Death of a Codebreaker

by Max Folsom

OLD CONSPIRACIES, NEW COLD-BLOODED MURDER

When Darlene Johanson, a young librarian in Ottawa, Ontario, goes missing, private investigator Baker Somerset soon discovers a tangled web that leads her to a decades-old murder. Darlene’s great-aunt Loretta, a World War Two codebreaker, disappeared under mysterious circumstances during wartime, and her niece had been looking into it, uncovering a complex covert operation involving spies and submarines.

When Somerset, a former Scotland Yard detective, realizes the two cases are connected, she is put directly in the path of dangerous neo-Nazi groups and a killer who will stop at nothing to cover up past crimes.

This is the third book in the Baker Somerset series.

295 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 6, 2024

Reviews

[Beth Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one! You can read all of the Baker Somerset series, or jump in like I did! Loved the characters and the mystery!
This is the third in the Baker Somerset series, featuring a female private investigator in Ottawa who uncovers a
cold cases. In this case, she investigates the disappearance of librarian, Darlene Johanson, who is searching for her great-aunt, who was a WWII codebreaker. Somerset and her team connect the disappearance to a modern-day neo-Nazi groups and a killer covering up past crimes.
*Could you read this as a standalone? Yes, although there are references to the first two books, however I loved it all the same.

[David Schoorens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just finished another in the series of crime novels by Max Folsom, Death of a Codebreaker. I am happy to report with each story I am enjoying more and more her main character, Baker Somerset. A former Scotland Yard detective now working as a private investigator in Ottawa, it is through Baker that the reader can enjoy the intricacies of her cases, her at times quicky supporting characters and Ottawa police techniques. I especially enjoy the details of Ottawa itself, lending a feeling of familiarity with a city I’ve never seen before. Though Baker’s case is set in the present day, Death of a Codebreaker offers a wonderful connection to Ottawa during the days of World War II and German U-boats operating around the Maritimes.
An easy read that will satisfy any lover of detective fiction. Get it!

[DonnaRae Menard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. You're going to love it! Max did a great job, I only found one what the? But a whole lot of OMG!!

[S R · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met the author Max Folsom at the Vermont holiday Market in Dec 2024. We had a lovely conversation about the books and inspiration, and fabulous green eyeglasses both square and round. I was glad to support a local author by buying the book at the market.

The book Death of a Codebreaker was a delightful read. Endearing characters. Fast moving. Relatively “clean” language free of swears and no gore. Unexpected twists and turns to keep you turning the pages and sad when the story ends. Well done Max Folsom! Keep on writing please!

[Eugenia Parrish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neo-Nazis and a mysterious great-aunt! A wonderful tangled mystery.

[Max Folsom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not on Kindle. It's a paperbook, or ebook at this point.