The Cryptographer's Dilemma

Heroines of WWII, Book 1

By: Johnnie Alexander

Narrated by: Cecily White

A code developer uncovers a Japanese spy ring.

Full of intrigue, adventure, and romance, this new series celebrates the unsung heroes - the heroines of WWII.

FBI cryptographer Eloise Marshall is grieving the death of her brother, who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor, when she is assigned to investigate a seemingly innocent letter about dolls. Agent Phillip Clayton is ready to enlist and head oversees when asked to work one more FBI job. A case of coded defense coordinates related to dolls should be easy, but not so when the Japanese Consulate gets involved, hearts get entangled, and Phillip goes missing. Can Eloise risk loving and losing again?

©2021 Johnnie Alexander (P)2021 Oasis Audio

A "Don't Miss" Listen!

This is such a compelling read! This WWII story, part of Barbour's Heroines of WWII series, Book 1, is a wonderful listen! I had already read this title in ebook format but when I saw there was an audiobook and with narrator Cecily White, I listened. Eloise is a cryptographer, which I loved because my daughter had considered becoming one and I'd never read a Christian Fiction with a female cryptographer. I enjoyed how FBI agent Phillip and Eloise originally weren't really interested in working together. That seemed realistic. I also enjoyed the organic unfolding of their relationship as they get to know one another while working on this unusual case. Please note: I did not hear any Author's Notes at the end of the listen. However, in the ebook and paperback, there is an explanation that this story truly was inspired by a real-life story, which is super cool! I have to say this is one of my favorite listens for the past two years possibly longer. The narration really matched the tone of the book, too.

Romantic adventure

Not very good but it did hold my interest until the end. The reader is very annoying with the use of her little girl voice for all of the heroines parts. It least her voice is clear and understandable. Written like a mystery the author gives away too much to early, thus spoiling the tension of the story. The villain is is poorly developed and lacks the guile needed to be really hateful. It is set in 1942 but makes little use of the time period to expand the depth of the book. Nice try, better luck next time.
OK for a lite listen.

Predictable

I was very disappointed listening to this book. The voices for the female roles seemed falsely high pitched and were slightly irritating. The storyline was too easy to dissect and then predict the outcome. The references to code breaking and WWII were like an afterthought. I mainly purchased this because of the time period and women code breakers. I very much enjoy WWII period historical fiction. This is not that. I would have stopped listening but wanted to know if I was right. Don’t waste your credits on this.

Enjoyed the story…not the narrator

I really enjoyed the storyline of this book! The narrator’s natural voice was fine, but the voices she assigned to the main male and female characters were, to me, incredibly annoying and distracted so much that it took over an hour before I could focus. I even stopped and listened to another book before coming back to this one. I’m glad I didn’t give up on it, but I sure wouldn’t want this narrator again.