The first two Bletchley Park Mysteries have been some of my favourite books in recent years. Full of action, mystery and dedication to what is right, they follow a group of children based at Bletchley Park during the Second World War. Uncertain of what their futures hold, they do all they can to support the war effort and keep secrets.
In this third instalment, Mary finds herself moving on to a new adventure as a translater. A mixed-race girl from Liverpool with a Jamaican father and a white British mother, she is often treated poorly due to the colour of her skin. It becomes even harder as a clever young woman in the man’s world of espionage. In Bedford, she attends top-secret Japanese lessons. The experience is challenging but also captivating. Her American study partner, Spencer, keeps her entertained with differences between their cultures.
This Japanese training leads both Mary and Spencer to situations they never imagined. As secret service agents, they go undercover to discover enemy secrets. They learn to listen, translate quickly and, most importantly, trust no one.
There are so many fascinating aspects to this story. Following the Pearl Harbour attack in December 1941, the allies realised they needed to be able to intercept and translate Japanese correspondance. A number of experts were trained and put to work deciphering key messages. The importance of understanding multiple modern foreign languages runs through Wink, Murder with elements of German, Italian and French, as well as Japanese. Technology also continued to advance as ‘secret listeners’ were used to bug rooms allowing the British to overhear conversations and use this intelligence to thwart the enemy. Mary and Spencer played their part in important military operations that contributed to Allied victory.
Rhian Tracey’s Bletchley Park Mysteries grow with their readers. Each book is more complex, more dangerous and contains more challenging themes. In Wink, Murder, a young woman navigating new assignments around the country, including The Ritz Hotel in London, shows readers the reality of racism and sexism in everyday life and an aspect of the war not often told in middle grade stories.
Wink, Murder and the whole series are must-haves for any Upper Key Stage 2 classroom as well as primary and secondary school libraries.
Thank you to Piccadilly Press and NetGalleyUK for the opportunity to read this brilliant book!
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