The Rose Code

Synopsis: In 1940’s England, three women answer the call to service at Bletchley Park. This country estate is where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Osla is the society debutante who wants to prove her worth. Mab, from East end London, works the code breaking machines and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Beth is the local spinster whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles. The friendship of these three is broken apart, and one is consigned to mental institution to prevent revealing the identity of a traitor within their midst. After the war, the three friends-turned-enemies must reunite to solve the final puzzle to identify the traitor.

Review: I enjoyed The Alice Network by this author, and this was very much in the same vein. It’s hard to go wrong when the background story is the breaking of the enigma code at Bletchley Park! Most of you know how I love a good World War II story, and this was a great mash up of some real events and (obviously) fiction. I really enjoyed the primary plot involving the code breakers, and the stresses our three heroines endured. There is a secondary timeline involving the marriage of the future Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip which honestly, I could have done without. That part of the story felt a bit gimmicky, and I wouldn’t have missed it’s absence. Still, this was entertaining and informative, so what more could a reader ask for?

Rating: 4/5

Recipe: The secondary plot line involves the marriage of then-Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip of Greece. While I didn’t love that aspect of the novel, it never fails that there is lots of available information regarding royal events! The menu for the wedding “breakfast” (apparently the meal is always called breakfast in England regardless of what time of day the wedding occurs) included a nod to both the princess, with Bombe Glacee Princess Elizabeth, and to the groom with Filet de Sole Mountbatten. While I was not able to locate actual recipes, I think given the Mediterranean background of the prince, that this baked sole recipe will do just fine.

Ingredients

juice of one lemon

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 shallots thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves thinly sliced

2 tablespoons capers

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

3/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1.5 pound sole fillets

4-6 green onions

1 lime or lemon, sliced (optional)

3/4 roughly chopped dill

1) In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, melted butter and a dash of seasoned salt. Stir in the shallots, garlic and capers.

2) In a separate small bowl, mix together the seasoned salt, pepper, cumin and garlic powder. Season the fish on both sides.

3) Place the fish on a lightly oiled baking dish, cover with the lemon mixture, arrange green onions and lemons on top.

4) Bake in 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

5) Remove from oven and garnish with fresh dill.