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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5/5
Marney is an auto-buy author for me, and this sapphic historical murder mystery—which is equally swoony, informative, and engrossing—doesn't disappoint.
Check out my review at Forever Young Adult.
Marney is an auto-buy author for me, and this sapphic historical murder mystery—which is equally swoony, informative, and engrossing—doesn't disappoint.
Check out my review at Forever Young Adult.
4.5, really great book!! Find some of my thoughts here as part of my bookstagram tour stop for this book :)
What if I told you that you could read a queer WW2 historical fiction murder mystery that involves codebreaking and spicy romance?? Because you can.
I clearly wasn’t paying attention when I put The Killing Code on hold months ago. When it finally came in and I started reading, I was a bit surprised to see it was historical fiction. That’s not a genre I typically brave, but nevertheless, I decided to dip my toe in the waters of World War II.
Our MC, Kit, isn’t the most exciting character, and we learn her deep dark secret within the first chapter. I think if we learned it later on, it would have added a little more flavor. She was also far too loose-lipped with this secret and when she reveals it to save the day instead of using any number of far more logical solutions. I know in the heat of the moment it’s difficult to know how you would react to stop a killer, but for such an intelligent code breaker, I expected more. As for the killer, I was reminded of a Scooby Doo villain in that there are only so many characters that it could be, so it’s probably the person you most suspect. But maybe I’m just a really good detective.
It’s important to note that while the women are code breakers and there is killing, the killing itself doesn’t follow a code. The killer does leave souvenirs, but if that’s a code, it’s not a very good one. The women may be skilled code breakers, but they aren’t very good detectives, at least, not as good as me.
As I mentioned, I did not carefully read the synopsis (which is very out of character for me), but when the romance was initially teased, I was surprised. Nevertheless, it was tastefully done, appropriate for the time period, and didn’t overshadow the plot.
I also liked the female friendships, especially between Dottie and Violet.
If you like feminist WWII historical fiction and murder mystery books that aren’t too gruesome, I would recommend The Killing Code.
4/5 codes
Our MC, Kit, isn’t the most exciting character, and we learn her deep dark secret within the first chapter. I think if we learned it later on, it would have added a little more flavor. She was also far too loose-lipped with this secret and when she reveals it to save the day instead of using any number of far more logical solutions. I know in the heat of the moment it’s difficult to know how you would react to stop a killer, but for such an intelligent code breaker, I expected more. As for the killer, I was reminded of a Scooby Doo villain in that there are only so many characters that it could be, so it’s probably the person you most suspect. But maybe I’m just a really good detective.
It’s important to note that while the women are code breakers and there is killing, the killing itself doesn’t follow a code. The killer does leave souvenirs, but if that’s a code, it’s not a very good one. The women may be skilled code breakers, but they aren’t very good detectives, at least, not as good as me.
As I mentioned, I did not carefully read the synopsis (which is very out of character for me), but when the romance was initially teased, I was surprised. Nevertheless, it was tastefully done, appropriate for the time period, and didn’t overshadow the plot.
I also liked the female friendships, especially between Dottie and Violet.
If you like feminist WWII historical fiction and murder mystery books that aren’t too gruesome, I would recommend The Killing Code.
4/5 codes
This didn’t live up to my expectations. I expected more code breaking and more interesting crime solving but it was all very soft and light until the final confrontation, which got dark, dangerous and intense. There was too much romance, which while sweet, didn’t hold my interest. I did appreciate the friendship between the girls and the addressing of the segregation and racism Violet faced.
4.5 Really enjoyable. Great characters. Wish it was a series.
The Killing Code is a cleverly written novel that mixes historical fiction, crime fiction and romance. The story is set in DC in the middle of WWII and follows Kit Sutherland, a code breaker at Arlington Hall, and her three friends, Moya, Dottie and Violet. When Kit finds a government girl brutally murderer, and then connects the crime scene to another case, her and her friends set off to find the person responsible.
What I enjoyed:
-How the story highlighted women’s involvement in the war effort
-The emphasis on female code breaking and using that knowledge to solve a local murder case
-There was a great queer romance storyline
-How Marney pulled in pieces of racial injustices evident during that time period
-The quotes at the start of each chapter, which were by real female code breakers and gave insight into the story
What I did not love:
-I quickly guessed the “whodunit”
-The romance was a bit too insta-love and out of the blue in the context of the book
-I would have loved some more closure with the murderer at the end
Thanks Little Brown Books for Young Readers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: 9/20/22
What I enjoyed:
-How the story highlighted women’s involvement in the war effort
-The emphasis on female code breaking and using that knowledge to solve a local murder case
-There was a great queer romance storyline
-How Marney pulled in pieces of racial injustices evident during that time period
-The quotes at the start of each chapter, which were by real female code breakers and gave insight into the story
What I did not love:
-I quickly guessed the “whodunit”
-The romance was a bit too insta-love and out of the blue in the context of the book
-I would have loved some more closure with the murderer at the end
Thanks Little Brown Books for Young Readers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: 9/20/22
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
4. Perfect for me and the five other people that loved The Bletchley Circle. This was a very good YA historical (WW2) mystery centering around a group of female code breakers. The cast was diverse allowing for a lot of intersectional approaches to both the war and the mystery. The only real drawback was the length and pacing. The prose could have been trimmed considerably and it would have likely earned a higher rating from me.