Unbreakable: The Spies Who Cracked the Nazis’ Secret Code

“It was unlike anything codebreakers had seen before.… No one could break the German Enigma.” Imparting urgency and drive to a telling that begins well before WWII, Barone (Race to the Bottom of the Earth) writes a thriller-like chronicle of the high-stakes quest to decipher the German Enigma machine. The narrative highlights both the complexity of the machine’s encryption and the extensive machinations involved in deciphering it, starting with the machine being inadvertently sent to Polish customs in 1929, an event that offered insight into its make and assembly. Vivid portrayals describe the individuals involved in myriad countries’ intelligence efforts, including French Intelligence Bureau agent Rodolphe Lemoine; German civil servant Hans-Thilo Schmidt, who sold information to the French government; and Britain’s network at Bletchley Park, which included computing pioneer Alan Turing as well as thousands of members of the Women’s Royal Navy Service. It’s a breathlessly told account of clandestine operations whose success contributed to the war’s end. Maps and b&w photographs throughout offer insight to both the mechanical and the historical. Back matter includes an epilogue, timeline, and extensive bibliography. Ages 10–14. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Oct.)