are gathering more information and trying to make contacts,through Moya they end up meeting Raffi who is a reporter working the crime beat to try and get more information on the murders but there doesn’t seem to be anything that they don’t already know. Raffi helps they to see that the killer is targeting parties and he seems to be both rich and connected. This means that they might be attending a local party and they are going to go undercover there but Raffi can on,y get two tickets. It is decided that Moya and Kit will pose as guests while Dottie and Violet will pose as waitstaff to see if they can get more information. They know the killer is male and young which does narrow down who they are looking for but it doesn’t bring anything new to the table. Raffi also informs them about another death of a government girl but this one doesn’t seem to fit the M.O. of the killer so they out a pin in it for now. The relationship between Moya and Kit has become real with them sharing a heated kiss looking for clothes for Kit for the party but I still don’t think it is necessary for the story. I have a feeling that another murder is going to take place soon or one of the girls is going to be targeted at the party as that is the only way I can see the plot moving right now.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, the girls head to the party and begin talking to a few men that could fit their profile for the killer but they don’t seem to be getting anywhere. Then things begin to go south when Kit is introduced to a man who knows the family of the real Katherine and explains that she is dead prompting Kit to flee. Violet is there to help her and give her somewhere to run to as if this comes out Kit isn’t just falsifying documents she is committing treason and could hang for it. However, an air raid siren prevents her from leaving and she has to explain everything to her friends and Moya which wa ps heartbreaking for her. They decide it is best for Kit to leave on her day off since it wouldn’t be unusual and the soldiers won’t be expecting her back until late anyway. However, at the party another murder. Happened right under their noses and they know that the killer is picking up speed and they have to get ahead of him before someone else is killed. With their profile they do have several suspects to look into and Kit begins talking to Raffi about them since she has nothing else to do but panic and makes a connection to the drowned girl that they wrote off. It turns out she was the first victims and it shows the killers timeline which is becoming shorter with each murder.
As we approach the 3/4 mark in the novel, Kit continues with her work as if nothing has happened while investigating the connections between the murders. She knows the killers reset period is becoming shorter now only five days better the killings and they have to get ahead of him if they don’t want anyone else to die. However, Emil who works with them fits the profile completely and was even at the party where the latest victim died and he is my pick for the killer but the girls are overlooking him right now. One night after investigating the first murder and learning the weapon the killer uses Kit is denied entry because of her security clearance and when she is called the next day for her review she knows it is over and that she is going to be hung or go to prison for a long time. However, she makes it through the review because of her fiend and in part Emil who vouched for her along with Moya. Emil is being overly friendly with Kit despite the fact they haven’t really spoken at all during the novel apart from the night Libby died and he was the one who took them to get Dottie form the party and he did say when Moya went it get him that he had only just gone to bed. With less than 20% left in the book I am excited to see who the killer is and how he is caught and I have my money on Emil but Marley could throw a big twist in at the last moment.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, there weren’t any big reveals or twists which made it feel a little disappointing towards the end. While I enjoyed the book overall, there wasn’t anything groundbreaking about the book, in fact, historical murder mysteries and historical queer romances have been done to death and there wasn’t anything about The Killing Code to set it apart. Despite that I did enjoy the story and it did have a satisfying although slightly rushed conclusion that I saw coming from around the 3/4 mark which meant I wasn’t surprised or shocked by the ending. If you really enjoy queer historical murder mysteries then The Killing Code might be for you but there isn’t anything I can other than it was a good book but nothing amazing about it.
mysterious
tense
My first Ellie Marney and I have to say, I rather enjoyed this! I thought this was an excellently plotted, very well-paced, SAPPHIC, YA historical thriller about a group of female code-breakers during WW2. It was a lot more gory and bloody than I expected! I love when a book turns out to be a bit darker than anticipated, and this was one of those.
There’s a series of murders at Arlington Hall, and a group of code-breakers decide to investigate the murders themselves as they don’t trust the police who are ignoring evidence and other murders. There’s twists and turns with a main character’s hidden identity, a sapphic romance, and of course, a lot of code-breaking! The code breaking setting is fabulous, I absolutely loved it, my favourite part of this book. It’s also probably one of my favourite settings to read about in war books? It’s just such an interesting piece of war history and you can see the amount of research Marney has put in to write this book. I want to go out and find out so much more about code-breaking now. And the romance is brilliant, Moya is *chefs kiss* I would like her entire wardrobe please.
My one complaint is that it does get quite didactic at times around the issues of racism. I can see Marney was trying to explore the issues of race and segregation that were typical of the time period, and I appreciate the attempts at this, but it got quite didactic at times as it felt like she had to keep reminding the reader that all these things that were happening were bad actually, very much jolting you out of the narrative. It was all very 'in your face 101 racism is bad for white people' style, and just lacked the real depth of research you saw with the code-breaking and other elements of history. (In saying this: it almost feels like this was done intentionally? There were moments it felt like it was going somewhere and then in would pop a "racism is bad, white person shocked it exists!" moment, as if an editor had asked for it to be made more obvious this was in fact bad or something. It was rather odd.)
But overall, I enjoyed this, it was a pacy and twisty and bloody historical YA thriller!
Content warnings: racism, sexism, war, nazism, anti-semitism, death of loved one (friend), rape, murder, blood and gore, non-consensual drug use (drink spiking), gun violence, fire, violence
There’s a series of murders at Arlington Hall, and a group of code-breakers decide to investigate the murders themselves as they don’t trust the police who are ignoring evidence and other murders. There’s twists and turns with a main character’s hidden identity, a sapphic romance, and of course, a lot of code-breaking! The code breaking setting is fabulous, I absolutely loved it, my favourite part of this book. It’s also probably one of my favourite settings to read about in war books? It’s just such an interesting piece of war history and you can see the amount of research Marney has put in to write this book. I want to go out and find out so much more about code-breaking now. And the romance is brilliant, Moya is *chefs kiss* I would like her entire wardrobe please.
My one complaint is that it does get quite didactic at times around the issues of racism. I can see Marney was trying to explore the issues of race and segregation that were typical of the time period, and I appreciate the attempts at this, but it got quite didactic at times as it felt like she had to keep reminding the reader that all these things that were happening were bad actually, very much jolting you out of the narrative. It was all very 'in your face 101 racism is bad for white people' style, and just lacked the real depth of research you saw with the code-breaking and other elements of history. (In saying this: it almost feels like this was done intentionally? There were moments it felt like it was going somewhere and then in would pop a "racism is bad, white person shocked it exists!" moment, as if an editor had asked for it to be made more obvious this was in fact bad or something. It was rather odd.)
But overall, I enjoyed this, it was a pacy and twisty and bloody historical YA thriller!
Content warnings: racism, sexism, war, nazism, anti-semitism, death of loved one (friend), rape, murder, blood and gore, non-consensual drug use (drink spiking), gun violence, fire, violence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Killing Code is one of those books that grows on you. From the first page you can tell that it has something special, that forces you to keep reading. For me, I think its the combination of the characters and the setting.
It was common for boarding houses and schools to be used during war times for armies and intelligence operations. So, for me, that element of this story really lifts the believability. I can't imagine what it would be like for Kit though, being somewhere that holds so many memories, now creating new ones working on codes.
The pacing is quite mild, which suits the overall feel of the novel. It gives the reader time to think about what is happening, to make connections that may (or may not) be there. As well as keeps the theme of the overall time period of the novel.
I adore how we see women in this novel, yes, 1943 was a completely different time for women's rights, but in The Killing Code, we see them being powerful, showing that they are intelligent, brave and just as capable as their male counterparts.
Overall, The Killing Code is enjoyable, mid-paced and easy to follow. With a murder mystery set in the 1940s, what's not to like!
It was common for boarding houses and schools to be used during war times for armies and intelligence operations. So, for me, that element of this story really lifts the believability. I can't imagine what it would be like for Kit though, being somewhere that holds so many memories, now creating new ones working on codes.
The pacing is quite mild, which suits the overall feel of the novel. It gives the reader time to think about what is happening, to make connections that may (or may not) be there. As well as keeps the theme of the overall time period of the novel.
I adore how we see women in this novel, yes, 1943 was a completely different time for women's rights, but in The Killing Code, we see them being powerful, showing that they are intelligent, brave and just as capable as their male counterparts.
Overall, The Killing Code is enjoyable, mid-paced and easy to follow. With a murder mystery set in the 1940s, what's not to like!
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the queer historical thriller you didn't know you needed. Stay tuned for a full review to come soon!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder
Moderate: Death
Minor: Antisemitism
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I didn’t entirely know what to expect with The Killing Code, but I’m a sucker for a well-crafted historical mystery. While I found myself mystified by the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder comp (aside from both being YA mysteries, the flavor is completely different), even taking into account the other book I hadn’t read about codebreaking, once I put aside any preconceived notions, I ended up really enjoying the reading experience.
I’ve read a bit about codebreakers during World War II before, so that wasn’t new to me, but I liked what Marney did with the topic, especially having the characters be involved in high-stakes action on multiple levels, both in the war effort and in the murder mystery that ensues.
I love that Kit has a bit of a dark past she’s running from, which catches up with her over the course of the book. She’s not who she claims she is, and that spiced up the narrative of engaging in espionage.
While not the central plot, I did like the sapphic romance between Kit and Maya as well. I wasn’t aware this book was queer at all upon requesting it, so it was a nice surprise. On a similar note, I like how other issues of diversity are addressed, such as racial tensions and class warfare. Marney is mindful of her twenty-first century audience, while depicting a nuanced portrayal of the past.
Given that it was the main selling point, I was a bit underwhelmed that the identity of the killer was a bit predictable, and that the ending came rather quickly. Granted, the former at least could be chocked up to the fact that I’m not in the target audience for the book. As for the latter, there is a lot going on, necessitating a quick resolution.
I liked this book overall, and would recommend it to fans of YA historical mysteries.