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The Traitor’s Code
Not yet published
Expected 12 Nov 26A secret weapon. A traitor in plain sight. A hidden code.
England, 1940: Farmer John Cook finds his train stopped at gunpoint by men posing as Home Guard officers. As Cook confronts them, two men escape into the surrounding trees, carrying mysterious suitcases.
Lady Margaret is tasked with deploying Land Girls to local farms to aid the war effort. But when one of the new recruits is found dead in the woods, Margaret questions if there is a traitor in their midst...
Cook and Margaret investigate the murder and try to trace the men from the train. They soon begin to connect events with refugee scientists from occupied Europe at work on secret plans to create a weapon to end the war...
Cook and Margaret fight to turn the tide of the war. But can they trust anyone? Or even each other?
England, 1940: Farmer John Cook finds his train stopped at gunpoint by men posing as Home Guard officers. As Cook confronts them, two men escape into the surrounding trees, carrying mysterious suitcases.
Lady Margaret is tasked with deploying Land Girls to local farms to aid the war effort. But when one of the new recruits is found dead in the woods, Margaret questions if there is a traitor in their midst...
Cook and Margaret investigate the murder and try to trace the men from the train. They soon begin to connect events with refugee scientists from occupied Europe at work on secret plans to create a weapon to end the war...
Cook and Margaret fight to turn the tide of the war. But can they trust anyone? Or even each other?
373 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication November 12, 2026
About the author
Stephen Ronson
4 books80 followersStephen Ronson grew up in Sussex, and spent a large part of his childhood exploring the woods and fields around Uckfield, many of which were still dotted with reminders of WW2 - pill boxes, tank traps, nissen huts, and graffiti left by soldiers awaiting D-Day.
He is a passionate student of local history, and when he learnt about Auxiliary Units - groups of men who were instructed to lay low during the predicted nazi invasion and lead the fight back, he knew he had to write about a Sussex farmer, one with a love of the land, and a natural desire and ability to get the job done.
Many of the locations and characters in the John Cook series are inspired by real places and real people. In particular, Stephen was inspired by his grandparents, Eric, Bessie, Peter and Vera, each of whom did their bit on the home front.
He is a passionate student of local history, and when he learnt about Auxiliary Units - groups of men who were instructed to lay low during the predicted nazi invasion and lead the fight back, he knew he had to write about a Sussex farmer, one with a love of the land, and a natural desire and ability to get the job done.
Many of the locations and characters in the John Cook series are inspired by real places and real people. In particular, Stephen was inspired by his grandparents, Eric, Bessie, Peter and Vera, each of whom did their bit on the home front.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Book 4 in the John Cook series is set in Sussex during WWII, and is another terrific read.
A secret weapon, quantum physics, a traitor, and foreign scientists roaming around the countryside in England. The weapon is something that everyone wants to get their hands on, and of course something that they would kill for.
Cook, war veteran and farmer, trained and ready to take on the Germans should they invade, together with Lady Margaret, are tasked with locating the scientists, not the easiest thing, and despite their ‘cozy’ relationship, Cook and Margaret aren’t entirely sure that they can even trust each other.
It’s wonderful when a writer recreates the past with such stunning clarity. Author Stephen Ronson must also have carried out exhaustive research to bring this storyline together, resulting in an atmospheric and exciting read. One of my favourite series.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
A secret weapon, quantum physics, a traitor, and foreign scientists roaming around the countryside in England. The weapon is something that everyone wants to get their hands on, and of course something that they would kill for.
Cook, war veteran and farmer, trained and ready to take on the Germans should they invade, together with Lady Margaret, are tasked with locating the scientists, not the easiest thing, and despite their ‘cozy’ relationship, Cook and Margaret aren’t entirely sure that they can even trust each other.
It’s wonderful when a writer recreates the past with such stunning clarity. Author Stephen Ronson must also have carried out exhaustive research to bring this storyline together, resulting in an atmospheric and exciting read. One of my favourite series.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Traitor’s Code written by author Stephen Ronson. This book was a nice exciting read.
We meet farmer John Cook, an uncover spy in England 1940. One day while on a train there is a commotion then a robbery. Two men escape the train carrying two unmarked suitcases. We then meet Lady Margaret, who is in charge of the Army’s Land Girls. Her girls work on local farms and one of the new recruits was found dead in the woods. Margaret teams up with John Cook to find the train robbers and hopefully the murderer of the Land Girl. While Cook and Margaret investigate the murder and try to trace the men from the train, they quickly realize this was much bigger than either of them suspected. The fate of all of Europe now rested on their shoulders. What happens next will change history forever. #historicalfiction #wwii #worldwartwobooks #kindle #readersofinstagram
We meet farmer John Cook, an uncover spy in England 1940. One day while on a train there is a commotion then a robbery. Two men escape the train carrying two unmarked suitcases. We then meet Lady Margaret, who is in charge of the Army’s Land Girls. Her girls work on local farms and one of the new recruits was found dead in the woods. Margaret teams up with John Cook to find the train robbers and hopefully the murderer of the Land Girl. While Cook and Margaret investigate the murder and try to trace the men from the train, they quickly realize this was much bigger than either of them suspected. The fate of all of Europe now rested on their shoulders. What happens next will change history forever. #historicalfiction #wwii #worldwartwobooks #kindle #readersofinstagram
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The premise of the story sounded interesting but I could not really work out what was going on. I got to about 40% and decided to call it a day.
I’m not sure if it was because the book transpired to be part of a series which I had not been reading or whether it just seemed disjointed, with characters I couldn’t relate to but it really was not the book for me.
I’m normally pretty good about finishing books but I couldn’t motivate myself to carry on with this one.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.
I’m not sure if it was because the book transpired to be part of a series which I had not been reading or whether it just seemed disjointed, with characters I couldn’t relate to but it really was not the book for me.
I’m normally pretty good about finishing books but I couldn’t motivate myself to carry on with this one.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.
September 12, 2026
Solid plot and characters, and a clear love of history and the Sussex area. This is a strong addition to the John Cook series, and I like how it opens things up for a future book.
Two minor niggles - it sometimes jumped around in time a bit, and didn’t clarify how much, so I’d get a little confused. And it ended so abruptly that I actually scrolled up and down in my Kindle copy, checking I wasn’t missing a chapter somewhere! But overall I’d recommend this to anyone who loves WW2 mysteries.
I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.
Two minor niggles - it sometimes jumped around in time a bit, and didn’t clarify how much, so I’d get a little confused. And it ended so abruptly that I actually scrolled up and down in my Kindle copy, checking I wasn’t missing a chapter somewhere! But overall I’d recommend this to anyone who loves WW2 mysteries.
I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
An excfiting story of heavy water smuggled to England by a couple of scientists who would go on to help at Los Alamos. The part about heavy water being smuggled into England is true - it actually ended up at Windsor Castle, but not in this story. The rest is fiction.
Cook and Lady Margaret are asked to find the scientists, the Aunt of one of them and the heavy water. Of course they're not the only ones. The Germans want it - as do the Russians - but who will get to it first. And who is on which side.
A good book about the area I live in - East Sussex - during the Battle of Britain where British ingenuity was used to keep the bombers away from ancient towns.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher I read an advance review copy of the book. This review is unbiased, honest and my own opinion.
Cook and Lady Margaret are asked to find the scientists, the Aunt of one of them and the heavy water. Of course they're not the only ones. The Germans want it - as do the Russians - but who will get to it first. And who is on which side.
A good book about the area I live in - East Sussex - during the Battle of Britain where British ingenuity was used to keep the bombers away from ancient towns.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher I read an advance review copy of the book. This review is unbiased, honest and my own opinion.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I’ve given The Traitor’s Code a fair chance, but unfortunately I’ve decided to DNF at 20%. There’s nothing particularly wrong with the book or the writing, but I found the pacing too slow for my personal taste and struggled to become invested in either the characters or the story.
I enjoyed some of the historical detail and setting, but ultimately I found myself having to push myself to continue reading rather than wanting to pick the book back up. I think this will work much better for readers who enjoy slower-paced, character-led historical fiction, but sadly it just wasn’t the right fit for me.
I enjoyed some of the historical detail and setting, but ultimately I found myself having to push myself to continue reading rather than wanting to pick the book back up. I think this will work much better for readers who enjoy slower-paced, character-led historical fiction, but sadly it just wasn’t the right fit for me.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really love this series! Set in Sussex during WWII, the novels show a different side of the struggle during the war when compared with other novels. Here, the Home Guards are the main characters. Some of them work for the Intelligence Office... In this novel, Cook and Margaret deal with the murder of one friend. Their investigation leads them further than they had imagined: quantum physics, foreign scientists... Whom to trust, who is working for whom? Much action, twists and turns kept me guessing till the conclusion...
What I also particularly enjoy in this gripping series is the fact that the reader learns a lot about the Home Guards on the one hand, and also about the organisation of farming at that time. Very interesting indeed.
A very good read!
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.
What I also particularly enjoy in this gripping series is the fact that the reader learns a lot about the Home Guards on the one hand, and also about the organisation of farming at that time. Very interesting indeed.
A very good read!
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews