In this standalone sequel to The Girl From Krakow, the greatest undisclosed secret of the Second World War haunts the lives of four people across three continents and fifteen years. The only Second World War secret not revealed soon thereafter was that the Allies had broken the German Enigma codes. This secret was kept for 30 years after the war. In the Shadows of Enigma is a 15 year-long narrative of how knowing the secret changed the lives of four people: Rita Feuerstahl, who learned that the German Enigma had been deciphered by the Poles just before she escaped a Polish ghetto, Gil Romero, her prewar lover whom Rita marries after the war, Stefan Sajac, the infant son Rita had smuggled out of the ghetto and lost track of, and Otto Schulke, the German Gestapo detective who apprehended Rita during the war and suspected that she knew the secret of the Enigma’s decoding.
In this standalone sequel to The Girl From Krakow, the greatest undisclosed secret of the Second World War haunts the lives of four people across three continents and fifteen years. The only Second World War secret not revealed soon thereafter was that the Allies had broken the German Enigma codes. This secret was kept for 30 years after the war. In the Shadows of Enigma is a 15 year-long narrative of how knowing the secret changed the lives of four people: Rita Feuerstahl, who learned that the German Enigma had been deciphered by the Poles just before she escaped a Polish ghetto, Gil Romero, her prewar lover whom Rita marries after the war, Stefan Sajac, the infant son Rita had smuggled out of the ghetto and lost track of, and Otto Schulke, the German Gestapo detective who apprehended Rita during the war and suspected that she knew the secret of the Enigma’s decoding.
Alex Rosenberg is a professor of philosophy at Duke University, North Carolina, and he has written extensively in this field, most notably his 2011 book, The Atheist's Guide to Reality. As a novelist, Alex is the author of two historical thrillers, The Girl From Krakow and Autumn in Oxford. The Intrigues of Jennie Lee is his first novel from Top Hat Books. Alex lives in North Carolina, USA.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. A brilliant novel with a seamless blend
of fact and fiction. The truth behind the breaking of the Enigma
Code had, eventually, to be made public and the characters in this
novel provided a good insight into the espionage of the nations
involved. The character of Rita showed her as a young, intelligent,
independent and resourceful woman and her fight for survival
putting aside the horrors of her past. I found the novel compulsive
reading and a 'sit on the edge of your seat' ending. For those who
enjoy espionage thrillers, this should certainly be amongst those
at the top of their reading list. I loved it.--Jill Walker
"Netgalley"
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. I'd read The Girl from Krakow so was
looking forward to reading another of Rosenberg's book with eager
anticipation and I was not disappointed. Firstly, the quality of
the writing style was reliably exquisite and I enjoyed reading the
words, as much as the story. The story itself was a fascinating
insight into the unique challenges of life in post-war Germany from
the perspective of Rita, a victim/survivor and a woman. These
identities were explored through experiences of her world-wide
travel in attempts to escape the past, only to discover that the
past cannot be avoided, or hidden from. I particularly liked the
way that Rita was written as having immense agency at a time when
women's lives (especially in Australia) were generally perceived to
have very limited value beyond breeding and house-keeping. Through
her quiet persistence and determination, Rita sloughs off whatever
holds her back, whilst never really being overtly confrontational
or aggressive. There is a theme of leaving, sacrifice and returning
that is woven through the novel. I was gripped from beginning to
end and only mildly disappointed the 'return' at the end left me
with a sense that it was slightly unfinished. But that is personal,
and my enjoying was undiminished by this. I can thoroughly
recommend--Kate Kennett "Netgalley"
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. This book attracted me because of the
title. I was not disappointed, on the contrary, although the book
was far more different that I thought it would be. The emphasis is
mainly on Rita's life, starting in 1948, although we learn a lot
about her earlier life as she is frequently looking back. And Rita
has a lot to look back on. Inexplicably, when living in Poland with
her husband and her young son, she narrowly escapes being put on a
transport to an extermination camp...................I just loved
this beautifully written story which gives a fascinating insight in
the lives of people in those difficult times after the
war.........--Jannelies Smit "Netgalley"
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