What do you think?
Rate this book
The Enigma Girl
A masterclass in espionage thriller fiction from the heir to John le Carre for fans of Mick Herron, Charles Cumming and David McCloskey. Meet disgraced MI5 agent Slim Parsons, a character who - like Lisbeth Salander - will sear your soul
Slim Parsons is all but burned.
Her last deep cover job for MI5 ended with a life-and-death struggle on a private jet that caused her to go on the run from both the deadly target and her angry bosses in the Security Service. They say that violence comes too easily to her; that she's bordering on delinquent and unsuitable for the roll of an MI5 operative.
Yet she is recalled and asked to infiltrate a news website that's causing alarm in the highest circles. It is staffed by a group descended from wartime codebreakers operating from an unassuming office block near Bletchley Park. Operation Linesman looks like a come down, the curtain on a brilliant career in the shadows. However, she accepts the assignment on condition that the Security Service searches for her missing brother.
Linesman turns out to be anything but simple. Her personal loss, her previous deep cover role, and a threat to MI5 itself from her original target come together in a three-way collision.
And all the while she is watched by someone even deeper in the shadows than she is.
Slim Parsons is all but burned.
Her last deep cover job for MI5 ended with a life-and-death struggle on a private jet that caused her to go on the run from both the deadly target and her angry bosses in the Security Service. They say that violence comes too easily to her; that she's bordering on delinquent and unsuitable for the roll of an MI5 operative.
Yet she is recalled and asked to infiltrate a news website that's causing alarm in the highest circles. It is staffed by a group descended from wartime codebreakers operating from an unassuming office block near Bletchley Park. Operation Linesman looks like a come down, the curtain on a brilliant career in the shadows. However, she accepts the assignment on condition that the Security Service searches for her missing brother.
Linesman turns out to be anything but simple. Her personal loss, her previous deep cover role, and a threat to MI5 itself from her original target come together in a three-way collision.
And all the while she is watched by someone even deeper in the shadows than she is.
494 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 7, 2024
312 people are currently reading
13504 people want to read
About the author
Henry Porter
53 books251 followersHenry Porter has written for most national broadsheet newspapers. He contributes commentary and reportage to the Guardian, Observer, Evening Standard and Sunday Telegraph. He is the British editor of Vanity Fair, and lives in London with his wife and two daughters.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews
February 13, 2025
Fantastic read. Could've been the best of the year (But its early). What I liked best about this book was that it never ventured out of the realm of our world. The book never jumped the shark. The characters, locations and conflict felt real. Not unlike one of my favor spy series by Olen Steinhaur, (Nearest Exit, American Spy, and The Tourist). If you like Steinhaur you'll love this one. Great plot, pacing, and conflicts. Though, the scene involving the Manor, or Farm, might've overshadowed the ending. The ending kinda mirrored what happened in the beginning of the story--the backstory. I'm guessing this was the story in the previous book carried over to The Enigma Girl (I haven't any of this author's other books). I won't repeat it hear because it would a reveal.
The voice is also unique for contemporary fiction. The author uses a distant voice (60's-70's style) mixing with a more limited number of in scene, scenes. A distant voice shifting to summary, when it might have played better in scene. The voice was still very engaging and I read the book right through.
I would've given it five stars had the book not gone on too long after the end of the crisis....way too long, the distant voice, and the duplicate ending in the jet plane with the same bad guy. Overcame him in the same way. Not similar but exactly the same way as before.
Loved the book and highly recommend it. I usually donate all my hardcovers to the library and keep the memorable ones. This one is a keeper.
d.
The voice is also unique for contemporary fiction. The author uses a distant voice (60's-70's style) mixing with a more limited number of in scene, scenes. A distant voice shifting to summary, when it might have played better in scene. The voice was still very engaging and I read the book right through.
I would've given it five stars had the book not gone on too long after the end of the crisis....way too long, the distant voice, and the duplicate ending in the jet plane with the same bad guy. Overcame him in the same way. Not similar but exactly the same way as before.
Loved the book and highly recommend it. I usually donate all my hardcovers to the library and keep the memorable ones. This one is a keeper.
d.
November 10, 2024
You could be forgiven for thinking when you start the book that you’re reading the latest in a series because Slim’s just finished a dangerous undercover mission. The action she was forced to take to ensure her own safety during that mission has landed her in hot water with her superiors. With her cover blown, it’s meant she’s had to go to earth – quite literally – and she fears her career may be ancient history. She also just happened to make off with something that a very dangerous enemy would like to have back.
With the previous operation seemingly closed down, she’s assigned to a new undercover role that starts out looking innocuous but turns out to be anything but. It becomes a battle between press freedom, civil liberty and government control of information. And perhaps that previous operation isn’t so dead after all?
At nearly 500 pages, you might think the author would have a job maintaining the pace of a thriller but he throws in plenty of action scenes during which Slim proves just what a ferocious, fearless and resourceful opponent she is, fashioning weapons out of anything to hand. She’s also adept at the tradecraft of a spy: dodging surveillence, juggling multiple identities, disappearing off the radar and generally keeping her wits about her. As a reader, you’ll need to keep your wits about you as well because there are quite a lot of characters to get to know and keep track of.
Some of the buildings used for wartime code-breaking at Bletchley Park feature in the story but it’s modern code-breaking technology that ultimately provides the vital information about just exactly what’s been going on. And those goings-on include things such as people trafficking, modern slavery, money laundering, bribery and corruption. What also gives the plot such a contemporary feel is that Slim’s adversary is a billionaire with dubious morals and friends in high places. (Recent real-life examples may come to mind.)
There’s always a danger that the hero/heroine of a spy thriller will come across as a little one-dimensional – all action and no inner life. There’s no chance of that here because Slim has a complex private life and is facing some very difficult personal challenges. She may be ruthless when it comes to her job and give the impression of complete self-dependence, but she needs love and support just like everyone else. And perhaps someone to watch over her…
Slim Parsons has been likened to Lisbeth Salander, the fictional character created by Stieg Larsson. Lisbeth had more than one outing so perhaps The Enigma Girl is not the last we’ll see of Slim?
With the previous operation seemingly closed down, she’s assigned to a new undercover role that starts out looking innocuous but turns out to be anything but. It becomes a battle between press freedom, civil liberty and government control of information. And perhaps that previous operation isn’t so dead after all?
At nearly 500 pages, you might think the author would have a job maintaining the pace of a thriller but he throws in plenty of action scenes during which Slim proves just what a ferocious, fearless and resourceful opponent she is, fashioning weapons out of anything to hand. She’s also adept at the tradecraft of a spy: dodging surveillence, juggling multiple identities, disappearing off the radar and generally keeping her wits about her. As a reader, you’ll need to keep your wits about you as well because there are quite a lot of characters to get to know and keep track of.
Some of the buildings used for wartime code-breaking at Bletchley Park feature in the story but it’s modern code-breaking technology that ultimately provides the vital information about just exactly what’s been going on. And those goings-on include things such as people trafficking, modern slavery, money laundering, bribery and corruption. What also gives the plot such a contemporary feel is that Slim’s adversary is a billionaire with dubious morals and friends in high places. (Recent real-life examples may come to mind.)
There’s always a danger that the hero/heroine of a spy thriller will come across as a little one-dimensional – all action and no inner life. There’s no chance of that here because Slim has a complex private life and is facing some very difficult personal challenges. She may be ruthless when it comes to her job and give the impression of complete self-dependence, but she needs love and support just like everyone else. And perhaps someone to watch over her…
Slim Parsons has been likened to Lisbeth Salander, the fictional character created by Stieg Larsson. Lisbeth had more than one outing so perhaps The Enigma Girl is not the last we’ll see of Slim?
December 8, 2024
Provided with a review copy and consequently desperately wanted to rate this higher than I have.
Maybe I am jaded having been a journalist, that I live in MK where some of the story is set and that there is mention of Porter being the next Le Carre which creates a certain expectation.
Unfortunately I could not for one minute relate to Slim. I think perhaps I am just too old for the world this appears to inhabit, where sex is casual, people bohemian and everyone seems to smell of some unique scent.
This novel is far too long. It has far too many characters. It misses umpteen opportunities to be 4 or 5 star for want of a great editor and Slim's story being divided into three separate books.
The opener is good - I worried for the dog for a good few pages and would not have been able to continue if that was not happily resolved. We then jump back to establishing the protaganist Guest and an exciting encounter on a plane. This was really pacey and I was engaged. Then the brakes went on and we jump forward and Slim gets a new assignment and it is full of plot holes and lack of credibility (e.g no one cancels her credit card?).
Most of us in Milton Keynes call it MK. Throwing a few street names into the mix plus Bletchley Park doesn't make it chime. It felt alien. I'm not sure who advised Porter on the essence of MK but it is superficial and disappointing. The Belvedere? Staying at Hotel La Tour? Journalists working together in one office in town - seriously? This needed more of a common touch...the way we call one part of the shopping centre "the new bit", how we use the redways, how the market sits under the roadway, M&S and John Lewis being the bookends of the shopping. This may be a spy novel of sorts but even the most fanciful notions are best with foundations to which we can relate.
Towards the end of the book there is a two paragraph sum up of something that happens to two "baddies" - what a wasted opportunity. Here was potential drama just written off, yet we have ploughed through page after page of inconsequential matterial.
Overall I feel this lacked direction. If this is to be like Le Carre then there needs to be twists, people we can't or shouldn't trust but this was all white hat and black hat.
If it is to be agents in the field then running six threads at once is just unneccsarily confusing - the Mum in hospital; the dig; the canal boat; the brother; the relationships; the old friend;the various stories to report on for Middle Kingdom....and on and on.
I am beyond sorry that this isn't high praise. I very much wanted it to be as I was anticipating great things and I generally love a thriller. There was much well intentioned feminism here I must acknowledge but even that felt a bit forced. If only Helen the nurse had been a double-agent, a sleeper who actually worked for Guest...then we'd be cooking!
Maybe I am jaded having been a journalist, that I live in MK where some of the story is set and that there is mention of Porter being the next Le Carre which creates a certain expectation.
Unfortunately I could not for one minute relate to Slim. I think perhaps I am just too old for the world this appears to inhabit, where sex is casual, people bohemian and everyone seems to smell of some unique scent.
This novel is far too long. It has far too many characters. It misses umpteen opportunities to be 4 or 5 star for want of a great editor and Slim's story being divided into three separate books.
The opener is good - I worried for the dog for a good few pages and would not have been able to continue if that was not happily resolved. We then jump back to establishing the protaganist Guest and an exciting encounter on a plane. This was really pacey and I was engaged. Then the brakes went on and we jump forward and Slim gets a new assignment and it is full of plot holes and lack of credibility (e.g no one cancels her credit card?).
Most of us in Milton Keynes call it MK. Throwing a few street names into the mix plus Bletchley Park doesn't make it chime. It felt alien. I'm not sure who advised Porter on the essence of MK but it is superficial and disappointing. The Belvedere? Staying at Hotel La Tour? Journalists working together in one office in town - seriously? This needed more of a common touch...the way we call one part of the shopping centre "the new bit", how we use the redways, how the market sits under the roadway, M&S and John Lewis being the bookends of the shopping. This may be a spy novel of sorts but even the most fanciful notions are best with foundations to which we can relate.
Towards the end of the book there is a two paragraph sum up of something that happens to two "baddies" - what a wasted opportunity. Here was potential drama just written off, yet we have ploughed through page after page of inconsequential matterial.
Overall I feel this lacked direction. If this is to be like Le Carre then there needs to be twists, people we can't or shouldn't trust but this was all white hat and black hat.
If it is to be agents in the field then running six threads at once is just unneccsarily confusing - the Mum in hospital; the dig; the canal boat; the brother; the relationships; the old friend;the various stories to report on for Middle Kingdom....and on and on.
I am beyond sorry that this isn't high praise. I very much wanted it to be as I was anticipating great things and I generally love a thriller. There was much well intentioned feminism here I must acknowledge but even that felt a bit forced. If only Helen the nurse had been a double-agent, a sleeper who actually worked for Guest...then we'd be cooking!
November 5, 2024
Hooked from the first page! The pace is intense, the characters diverse and intriguing – some with surprising history – and the unveiling of political and commercial corruption at a staggering level both topical and fascinating. Ditto the slave trafficking. Very taken with the protagonist, Slim Parsons and her mother. The writing enticed further reading, drawing the reader into the action and environment with insight and factual information. The nigh-on 500 pages sped by. I haven’t read the previous volume but assume it was as good a read as this one. I was a little surprised to see American English usage in various places although it is fairly common now. I shall look forward to future books.
I enjoyed this ARC courtesy of the publishers and Netgalley.
I enjoyed this ARC courtesy of the publishers and Netgalley.
July 11, 2025
I struggled with this book found it far too long with too much padding. Found it interesting in the afterward that it had been cut down significantly.
the places in Milton Keynes didn't feel real from getting to Bletchley park so quickly to having lunch in the middle of silbury boulevard.
This coming from a long term resident of mk.
There was so much potential here.
the places in Milton Keynes didn't feel real from getting to Bletchley park so quickly to having lunch in the middle of silbury boulevard.
This coming from a long term resident of mk.
There was so much potential here.
November 4, 2024
Slim is a an undercover agent with a problem.
She is staying with her mother and taking part in an archaeological dig, after surviving a traumatic episode. Her mother is an alcoholic, and her brother is missing.
She is called back to work to infiltrate an online organisation that appears to be leaking government secrets, and is linked to the wartime codebreakers at Bletchley Park.
I have a familial link to Bletchley, but that doesn’t make me a mathematical or computer genius, as the author suggests here. In fact, other than giving the book its tile, and a few locations, Bletchley was irrelevant.
Ther book started with so many characters, some important, but others never mentioned again.
The story was interesting and of course linked back to the original trauma, while including the missing brother on the way.
I never warmed to Slim, and just found it all hard going.
Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for the opportunity to read this book.
She is staying with her mother and taking part in an archaeological dig, after surviving a traumatic episode. Her mother is an alcoholic, and her brother is missing.
She is called back to work to infiltrate an online organisation that appears to be leaking government secrets, and is linked to the wartime codebreakers at Bletchley Park.
I have a familial link to Bletchley, but that doesn’t make me a mathematical or computer genius, as the author suggests here. In fact, other than giving the book its tile, and a few locations, Bletchley was irrelevant.
Ther book started with so many characters, some important, but others never mentioned again.
The story was interesting and of course linked back to the original trauma, while including the missing brother on the way.
I never warmed to Slim, and just found it all hard going.
Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for the opportunity to read this book.
September 27, 2024
This books starts off a little slowly but once it hooks you, you’re in for good
Featuring a superbly considered and fierce female central protagonist who is both a gifted field operative, stunning strategist and lefty rebel this modern spy thriller is absolutely worth a read. The plot is superbly drawn, as are the characters. A lot of Cold War/ spythrillers have fairly poorly drawn interpersonal relationships- this book draws them very finely indeed. A superb read.
Featuring a superbly considered and fierce female central protagonist who is both a gifted field operative, stunning strategist and lefty rebel this modern spy thriller is absolutely worth a read. The plot is superbly drawn, as are the characters. A lot of Cold War/ spythrillers have fairly poorly drawn interpersonal relationships- this book draws them very finely indeed. A superb read.
March 29, 2025
4.25⭐
Excellent spy novel featuring a female main character, Slim Parsons, whose fiery intelligence and grim determination propel her from her last incomplete assignment in the uncovers search for her version of justice. At the outset, many threads are laid out. While I found myself a tad confused, be assured the finished piece has woven them into a complex multi-layered story.Almost non-stop action uncovers a variety of sins against humanity from corruption to human trafficking. Highly recommend to those who enjoy a good spy story. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Excellent spy novel featuring a female main character, Slim Parsons, whose fiery intelligence and grim determination propel her from her last incomplete assignment in the uncovers search for her version of justice. At the outset, many threads are laid out. While I found myself a tad confused, be assured the finished piece has woven them into a complex multi-layered story.Almost non-stop action uncovers a variety of sins against humanity from corruption to human trafficking. Highly recommend to those who enjoy a good spy story. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 22, 2026
3.5 stars. Reminded me a bit of the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
December 22, 2024
We were given free copies to read in our book club, it is not part of our programme.
Certainly, a page turner, but to be honest always just beyond the edge of believability. Sleeping so easily in her bed for example, with so much going on. Everything seemed to happen too easily, is someone really that clever and resourceful? I certainly recognise the hiding of emotions but think that a little cry at the end is really not enough to clear her burden. Perhaps an acknowledgement that this is just the start. I got a feeling of Deus Ex Machina at the end too with the Ghost, which was really not at all well developed as an idea.
My colleagues have criticised the MK vocabulary and descriptions as awkward, and not all recogniseable. Certainly, I had and still have no real idea of what the Belvedere is though I do know where it is supposed to be. Also, I was surprised how easily our heroine got to Bletchley Park and found parking - or did she walk or cycle, it's not at all clear and the place is rather tucked away - no mention of it being behind the station. But a writer has his reasons I suppose.
Certainly, a page turner, but to be honest always just beyond the edge of believability. Sleeping so easily in her bed for example, with so much going on. Everything seemed to happen too easily, is someone really that clever and resourceful? I certainly recognise the hiding of emotions but think that a little cry at the end is really not enough to clear her burden. Perhaps an acknowledgement that this is just the start. I got a feeling of Deus Ex Machina at the end too with the Ghost, which was really not at all well developed as an idea.
My colleagues have criticised the MK vocabulary and descriptions as awkward, and not all recogniseable. Certainly, I had and still have no real idea of what the Belvedere is though I do know where it is supposed to be. Also, I was surprised how easily our heroine got to Bletchley Park and found parking - or did she walk or cycle, it's not at all clear and the place is rather tucked away - no mention of it being behind the station. But a writer has his reasons I suppose.
June 7, 2025
Henry Porter is one of the most uneven authors I know. He's able to produce one of the best spy novels of the last few years (that would be Brandenburg Gate) as well as one of the worst, like his last book, The Enigma Girl; this is a total downer: a lengthy, soulless and totally unfocused story, with flat characters and - instead of a plot - a series of disjointed threads.
I completely lost interest in the story half way through; DNF at 50%.
UPDATE: I decided to pick up the book again and try to finish it. Don’t ask me why, surely for my sins. What happens in the second half is the author tris to bring together the various threads he disseminated along the way.
The result is a convoluted, contrived and largely implausible story; reaching the end required a genuine effort.
One star it is.
I completely lost interest in the story half way through; DNF at 50%.
UPDATE: I decided to pick up the book again and try to finish it. Don’t ask me why, surely for my sins. What happens in the second half is the author tris to bring together the various threads he disseminated along the way.
The result is a convoluted, contrived and largely implausible story; reaching the end required a genuine effort.
One star it is.
August 21, 2025
Henry Porter is an author who has been on my ‘to read’ radar for quite some time and The Enigma Girl turned out to be a pretty good place to start. It is, I believe, a stand-alone novel although it reads like it should sit in the middle of a series – there is a lot of back-story at the start and loose ends/work to do, at the other end. Predictability, for a half decent spy novel, the blurb offers comparisons with the usual suspects - le Carre, Mick Herron and Charles Cumming. As so often, the comparisons are not well founded and not because this is not a good book – it is - but because it stands up perfectly well on its own.
Slim Parsons (for information, female) is an MI5 agent who spends most of her time in deep cover. She is pretty much burnt out from a particularly tough and dangerous period spend embedded within an organised crime group. Her bosses at MI5 send her off to spend a few months recuperating in the quiet Norfolk countryside. However, she is recalled early and asked to infiltrate a news website that seems to be causing a lot of embarrassment in government circles. Interestingly,
Many of those involved with the website are descendants of Bletchley Park wartime code breakers.
She secures a role with the news website, but the owners are, unsurprisingly, highly suspicious that she may be a government agent. To keep out of sight, they give her a series of very low-level stories to investigate. While here, she stumbles on a couple of huge stories, which not only bring her face-to-face with considerable danger but threaten her family too. Cleverly, a spy-action thriller runs alongside a battle for press freedom, civil liberties and government.
It's a lengthy book at circa 500 pages but the pace never really slackens. This is not the world of James Bond and gadgets and wizz-bangs but of a female agent, often working alone, demonstrating huge resourcefulness, determination and courage to uncover human trafficking, money laundering, bribery, corruption and more.
A very enjoyable read and an excellent book.
Slim Parsons (for information, female) is an MI5 agent who spends most of her time in deep cover. She is pretty much burnt out from a particularly tough and dangerous period spend embedded within an organised crime group. Her bosses at MI5 send her off to spend a few months recuperating in the quiet Norfolk countryside. However, she is recalled early and asked to infiltrate a news website that seems to be causing a lot of embarrassment in government circles. Interestingly,
Many of those involved with the website are descendants of Bletchley Park wartime code breakers.
She secures a role with the news website, but the owners are, unsurprisingly, highly suspicious that she may be a government agent. To keep out of sight, they give her a series of very low-level stories to investigate. While here, she stumbles on a couple of huge stories, which not only bring her face-to-face with considerable danger but threaten her family too. Cleverly, a spy-action thriller runs alongside a battle for press freedom, civil liberties and government.
It's a lengthy book at circa 500 pages but the pace never really slackens. This is not the world of James Bond and gadgets and wizz-bangs but of a female agent, often working alone, demonstrating huge resourcefulness, determination and courage to uncover human trafficking, money laundering, bribery, corruption and more.
A very enjoyable read and an excellent book.
November 13, 2024
At just under 500 pages, this is quite a read.
However, the pages flew past as I immersed myself into the world of Slim Parsons.
As an MI5 operative, she has recently spent two years undercover investigating a particularly creepy and dangerous man. Following an incident on a plane, she goes into hiding before MI5 give her another, much easier and seemingly straightforward, assignment. She must get a job at an online news site, ‘Middle Kingdom’, as a journalist. Tasked with finding out how they got hold of classified government information concerning water companies and also the wastage of taxpayers funds. Of course the government wants to shut them up. In order to try to gain their trust, Slim brings a story of her recent find on an archaeological dig.
The problem is she begins to find it difficult to see these people as ‘the enemy’.
Initially given menial tasks to investigate stolen flowers and to count bumblebees, she does not anticipate being immersed into the dangerous world of people smuggling and modern slavery. All whilst dealing with her own difficult private life in which her brother disappeared years ago and her mother is dying.
This was one of those books I was reluctant to put down even though I needed to sleep! I was engrossed from the first chapter and followed Slim with my heart in my mouth. This woman has no fear!
Expertly written by an undoubtedly talented writer (please see below for his credentials!) who has brought some very important issues of the moment to the page in a relatable way. Difficult to believe people smuggling, modern slavery, AI, archaeology, family loss and more could work together in one novel but it does and it does exceedingly well.
However, the pages flew past as I immersed myself into the world of Slim Parsons.
As an MI5 operative, she has recently spent two years undercover investigating a particularly creepy and dangerous man. Following an incident on a plane, she goes into hiding before MI5 give her another, much easier and seemingly straightforward, assignment. She must get a job at an online news site, ‘Middle Kingdom’, as a journalist. Tasked with finding out how they got hold of classified government information concerning water companies and also the wastage of taxpayers funds. Of course the government wants to shut them up. In order to try to gain their trust, Slim brings a story of her recent find on an archaeological dig.
The problem is she begins to find it difficult to see these people as ‘the enemy’.
Initially given menial tasks to investigate stolen flowers and to count bumblebees, she does not anticipate being immersed into the dangerous world of people smuggling and modern slavery. All whilst dealing with her own difficult private life in which her brother disappeared years ago and her mother is dying.
This was one of those books I was reluctant to put down even though I needed to sleep! I was engrossed from the first chapter and followed Slim with my heart in my mouth. This woman has no fear!
Expertly written by an undoubtedly talented writer (please see below for his credentials!) who has brought some very important issues of the moment to the page in a relatable way. Difficult to believe people smuggling, modern slavery, AI, archaeology, family loss and more could work together in one novel but it does and it does exceedingly well.
December 13, 2025
Readers, this book has a few positive qualities but way toooo many negatives! The book has three parts-each part is way to wordy and the plethora of characters(some we learn about early and never interact again), disjointed plots and I could not relate to the main character-Slim. An archeological dig, undercover agent, a missing brother, death of a loved ones, journalist, MI5, abused women, slave trade, government “whistleblowers”, houseboat and again very wordy and disjointed-the author admits in Acknowledgements section that he had to “cut” quite a bit to get published. I’ll try another book by this author. Enjoy
October 22, 2024
The Enigma Girl by Henry Porter is British espionage literature at its finest. Porter has written 8 thrillers in the subgenre of spy fiction – he was nominated for the Barry Award for Best Thriller in 2020 for White Hot Silence (Paul Samson series) and won the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Brandenburg Gate in 2005 (Robert Harland series). All six novels in the two series are outstanding thrillers.
This outing is a stand-alone about a female MI5 agent who has just returned from deep cover and is still being pursued by the criminal target, even when back in England where her mother is ill and her brother is missing. Or is he?
Perhaps violence comes too easily to our heroine? So her Security Service bosses say – and yet they still place her in yet another local cover as a journalist with a news website. With many similarities to Lisbeth Salander (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), our heroine, Slim Parsons, soon begins to see connections between her Secret Service bosses, the news website, the deep cover criminals and her personal life. Danger from all four sources puts Slim into hiding from everyone!
The Enigma Girl is perfect in its spy craft and the reader’s affection for Slim develops easily as she manipulates almost everyone in her life to survive. Porter has given us another wonderful espionage novel with strong characters and intricate plot lines. How Slim stays under the radar is nothing short of brilliant. I want more of this character and hope Porter decides this is not to be a stand-alone after all.
This outing is a stand-alone about a female MI5 agent who has just returned from deep cover and is still being pursued by the criminal target, even when back in England where her mother is ill and her brother is missing. Or is he?
Perhaps violence comes too easily to our heroine? So her Security Service bosses say – and yet they still place her in yet another local cover as a journalist with a news website. With many similarities to Lisbeth Salander (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), our heroine, Slim Parsons, soon begins to see connections between her Secret Service bosses, the news website, the deep cover criminals and her personal life. Danger from all four sources puts Slim into hiding from everyone!
The Enigma Girl is perfect in its spy craft and the reader’s affection for Slim develops easily as she manipulates almost everyone in her life to survive. Porter has given us another wonderful espionage novel with strong characters and intricate plot lines. How Slim stays under the radar is nothing short of brilliant. I want more of this character and hope Porter decides this is not to be a stand-alone after all.
February 17, 2026
Poorly structured and way too much dialog. I had to read the cover flap to remind me what the book was about several times and by the end I still couldn't accurately summarize the plot. It felt as if I was reading a sequel, but this is a stand alone novel.
February 7, 2026
Where to start? How about the neurotic and unlikable protagonist. Not only was she all that, she was also highly unrealistic and chaotic. If that's the best MI5 had to offer, then God help us all.
That whole plot involving the descendants of Bletchley Park codebreakers? They could be any generic self-righteous white hats of the day, and if the author's intention was to invoke emotion, I could only say that it flatlined like a dead man's heartbeat. Those brilliant minds of WWII must be rolling in their graves.
Oh did I mention a cast of cartoony villains that just don't quit?
One last thing, the author also made sure neuroticism runs in the family as not one but two generations seem to have the "talent" of spotting angelic ghosts.
That whole plot involving the descendants of Bletchley Park codebreakers? They could be any generic self-righteous white hats of the day, and if the author's intention was to invoke emotion, I could only say that it flatlined like a dead man's heartbeat. Those brilliant minds of WWII must be rolling in their graves.
Oh did I mention a cast of cartoony villains that just don't quit?
One last thing, the author also made sure neuroticism runs in the family as not one but two generations seem to have the "talent" of spotting angelic ghosts.
January 6, 2025
Not my usual genre but a good read which rattled along. I liked the mix of spy and journalism as the background and it was interesting to see how the author had tweaked places I know well in MK to include them in the book.
February 26, 2025
wasye of time
Terrible book weird plot weird characters not particularlynwell written. Dont wasye your time go find a newspapaer get real real
Terrible book weird plot weird characters not particularlynwell written. Dont wasye your time go find a newspapaer get real real
January 31, 2025
A chance at redemption will rip things apart
Alice "Slim" Parsons recently spent two years undercover for MI5's Joint Economic and Financial Intelligence Unit, working to collect sufficient evidence to pursue the conviction of wealthy British oligarch Ivan Guest. She narrowly avoided being raped and worse by Guest, and in the process of escaping nearly killed him. Upon her return to England her superiors tell her to lay low for a few months while they engineer the "death" of the person she had claimed to be while in Guest's employ. After spending the winter months living with her mother in the small village where she grew up while she coped with the aftereffects both of readjusting to life as herself and coping with the trauma of the brutality she endured at Guest's hands she is summoned one night to come back in to discuss what happened on her last mission and what future if any remains for her with MI5. That same night she finds her mother Diana, who has been spiraling into an alcoholic abyss for months, sprawled on the floor of their home barely alive. Was it a fall while under the influence, or something more sinister? Before she can discover the answer she must meet with her new superiors in West London where instead of receiving a measure of understanding of and appreciation for what she accomplished with her undercover work she is raked over the coals for how she handled things with Guest and for her lack of communication with "the office" in the months since, She is given the opportunity to redeem herself by imbedding as a journalist with the news website Middle Kingdom whose apparent access to government secrets has those in power very nervous. She accepts with one condition....that the Service will use their resources to determine once and for all what happened to her brother Matthew who, addicted to drugs and mourning their father's death, had moved to the North twelve years earlier and from whom neither Slim nor Diana has heard again (one of the main reasons for Diana's eventual refuge in the bottle). She is hired by Middle Kingdom but not completely trusted by those who work there, and soon finds herself uncovering human trafficking and political corruption even as she tries to discover how Middle Kingdom comes by their information. Her mother's grip on life is rapidly declining, the power structure of MI5 is changing before Slim's eyes and Guest, having discovered that Slim is very much alive, has sent a team to ensure she is dead for real; it is more than her job that is on the line.
Enigma Girl is a classic British espionage thriller brimming with nuanced characters and the brutal reality of the life of an intelligence agent, where the smallest error or twist of fate can decide whether one lives or dies. Only this time the main protagonist is a woman, one whose family first in their native Poland and later in England has been involved in the world of spies for four generation. From Slim's fraught relationship with her mother to her difficulty in forming and committing to a romantic relationship given the life she leads, the reader learns of Slim's life leading up to the events of the book as the story unfolds. In the process they are also introduced to Slim's colleagues (who are not necessarily her friends), the many people making up the workforce of Middle Kingdom, and others who find themselves in Slim's orbit as well as learning about the history of codebreaking at Bletchley Park. Slim is no saint; she doesn't do well at coloring within the lines, but when she commits to a task she goes all in with little thought to her own safety. Fighting to rescue the victims of trafficking, seeking revenge for those who have been injured or worse by the forces behind the evil she is pursuing and ultimately looking to eliminate the threat posed by Guest once and for all, she is a force of nature who will stand for those who need her. Although at times the pace of the story slowed It was a book that I found hard to put down (4.5 of 5 ⭐️), and I hope that I can look forward to another Slim exploit in the future. Readers of authors like David McCloskey, Olen Steinhauer and Charles Cumming would do themselves a favor by grabbing a copy of Enigma Girl, and fans of author Henry Porter's previous books will find this a gripping read as well. Many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press for allowing me access to a copy of the enticing thriller in exchange for my honest review.
Alice "Slim" Parsons recently spent two years undercover for MI5's Joint Economic and Financial Intelligence Unit, working to collect sufficient evidence to pursue the conviction of wealthy British oligarch Ivan Guest. She narrowly avoided being raped and worse by Guest, and in the process of escaping nearly killed him. Upon her return to England her superiors tell her to lay low for a few months while they engineer the "death" of the person she had claimed to be while in Guest's employ. After spending the winter months living with her mother in the small village where she grew up while she coped with the aftereffects both of readjusting to life as herself and coping with the trauma of the brutality she endured at Guest's hands she is summoned one night to come back in to discuss what happened on her last mission and what future if any remains for her with MI5. That same night she finds her mother Diana, who has been spiraling into an alcoholic abyss for months, sprawled on the floor of their home barely alive. Was it a fall while under the influence, or something more sinister? Before she can discover the answer she must meet with her new superiors in West London where instead of receiving a measure of understanding of and appreciation for what she accomplished with her undercover work she is raked over the coals for how she handled things with Guest and for her lack of communication with "the office" in the months since, She is given the opportunity to redeem herself by imbedding as a journalist with the news website Middle Kingdom whose apparent access to government secrets has those in power very nervous. She accepts with one condition....that the Service will use their resources to determine once and for all what happened to her brother Matthew who, addicted to drugs and mourning their father's death, had moved to the North twelve years earlier and from whom neither Slim nor Diana has heard again (one of the main reasons for Diana's eventual refuge in the bottle). She is hired by Middle Kingdom but not completely trusted by those who work there, and soon finds herself uncovering human trafficking and political corruption even as she tries to discover how Middle Kingdom comes by their information. Her mother's grip on life is rapidly declining, the power structure of MI5 is changing before Slim's eyes and Guest, having discovered that Slim is very much alive, has sent a team to ensure she is dead for real; it is more than her job that is on the line.
Enigma Girl is a classic British espionage thriller brimming with nuanced characters and the brutal reality of the life of an intelligence agent, where the smallest error or twist of fate can decide whether one lives or dies. Only this time the main protagonist is a woman, one whose family first in their native Poland and later in England has been involved in the world of spies for four generation. From Slim's fraught relationship with her mother to her difficulty in forming and committing to a romantic relationship given the life she leads, the reader learns of Slim's life leading up to the events of the book as the story unfolds. In the process they are also introduced to Slim's colleagues (who are not necessarily her friends), the many people making up the workforce of Middle Kingdom, and others who find themselves in Slim's orbit as well as learning about the history of codebreaking at Bletchley Park. Slim is no saint; she doesn't do well at coloring within the lines, but when she commits to a task she goes all in with little thought to her own safety. Fighting to rescue the victims of trafficking, seeking revenge for those who have been injured or worse by the forces behind the evil she is pursuing and ultimately looking to eliminate the threat posed by Guest once and for all, she is a force of nature who will stand for those who need her. Although at times the pace of the story slowed It was a book that I found hard to put down (4.5 of 5 ⭐️), and I hope that I can look forward to another Slim exploit in the future. Readers of authors like David McCloskey, Olen Steinhauer and Charles Cumming would do themselves a favor by grabbing a copy of Enigma Girl, and fans of author Henry Porter's previous books will find this a gripping read as well. Many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press for allowing me access to a copy of the enticing thriller in exchange for my honest review.
December 5, 2024
Here we have a novel that feels so up to date, captures the zeitgeist of today, that you could almost it believe it was written during the last week.
This is a lengthy novel, some might think a little too long, but there is an awful lot to pack in and it never becomes a dull read. It moves along at a steady pace, setting scenes and developing characters, then there is an injection of action, and the pace increases dramatically before the cycle is repeated. This marrying of a cerebral, modern espionage tale with multiple moments of danger and jeopardy works perfectly. There are important, serious themes explored, but it’s not all thoughts, but deeds and action too which complement the storyline.
Alice ‘Slim’ Parsons is the heroine and a character that makes an instant impact on the reader. Immediately engaging here is a woman the reader can get behind, whose story you are going to want to hear and invest emotional energy in. She is a strong and determined woman (one of several in the story) who is no stranger to risk and danger. A woman who can handle herself but is no superwoman, relying on speed and surprise to master opponents. It is her vulnerabilities that make her a more rounded and human creation. We see the nerve shredding effects of life under long term cover, a woman now ‘burned’ who at 35 has given her best years to the service and has only scars and anguish to show for it. How it prevents real friendships forming and jeopardises family attachments. Her reconnection with her mother and search for her brother is surprisingly touching and beautifully judged. Adversity has made her determined but loyal and in perhaps the dirtiest business of all she retains a moral compass, a real sense of right and wrong. Her sexual fluidity also brings a certain frisson to her interactions with both sexes, seemingly so modern but as the reader discovers Slim as much to learn about people close to her.
Slim is the standout character but even the fringe ones are given depth or a sense of mystery. Here is an author who knows how to marshal an ensemble and bring a great sense of individuality. I would love to see Slim return at some point in the future, but she will need to bring along some of the others too!
The setting is a great one, Bletchley Park and its environs, what better place to represent a world of secrets. Without being overplayed there are some fascinating insights to life there that many people will be unaware of. Most will have knowledge of the significant role of Alan Turing but were it not for the work of Polish cryptanalysts who cracked the commercial Enigma at the beginning of the 1930s, Ultra may never have been broken. Clearly this has been well researched and there is the sense that that author got a real feel for the place and its great significance.
Bletchley is also symbolic of secrets and generations that knew how to keep them. In the twenty first century espionage is all about cyber security and the dangers associated with hacking and infiltration. This is symbolised by the Middle Kingdom journalists in the story, essentially the good guys who Slim warms to. It also represents the sea change in the world of journalism, where serious investigative work is gravitating towards such collectives as the established move towards click-bait.
Another important theme is that of human trafficking and modern slavery. In a complex migratory world, some may have been gullible, grabbing at unlikely opportunities, but they are the real victims of a savage criminal enterprise. Perhaps a bit of a minefield to incorporate within a novel but has been handled with both compassion and humanity. These people are out there we if care to look and if it gets people thinking that is no bad thing.
This is a lengthy novel, some might think a little too long, but there is an awful lot to pack in and it never becomes a dull read. It moves along at a steady pace, setting scenes and developing characters, then there is an injection of action, and the pace increases dramatically before the cycle is repeated. This marrying of a cerebral, modern espionage tale with multiple moments of danger and jeopardy works perfectly. There are important, serious themes explored, but it’s not all thoughts, but deeds and action too which complement the storyline.
Alice ‘Slim’ Parsons is the heroine and a character that makes an instant impact on the reader. Immediately engaging here is a woman the reader can get behind, whose story you are going to want to hear and invest emotional energy in. She is a strong and determined woman (one of several in the story) who is no stranger to risk and danger. A woman who can handle herself but is no superwoman, relying on speed and surprise to master opponents. It is her vulnerabilities that make her a more rounded and human creation. We see the nerve shredding effects of life under long term cover, a woman now ‘burned’ who at 35 has given her best years to the service and has only scars and anguish to show for it. How it prevents real friendships forming and jeopardises family attachments. Her reconnection with her mother and search for her brother is surprisingly touching and beautifully judged. Adversity has made her determined but loyal and in perhaps the dirtiest business of all she retains a moral compass, a real sense of right and wrong. Her sexual fluidity also brings a certain frisson to her interactions with both sexes, seemingly so modern but as the reader discovers Slim as much to learn about people close to her.
Slim is the standout character but even the fringe ones are given depth or a sense of mystery. Here is an author who knows how to marshal an ensemble and bring a great sense of individuality. I would love to see Slim return at some point in the future, but she will need to bring along some of the others too!
The setting is a great one, Bletchley Park and its environs, what better place to represent a world of secrets. Without being overplayed there are some fascinating insights to life there that many people will be unaware of. Most will have knowledge of the significant role of Alan Turing but were it not for the work of Polish cryptanalysts who cracked the commercial Enigma at the beginning of the 1930s, Ultra may never have been broken. Clearly this has been well researched and there is the sense that that author got a real feel for the place and its great significance.
Bletchley is also symbolic of secrets and generations that knew how to keep them. In the twenty first century espionage is all about cyber security and the dangers associated with hacking and infiltration. This is symbolised by the Middle Kingdom journalists in the story, essentially the good guys who Slim warms to. It also represents the sea change in the world of journalism, where serious investigative work is gravitating towards such collectives as the established move towards click-bait.
Another important theme is that of human trafficking and modern slavery. In a complex migratory world, some may have been gullible, grabbing at unlikely opportunities, but they are the real victims of a savage criminal enterprise. Perhaps a bit of a minefield to incorporate within a novel but has been handled with both compassion and humanity. These people are out there we if care to look and if it gets people thinking that is no bad thing.
October 22, 2024
For The Enigma Girl, Henry Porter has deserted his regular central character of recent novels, Paul Samson, for a new protagonist in the form of MI5 operative Slim Parsons. The book opens with Slim recovering from burnout and dealing with a raft of personal issues. Her last deep cover job for MI5 ended with a life-and-death struggle on a private jet that caused her to go on the run from both the deadly target and her angry bosses in the Security Service. They say that violence comes too easily to her and that she is potentially too unstable for the role of an MI5 operative. Despite this, Slim is recalled and asked to infiltrate a news website that is causing alarm in the highest circles. It is staffed by a group descended from wartime codebreakers operating from an unassuming office block near Bletchley Park, who seem to have dangerous access to government secrets.
The operation looks like a demotion, but Slim accepts it on the condition that the Security Service searches for her missing brother. The mission, however, turns out to be more complex than she expected. Soon Slim is having to deal with threats from her last mission, human traffickers, bosses who seem to be playing their own nefarious game and the pending death of her mother, who has her own secrets.
This is a first class spy thriller. Porter adroitly mixes the personal and the professional, and develops Slim into a character of real substance, who changes over the course of the book. The pacing is a little slow at times, but is helped along by several flashes of exciting violence and a deep sense of menace that permeates the book from the opening pages. Porter also ably conveys the bureaucratic wheeling and dealing that drives the book, and the dodgy nexus between the intelligence services, politics and the intrusion of corrupt business interests. There is also plenty of interesting information about Bletchley Park and intelligence operations during World War II and after.
Adding to the pleasure, the area around Bletchley Park is nicely evoked, including the canal on which Slim is living, and there is a good dose of fascinating archaeological detail.
On the negative side, the book is probably a bit too long and lacks the driving focal point that made Porter’s best novels, Firefly and White Hot Silence, so good. Instead of a single overarching mission around which other things develop there is a mix of different subplots and dangers this time around, which take some time to come together. The ending, though, is very tense and delivers some good thrills. These concerns, however, are only minor and do not stop The Enigma Girl from being one of the best spy novels that I have read this year. It is also one that raises some important issues about secrecy and government accountability. Highly recommended.
See full review at: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/2...
4.5 rounded up to 5
The operation looks like a demotion, but Slim accepts it on the condition that the Security Service searches for her missing brother. The mission, however, turns out to be more complex than she expected. Soon Slim is having to deal with threats from her last mission, human traffickers, bosses who seem to be playing their own nefarious game and the pending death of her mother, who has her own secrets.
This is a first class spy thriller. Porter adroitly mixes the personal and the professional, and develops Slim into a character of real substance, who changes over the course of the book. The pacing is a little slow at times, but is helped along by several flashes of exciting violence and a deep sense of menace that permeates the book from the opening pages. Porter also ably conveys the bureaucratic wheeling and dealing that drives the book, and the dodgy nexus between the intelligence services, politics and the intrusion of corrupt business interests. There is also plenty of interesting information about Bletchley Park and intelligence operations during World War II and after.
Adding to the pleasure, the area around Bletchley Park is nicely evoked, including the canal on which Slim is living, and there is a good dose of fascinating archaeological detail.
On the negative side, the book is probably a bit too long and lacks the driving focal point that made Porter’s best novels, Firefly and White Hot Silence, so good. Instead of a single overarching mission around which other things develop there is a mix of different subplots and dangers this time around, which take some time to come together. The ending, though, is very tense and delivers some good thrills. These concerns, however, are only minor and do not stop The Enigma Girl from being one of the best spy novels that I have read this year. It is also one that raises some important issues about secrecy and government accountability. Highly recommended.
See full review at: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/2...
4.5 rounded up to 5
November 8, 2024
Alice 'Slim' Parsons has been keeping a low profile, caring for the elderly mother who is drinking herself to death from grief, since her last mission as an MI5 agent went horribly awry. Convinced she has blotted her copybook by going completely off the mission play-book, and by causing all kinds of headaches for her spy masters by going on the run across Europe, Slim is certain she will not be called back to active duty any time soon - no matter how justified her actions were.
Slim is astonished when she is recalled to work on a new mission rather sooner than expected, Operation Linesman. Her task is to infiltrate a news website called Middle Kingdom, run by descendants of Bletchley Park's war-time finest, that is causing concern among the powers that be. She agrees, on the understanding that MI5 put their resources to use in finding her missing brother.
To Slim's surprise, Operation Linesman proves to be a lot more complicated that it first appears, and it brings with it dangers connected to her last mission that she did not see coming...
The story unfurls in three cleverly wielded storylines around the dangerous legacy of Slim's last mission; her current operation into the goings on at Middle Kingdom; and the fate of her missing brother Matt, which is closely tied to the the dysfunction that runs through her relationship with her mother. In a masterclass of plotting, the storylines touch and gradually weave together as the pertinent details of each one are revealed in parallel, until they clash gloriously together in the kind of way only a consummate storyteller can pull off.
Porter's style is deliciously old school espionage fare, punctuating the slow-burn rise in tension with perfectly timed bursts of action to keep the pace going nicely, and inserting tenderness and humour where required. He beautifully combines timeless spy-story themes of sacrifice, secrets, and a renegade agent, with a particular sense of right and wrong; fascinating historical titbits about remarkable war-time deeds; and current topics to keep the novel fresh for a modern audience, especially when it comes to investigative journalism, corruption at the highest levels, modern slavery, people trafficking - and Slim's personal life. It is an addictive blend, and the journey from emotional opener to an ending that had me punching the air with glee is immensely satisfying.
I absolutely loved Slim. She is gutsy, unapologetic, and resourceful, but she is also just the right side of vulnerable. This story brings her plenty of trouble and heartache, but everything that happens here forges her character into the kind of person you are sorry to let go of at the end of a novel. I really hope Porter uses this book as a launching pad for a new series with her at the helm, because I want to read about more of her adventures - and there is a brilliant supporting cast for her to bounce off too. Superb!
Slim is astonished when she is recalled to work on a new mission rather sooner than expected, Operation Linesman. Her task is to infiltrate a news website called Middle Kingdom, run by descendants of Bletchley Park's war-time finest, that is causing concern among the powers that be. She agrees, on the understanding that MI5 put their resources to use in finding her missing brother.
To Slim's surprise, Operation Linesman proves to be a lot more complicated that it first appears, and it brings with it dangers connected to her last mission that she did not see coming...
The story unfurls in three cleverly wielded storylines around the dangerous legacy of Slim's last mission; her current operation into the goings on at Middle Kingdom; and the fate of her missing brother Matt, which is closely tied to the the dysfunction that runs through her relationship with her mother. In a masterclass of plotting, the storylines touch and gradually weave together as the pertinent details of each one are revealed in parallel, until they clash gloriously together in the kind of way only a consummate storyteller can pull off.
Porter's style is deliciously old school espionage fare, punctuating the slow-burn rise in tension with perfectly timed bursts of action to keep the pace going nicely, and inserting tenderness and humour where required. He beautifully combines timeless spy-story themes of sacrifice, secrets, and a renegade agent, with a particular sense of right and wrong; fascinating historical titbits about remarkable war-time deeds; and current topics to keep the novel fresh for a modern audience, especially when it comes to investigative journalism, corruption at the highest levels, modern slavery, people trafficking - and Slim's personal life. It is an addictive blend, and the journey from emotional opener to an ending that had me punching the air with glee is immensely satisfying.
I absolutely loved Slim. She is gutsy, unapologetic, and resourceful, but she is also just the right side of vulnerable. This story brings her plenty of trouble and heartache, but everything that happens here forges her character into the kind of person you are sorry to let go of at the end of a novel. I really hope Porter uses this book as a launching pad for a new series with her at the helm, because I want to read about more of her adventures - and there is a brilliant supporting cast for her to bounce off too. Superb!
April 19, 2025
I love books about history and this one is right up there. You get a front row seat for all the behind the scenes decoding action. You "sit on the shoulders" of girls like Mavis(18), Sarah(18), Jane(18), Marion, Gwen, Patricia(18), Elizabeth(18), Margaret & Diana(17), among countless others, all teenagers and early 20 somethings. They were working there trying to decipher the codes & secrets of Germany's war machine-troop strength, positions, supply chain routes, war plans, promotions, transfers, etc. All of this information began with listening to Morse Code through their headphones, deciphering that into a code of tangled up letters, (a code that changed EVERYDAY), then deciphering that code into German, then translating the German into English. All of this took many, many people, people who were gifted with one skill or another. At the beginning, all of these people were told to sign the Official Secrets Act form before they were allowed to stay and work at Bletchley Park, doing their bit to help defeat Adolf Hitler and his Nazis. The year was 1940. Europe was at war. Asia was at war. Everything was given a code-Bletchley Park was Station X, you were at Bletchley Park, but you transmitted Station X in communiques; no one was allowed to talk to anyone, at Bletchley or anywhere else, about what they were doing. And what they were doing was vital work, vital to helping to bring this war to an end, to stop the killing, to freeing the people of the countries that were invaded & controlled by the Nazis. The weight of the world was on these girls' shoulders, and they knew it. This is not to say that there were no males at this or other facilities. It's just that there was an overabundance of females. The girls & women made up 2/3 of the workforce. They all stayed in their own huts which housed anywhere from 72 to eventually, 800 girls & women, and, as the war progressed, more buildings were needed to advance and facilitate their war efforts. Enigma machines
(a complex cipher machine used for secure communication) were brought in. Bombes (electomechanical code-breaking machines designed to decode messages encrypted by the German Enigma machines) were also in use. It significantly reduced the time & effort required to crack Enigma codes, which played a key role in Allied intel efforts & influencing the course of the war) were put to good use. The work was challenging, long and hard; the girls were exhausted by the end of their shifts. They would collapse into their bunks, only to come back again the next day and do it all over again. They knew what was required of them and were more than willing to do their part.
This book takes you through the early years of the war all the way through to Germany's surrender and eventually, the surrender of Japan. I do hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. It is fascinating work.
(a complex cipher machine used for secure communication) were brought in. Bombes (electomechanical code-breaking machines designed to decode messages encrypted by the German Enigma machines) were also in use. It significantly reduced the time & effort required to crack Enigma codes, which played a key role in Allied intel efforts & influencing the course of the war) were put to good use. The work was challenging, long and hard; the girls were exhausted by the end of their shifts. They would collapse into their bunks, only to come back again the next day and do it all over again. They knew what was required of them and were more than willing to do their part.
This book takes you through the early years of the war all the way through to Germany's surrender and eventually, the surrender of Japan. I do hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. It is fascinating work.
November 18, 2024
When her personal life starts to unravel, a spy discovers that everything in her life is more connected than she realised.
Slim Parson is not your usual sexy spy that gathers information by seducing man with her looks. Slim is someone that gets things done by shear determination and never considering what would happen if she fails. However, she is in a bad spot both from her personal and professional life and has to get out of hiding to face the consequences of her actions.
While not being the first thing that comes to mind when anyone reads a book, what I enjoyed the most was the plot structure. Usually you have a small plot and a big plot and both end somewhat at the end with some sort of plot twist around the 80-90% mark. The Enigma Girl is nothing like this. It has a small plot that finishes around half way of the book and the bigger plot ends at the end, which gave me a feeling that I got two stories in one. It made me enjoy the plot lines much more and not feel like a standard cliche spy novel book. Yes, there are some cliches and expected plots here and there, but the structure and way of writing provided a refreshing twist and really pleasant reading experience.
Another pleasant surprise was that the book has a lot of heart besides action. There are a lot of fast-paced action sequences as expected of any spy novel but it also has a lot of deeply personal relationships, in particular between Slim and her mom/brother. I was not expecting a spy novel to make me a bit emotional but it did.
The one thing I didn't like was the title. In my opinion the connection to Enigma was not that present to guarantee name the book after it. Yes, Bletchley Park is there and there are some connections with enigma but they are small compared to the storyline.
On a general basis I don't like comparing authors but in this case I understand and to some extent agree with the references to Liesbeth Salander (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) and Mick Herron (Slow Horses). If you enjoyed the latter there is a high chance that you will also enjoy The Enigma Girl. Trigger warnings include violence, murder, death of a parent, rape, and sexual trafficking.
I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to spy novel fans and anyone looking to read a book about a strong female main character. Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC in exchange of my honest review. The Enigma Girl will be published January 28th 2025. #TheEnigmaGirl #NetGalley
Slim Parson is not your usual sexy spy that gathers information by seducing man with her looks. Slim is someone that gets things done by shear determination and never considering what would happen if she fails. However, she is in a bad spot both from her personal and professional life and has to get out of hiding to face the consequences of her actions.
While not being the first thing that comes to mind when anyone reads a book, what I enjoyed the most was the plot structure. Usually you have a small plot and a big plot and both end somewhat at the end with some sort of plot twist around the 80-90% mark. The Enigma Girl is nothing like this. It has a small plot that finishes around half way of the book and the bigger plot ends at the end, which gave me a feeling that I got two stories in one. It made me enjoy the plot lines much more and not feel like a standard cliche spy novel book. Yes, there are some cliches and expected plots here and there, but the structure and way of writing provided a refreshing twist and really pleasant reading experience.
Another pleasant surprise was that the book has a lot of heart besides action. There are a lot of fast-paced action sequences as expected of any spy novel but it also has a lot of deeply personal relationships, in particular between Slim and her mom/brother. I was not expecting a spy novel to make me a bit emotional but it did.
The one thing I didn't like was the title. In my opinion the connection to Enigma was not that present to guarantee name the book after it. Yes, Bletchley Park is there and there are some connections with enigma but they are small compared to the storyline.
On a general basis I don't like comparing authors but in this case I understand and to some extent agree with the references to Liesbeth Salander (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) and Mick Herron (Slow Horses). If you enjoyed the latter there is a high chance that you will also enjoy The Enigma Girl. Trigger warnings include violence, murder, death of a parent, rape, and sexual trafficking.
I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to spy novel fans and anyone looking to read a book about a strong female main character. Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC in exchange of my honest review. The Enigma Girl will be published January 28th 2025. #TheEnigmaGirl #NetGalley
April 25, 2025
This stunning contemporary Spy Thriller has everything an espionage aficionado needs: spot-on Spy craft, a building propulsive Pace and foreboding Tone, supportive visceral London and other British settings, especially Bletchley Park, and an empathetic and resonant primary CH, Slim Parsons, undercover MI5 agent. She is recovering from a traumatic assignment and tending to her alcoholic mother while laying low and assisting on an archeological dig with old friend Dougal when she is pulled back into the service to act as a journalist for the civically-conscious online newspaper Middle Kingdom. Porter’s grasp of undercover operations, journalism, governmental agencies, as well as the criminal activities of money laundering, financial fraud, human trafficking, oligarchs, and political maneuvers enriches the Plot and adds to the Tone and CH development. Details of pubs, gardens, homes, and offices, decoding, AI technology, and journalistic legalities also add to both the familiarity and depth of the Settings and Story Line as the reader goes on this serpentine journey with Slim. The multiple Plot threads come together in both obvious and surprising ways. The other CHs add to the dimension of this book and underscore the themes of sorrow and grief, guilt and revenge, but also loyalty and perseverance. Action scenes are well-designed to be realistic based on what the reader perceives as skills Slim could have and be trained in, even as her CH’s personality evolves, and we fear for her inability to not throw herself into danger, even for a good cause. Slim’s Polish heritage allows the author to explore some interesting Bletchley Park history, her bisexuality provides some sexual tension and humor, and Slim’s houseboat residence is a good location for both Plot, Tone, and Setting. Red Flags: Human Trafficking; Rape; Graphic Violence & Torture; Dog endangerment. This is a financial and spy thriller, and a well-told tale of contemporary espionage issues, as well as a well-crafted ride. I thought often of books by David McCloskey, Jason Matthews, Ava Glass, Alma Katsu, and Tom Bradby, all possible Readalikes.
January 2, 2025
When Henry Porter’s new espionage novel The Enigma Girl opens readers might be forgiven for thinking they have dropped into the middle of an ongoing series. With great economy Porter establishes his main character Slim Parsons, an MI5 agent in disgrace, living with her mother and working on an archaeological dig in Norfolk. So that very quickly readers will be intrigued by Slim’s backstory and hooked on what comes next. Only there are no previous books, and that backstory is both revealed and comes explosively into play in this tense, page-turning novel.
Slim has just come out of a two year undercover mission to expose a British oligarch that resulted in her traumatised and under investigation but with no consequences for the man she was trying to expose. She is brought out of her forced retirement for another undercover operation as a journalist at a regional newspaper which is about to expose government secrets. It turns out that the paper is run by a group of descendants of code breakers from Bletchley Park, an enterprise that Slim’s Polish ancestors, also spies, had some hand in. At the same time, Slim’s mother is in hospital and Slim seeks the help of MI5 to find her estranged brother while the oligarch that she was trying to expose has learnt that she is still alive and is coming for her.
The Enigma Girl is anchored firmly by Slim - her drive, her initiative and her circle of friends and supporters. Slim joins a long line of loveably flawed, intuitive agents, who takes action when she needs to, and pushes for the right outcome even when it might be at her own expense. She is absolutely a character that readers will cheer for and want to see again. That said, surely in 2025 we are beyond books flagging that they have female protagonist by using the world ‘Girl’ in the title.
The Enigma Girl is great domestic espionage fiction, that centres on real world issues of the purchase of influence, government cover ups and the freedom of the press. Porter delivers a plot with plenty of moving parts, dodgy characters and well written action scenes and which also allow him to delve into a really interesting aspect of World War 2 history along the way. But strip that all away and it is the character of Slim Parsons that will keep readers hooked. And while this may not be the latest book in a series, hopefully it is the start of a new one.
Slim has just come out of a two year undercover mission to expose a British oligarch that resulted in her traumatised and under investigation but with no consequences for the man she was trying to expose. She is brought out of her forced retirement for another undercover operation as a journalist at a regional newspaper which is about to expose government secrets. It turns out that the paper is run by a group of descendants of code breakers from Bletchley Park, an enterprise that Slim’s Polish ancestors, also spies, had some hand in. At the same time, Slim’s mother is in hospital and Slim seeks the help of MI5 to find her estranged brother while the oligarch that she was trying to expose has learnt that she is still alive and is coming for her.
The Enigma Girl is anchored firmly by Slim - her drive, her initiative and her circle of friends and supporters. Slim joins a long line of loveably flawed, intuitive agents, who takes action when she needs to, and pushes for the right outcome even when it might be at her own expense. She is absolutely a character that readers will cheer for and want to see again. That said, surely in 2025 we are beyond books flagging that they have female protagonist by using the world ‘Girl’ in the title.
The Enigma Girl is great domestic espionage fiction, that centres on real world issues of the purchase of influence, government cover ups and the freedom of the press. Porter delivers a plot with plenty of moving parts, dodgy characters and well written action scenes and which also allow him to delve into a really interesting aspect of World War 2 history along the way. But strip that all away and it is the character of Slim Parsons that will keep readers hooked. And while this may not be the latest book in a series, hopefully it is the start of a new one.
February 20, 2025
Alice "Slim" Parsons is the tough, courageous, and brash heroine of Henry Porter's "The Enigma Girl," a suspenseful and action-packed spy thriller. Under the alias Sally Latimer, Slim goes undercover for Britain's MI5 to obtain information about the criminal empire of the tyrannical Ivan Guest. Slim becomes Guest's personal assistant, and in the twenty months that she works on the operation, she obtains vital evidence that could bring Guest to justice. However, when the mission is aborted after she and Guest engage in a violent confrontation, she must watch her back for fear of retribution.
The large cast of characters include Slim's troubled mother, Diana, an alcoholic who has been grieving for years over the disappearance of her son; Helen, a compassionate nurse who tends to Diana when she is seriously ill; a host of vicious hoodlums; and Delphy, a woman nearing one hundred, who provides a safe haven for Slim when she desperately needs it. In addition, there is a group of passionate journalists who work for Middle Kingdom, an online news organization. These reporters have published confidential and damaging material about the inner workings of England's government. Slim is sent to spy on them, but instead, she becomes obsessed with taking down a gang of ruthless human traffickers.
This book has obvious shortcomings, most notably the improbability of Slim's surviving one perilous confrontation after another. In addition, it is tedious and challenging to keep track of the novel's numerous subplots. That being said, Porter's underlying themes are thought-provoking and timely. They involve corruption and greed among the rich and powerful, the physical and emotional challenges that espionage agents face, and whether members of the press are justified in using underhanded methods to dig up dirt on prominent individuals. "The Enigma Girl" offers plenty of excitement, but the novel would have profited from some judicious editing.
The large cast of characters include Slim's troubled mother, Diana, an alcoholic who has been grieving for years over the disappearance of her son; Helen, a compassionate nurse who tends to Diana when she is seriously ill; a host of vicious hoodlums; and Delphy, a woman nearing one hundred, who provides a safe haven for Slim when she desperately needs it. In addition, there is a group of passionate journalists who work for Middle Kingdom, an online news organization. These reporters have published confidential and damaging material about the inner workings of England's government. Slim is sent to spy on them, but instead, she becomes obsessed with taking down a gang of ruthless human traffickers.
This book has obvious shortcomings, most notably the improbability of Slim's surviving one perilous confrontation after another. In addition, it is tedious and challenging to keep track of the novel's numerous subplots. That being said, Porter's underlying themes are thought-provoking and timely. They involve corruption and greed among the rich and powerful, the physical and emotional challenges that espionage agents face, and whether members of the press are justified in using underhanded methods to dig up dirt on prominent individuals. "The Enigma Girl" offers plenty of excitement, but the novel would have profited from some judicious editing.
October 7, 2024
3.5* The Enigma Girl - Henry Porter
Slim has dropped off the grid and away from her former employers MI5 since an undercover mission went wrong. Brought back into the fold, she is asked to undertake another deep undercover mission to understand how an online news site is printing material thought to be held secretly at the heart of Government. As Slim struggles with family issues and the pressure leads to her being increasingly cavalier with her own safety, potential corruption at the heart of Government is bubbling to the surface.
This is an enjoyable book but comes with caveats. Like others, it took some time to get into and, even once I was in, there were still periods when the plot and prose dragged. The author says in the acknowledgements that his editor advised him to reduce the words - I suspect it would be a sharper book for the reader if he had gone a lot further with his edits.
The characters, esp Slim, are fun but there are a lot of people and issues to get to grips with, given the number of plotlines. Some are also a stretch on the imagination, such as the nurse looking after Slim's mother and Slim's friend Bridie. As part of the editing, I suspect some of the side-issues could be removed, which would help the pacing of the plot. I also felt that the initial promise of links to Bletchley Park didn't get the spotlight that it might have.
Overall an enjoyable read but it has taken me longer than usual to get to the end.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.
Slim has dropped off the grid and away from her former employers MI5 since an undercover mission went wrong. Brought back into the fold, she is asked to undertake another deep undercover mission to understand how an online news site is printing material thought to be held secretly at the heart of Government. As Slim struggles with family issues and the pressure leads to her being increasingly cavalier with her own safety, potential corruption at the heart of Government is bubbling to the surface.
This is an enjoyable book but comes with caveats. Like others, it took some time to get into and, even once I was in, there were still periods when the plot and prose dragged. The author says in the acknowledgements that his editor advised him to reduce the words - I suspect it would be a sharper book for the reader if he had gone a lot further with his edits.
The characters, esp Slim, are fun but there are a lot of people and issues to get to grips with, given the number of plotlines. Some are also a stretch on the imagination, such as the nurse looking after Slim's mother and Slim's friend Bridie. As part of the editing, I suspect some of the side-issues could be removed, which would help the pacing of the plot. I also felt that the initial promise of links to Bletchley Park didn't get the spotlight that it might have.
Overall an enjoyable read but it has taken me longer than usual to get to the end.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.
Read
October 14, 2024A deep and disturbing story.
"The Enigma Girl" opens with MI5 operative Slim Parsons working on an archaeological dig, having been placed on gardening leave following her previous less-than-successful assignment. Working undercover, with her cover blown, she spent months slowly crossing Europe to get home, avoiding both her enemies and her bosses.
But suddenly she is recalled, having remained on leave longer than she ought, is debriefed and immediately given a nice simple assignment - to infiltrate a news website that's causing concern in Whitehall, having published information that can only have been leaked by an insider. It seems to be staffed by people descended from wartime codebreakers at Bletchley Park. Slim's job is to find out where the information comes from.
But soon Slim is immersed in a dark and complex plot, and a story which unfolds slowly as it deals not just with her assignment but also her personal life. There are quite a few threads to keep track of, and more than a few characters, but as we get deeper into the plot, it's clear Slim has more at stake than she thought. For those interested in Bletchley Park and the work of Alan Turing are in for a treat.
At almost 500 pages, this is a long book, and it could have lost a hundred and still been a fine read. There are several sections where nothing much happens and the prose gets stodgy. Fans of Porter's previous books might find this one a little different, but it's definitely worth reading. Slim is a new and dynamic characters, who we could do with seeing more of. Recommended.
"The Enigma Girl" opens with MI5 operative Slim Parsons working on an archaeological dig, having been placed on gardening leave following her previous less-than-successful assignment. Working undercover, with her cover blown, she spent months slowly crossing Europe to get home, avoiding both her enemies and her bosses.
But suddenly she is recalled, having remained on leave longer than she ought, is debriefed and immediately given a nice simple assignment - to infiltrate a news website that's causing concern in Whitehall, having published information that can only have been leaked by an insider. It seems to be staffed by people descended from wartime codebreakers at Bletchley Park. Slim's job is to find out where the information comes from.
But soon Slim is immersed in a dark and complex plot, and a story which unfolds slowly as it deals not just with her assignment but also her personal life. There are quite a few threads to keep track of, and more than a few characters, but as we get deeper into the plot, it's clear Slim has more at stake than she thought. For those interested in Bletchley Park and the work of Alan Turing are in for a treat.
At almost 500 pages, this is a long book, and it could have lost a hundred and still been a fine read. There are several sections where nothing much happens and the prose gets stodgy. Fans of Porter's previous books might find this one a little different, but it's definitely worth reading. Slim is a new and dynamic characters, who we could do with seeing more of. Recommended.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews