In the Shadows of Enigma: A Novel

by Alex Rosenberg

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 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.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

368 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 25, 2021

About the author

Alex Rosenberg's first novel, "The Girl From Krakow," is a thriller that explores how a young woman and her lover navigate the dangerous thirties, the firestorm of war in Europe, and how they make sense of their survival. Alex's second novel, "Autumn in Oxford" is a murder mystery set in Britain in the late 1950s. It takes the reader back to the second world war in the American south and England before D-day, France during the Liberation and New York in the late '40s. It will be published by Lake Union in August.

Before he became a novelist Alex wrote a large number of books about the philosophy of science, especially about economics and biology. These books were mainly addressed to other academics. But in 2011 Alex published a book that explores the answers that science gives to the big questions of philosophy that thinking people ask themselves--questions about the nature of reality, the meaning of life, moral values, free will, the relationship of the mind to the brain, and our human future. That book, "The Atheist's Guide to Reality," was widely reviewed and was quite controversial.

When he's not writing historical novels, Alex Rosenberg is a professor of philosophy at Duke University.

Reviews

[Jannelies (living between hope and fear) · Rating 5 out of 5]

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. The policeman who lets her go, on instigation of his bosses, is Otto Schulke. He had to let her go because Germany was on the brink of losing the war and already many people were trying to appear innocent of what they did in the war. Rita leaves her young son and her husband and starts a new life with Gil Romero, who was her lover earlier in her life. Gil, however, is living under a false name, and it’s not his first. He was trained as a medical doctor in Paris before the war, but he is actually a Catalan. During the war he also worked, for a brief time, in the Russian Red Army.
Life wasn’t so easy immediately after the war. It was not ‘we stop shooting and now we’re all friends again’. Europe was in shambles and nobody trusted each other. The Americans, Brits, Polish and Russians, to name a few, still fought a war over people and land. Spies were everywhere and most people had something to hide. It was not a very pleasant time, with the next war already looming over the heads of people who only just escaped from the previous one.
Rita and Gil move to Australia with their twins and try to build a new life there. Gil as a doctor, and Rita initially as a housewife, but soon she becomes a valuated translator for the many people that arrive in Australia. She discovers her love of languages and during the story in the book she uses this love to educate herself and support her sons.
While we read about Rita’s life, we also get glimpses of ‘the secret’ she is harbouring, without even realizing herself that she is harbouring it. Other people, politicians and spies are trying to figure out what she knows and how they can use her to get an advantage over others, mainly other policemen, politicians and spies.
In the end it all comes together and we leave Rita in peace. Literally.
I just loved this beautiful written story which gives a fascinating insight in the lives of people in those difficult times after the war. It’s a pity the publisher thought it necessary to reveal that Stefan Sajac, reluctant assistant of Otto Schulke, is Rita’s first son. It would have been better to have the reader discover this for himself, because it takes a long time before Stefan and Rita realize that they are mother and son.

Thanks to Netgalley for this review copy.

[Amy J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rita and Gil Romero are each harboring their own secrets on how they escaped during the war. Those secrets will haunt them many years later. The story starts after WWII in Poland when Rita and Gil decide to move to Australia to start anew. After time, Rita's past starts to catch up with her with both the Russians and the Germans following her to learn her secrets.

The story takes awhile to build and setup the scenario. The first half is a bit slower build focusing on the life of Rita and Gil. The second half of the book things start to come together and we find out a lot more of the secrets when the chase across the world begins.

When I originally picked the book, I was interested because of the Enigma and Bletchy Park. Even though they play a part in the story, they are very minor within the plot. The story takes place in the aftermath of the war, thus the secrets of Bletchy Park are still, well secret. If you are expecting a story showing the work of the codebreakers, this is not the right book.

This is still an excellent story, focusing on the years after the war (1945 to late 60s), making it stand out from the other WWII focused novels. There is a major twist, but it is revealed relatively early in the story with significant hints very early. I enjoyed reading this and look forward to reading other works by this author.

The novel is the sequel to the Girl from Krakow, however, it can be read as a standalone. Reading the original may have filled in a few details that were missing, but the story was understandable without that information.

Thank you to NetGalley and Top Hat books for this advanced reader copy!

[Lori Sinsel Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main secret not revealed directly after the ending of WWII was that the Allies had broken the German's secret Enigma Code. They withheld this fact anbd used it to their advantage during the "cold war" that followed WWII.
Those that knew this enormous secret and kept silent were changed forever by the knowledge. This is true of the main character here, Rita Feuerstahl and her husband Gil Romero, along with all the others that held such vital information.
I liked this novel and I didn't like it. I liked that it was a different spin on the WWII theme, I learned about the Enigma Code and about the extent of the espionage/spying on all fronts that went on during the aftermath of WWII. What I didn't like was the slowness of the story development. I almost put it down for good a couple of times, the plot moves along at a snails pace and I found it hard to stay interested or entertained/engaged by it. I also felt that the characters are very one dimensional, there is no substance or depth to them. This also leaves me uninterested at times.
Other than that learning of the Enigma code and of all the spying and treachary that went on after the war was over, learning that it was not really over even when the actual combat stopped was very interesting and enlightening. I would say this novel is worth reading, just don't expect to be entertained by a fast moving plot, expect to look at it as a learning experience.
Thank you to the publisher Top Hat Books and to Net Galley for the free ARC of this novel, I am leaving my honest opinion in return.

[evelyn lindblad · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Shadows of Enigma:A Novel

A page turner that does not not disappoint. The characters were intriguing enough for a spy novel fan. Highly recommend as a Goodreads fav.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story line woven with historical records.

[Agoston K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a great WW2 or cold war story, it was kind of both. A mention of Bletchley Park and I am sold:-). The plot was fascinating, the characters felt interesting. The book is a good mixture of fiction and non-fiction, a well-written reminder of how lives were changed from one day to the next, sometimes mutiple times in a few months or a year, and that after the war you could never be really sure who the person was standing in front of you. Don't ask so you won't be asked. Don't judge so you won't be judged. These very simple rules could help heal people and this is what we are witnessing through the first 200 or so pages. And then the past catches up and things are changing again, this time driven by past revenges and cold war rules.

I did not like that the story started so slowly, and I wasn't really sure where we are heading until halfway in the book. The heroine did not really have a character development. She felt constant: a calm, calculating force. Still it was good to read and I carried on, though may be slower than my normal reading speed. In hindsight, not all little detail made sense or felt necessary, and the end was neatly (may be too neatly) wrapped up. Still, in terms of new approaches to an old topic, this book ranks pretty high.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Rosenberg’s latest novel.

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.

[Nisa M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting historical fiction. A few things are too good to be true. Overall great follow up to The Girl from Krakow. I would be happy to read another book about Rita's life.