Popular highlights in this book

However hopeless the situation, the rule was always to do something. No cryptogram, Alan Turing used to say, was ever solved by simply staring at it.
Highlighted by 104 Kindle readers
‘If all one wants is a reflection of oneself – well, honestly, there’s always the mirror.’
Highlighted by 93 Kindle readers
By dawn he had surrendered, gratefully, to the old inertia, the product of always seeing both sides of every question.
Highlighted by 86 Kindle readers

Product description

From the Inside Flap

TE AND SAVVY . . . BRIMS WITH WARTIME INTRIGUE."
--The Washington Post Book World
England 1943. Much of the infamous Nazi Enigma code has been cracked. But Shark, the impenetrable operational cipher used by Nazi U-boats, has masked the Germans' movements, allowing them to destroy a record number of Allied vessels. Feeling that the blood of Allied sailors is on their hands, a top-secret team of British cryptographers works feverishly around the clock to break Shark. And when brilliant mathematician Tom Jericho succeeds, it is the stuff of legend. . . .
"A TENSE AND THOUGHTFUL THRILLER."
--San Francisco Chronicle
Until the unthinkable happens: the Germans have somehow learned that Shark has been cracked. And they've changed the code. . . .
"SUSPENSEFUL AND FASCINATING."
--The Orlando Sentinel
As an Allied convoy crosses the U-boat infested North Atlantic . . . as Jericho's ex-lover Claire disappears amid accusations that she is a N

From the Back Cover

"LITERATE AND SAVVY . . . BRIMS WITH WARTIME INTRIGUE."
--The Washington Post Book World
England 1943. Much of the infamous Nazi Enigma code has been cracked. But Shark, the impenetrable operational cipher used by Nazi U-boats, has masked the Germans' movements, allowing them to destroy a record number of Allied vessels. Feeling that the blood of Allied sailors is on their hands, a top-secret team of British cryptographers works feverishly around the clock to break Shark. And when brilliant mathematician Tom Jericho succeeds, it is the stuff of legend. . . .
"A TENSE AND THOUGHTFUL THRILLER."
--San Francisco Chronicle
Until the unthinkable happens: the Germans have somehow learned that Shark has been cracked. And they've changed the code. . . .
"SUSPENSEFUL AND FASCINATING."
--The Orlando Sentinel
As an Allied convoy crosses the U-boat infested North Atlantic . . . as Jericho's ex-lover Claire disappears amid accusations that she is a Nazi collaborator . . . as Jericho strains his last resources to break Shark again, he cannot escape the ultimate truth: There is a traitor among them. . . .
"GRIPPING . . . CAPTIVATING ."
--New York Daily News
"ELEGANTLY RESEARCHED . . . Readers will find themselves perfectly placed to experience one of Britain's finest hours."
--People
"SATISFYING . . . Harris does a crackerjack job here, playing his characters' lives off historical events in surprising ways."
--Entertainment Weekly
"SUSPENSEFUL . . . FIENDISHLY CLEVER."
--Detroit Free Press

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0804115486
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ballantine Books; Paperback edition (1 Oct. 1996)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780804115483
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0804115483
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.59 x 2.03 x 17.09 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 2,551,628 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 17,882 in Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue
- 28,965 in War Story Fiction
- 170,676 in Contemporary Fiction (Books)

Customer reviews:
6,896 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Robert Harris

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Robert Harris is the author of Pompeii, Enigma, and Fatherland. He has been a television correspondent with the BBC and a newspaper columnist for the London Sunday Times and The Daily Telegraph. His novels have sold more than ten million copies and been translated into thirty languages. He lives in Berkshire, England, with his wife and four children.

Customer reviews

6,896 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Review this product

Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book an enjoyable read with an interesting story and realistic portrayal of life in 1940s wartime Britain. They are thoroughly involved with the plot and characters, finding it engaging and exciting. The writing quality is praised as excellent, with vivid descriptions and insight into the subject matter. Readers appreciate the well-crafted characters and believable hero. Overall, they describe the book as a great, steady read with barely any dull moments.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

Readability Story quality Intrigue Writing quality Insight Believable characters Pacing Pace

184 customers mention ‘Readability’184 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it an interesting and engaging read with few dull moments. The book is well-written and gripping, providing an informative experience.

"What a great read. Based in the second world war, the story of enigma and the work at Bletchley Park is well documented...." Read more

"...Poetic license, I suppose. All in all a perfectly acceptable book but, if you have not yet read Harris, there are better ones to choose." Read more

"Actually a really good read. Sometimes the plot seemed a little elaborate whereas actually maybe the historical detail could have been expanded...." Read more

"...Tells a well known story, well written and enjoyable read. But did not warm to the characters and lengthy sections on code breaking...." Read more

152 customers mention ‘Story quality’127 positive25 negative

Customers find the story engaging. They appreciate the realistic portrayal of life in 1940s wartime Britain and the historical detail. The plot is complex with many twists and turns that keep the pages turning. Readers describe the book as an immersive thriller with a human and personal spy story.

"...The story itself is well told and engaging and I raced through the book in a week or so...." Read more

"...In essence, the book is a story of patriotism, love and betrayal set in blacked out Bletchley in the context of a team trying to break the codes of..." Read more

"Kindle version is 454 pages. Tells a well known story, well written and enjoyable read...." Read more

"...I was thoroughly involved with the plot and the characters and would recommend this book as a good story with an important historical background." Read more

76 customers mention ‘Intrigue’61 positive15 negative

Customers find the book engaging and exciting. They say it captures their imagination and interest from start to finish. The story is well-told and addictive, perfect for anyone interested in WWII espionage. It vividly portrays the wartime atmosphere and characters.

"...The story itself is well told and engaging and I raced through the book in a week or so...." Read more

"...A highly recommended, immersive, well-written and intellectually stimulating page-turner...." Read more

"...in Britain's survival in the last World War, and have captured my imagination and interest...." Read more

"...in the world of codes and code breaking, this book kept me spellbound from start to finish...." Read more

75 customers mention ‘Writing quality’70 positive5 negative

Customers find the book well-written and easy to read. They appreciate the excellent descriptions and vivid portrayal of wartime hardships. The book is well-documented and includes sufficient technical details to bring the events to life.

"...world war, the story of enigma and the work at Bletchley Park is well documented. This book really makes you feel like you were there...." Read more

"I am unaware of a book by this author that is bad. Harris knows how to write, and his research is so meticulous that he sounds like an authority on..." Read more

"Kindle version is 454 pages. Tells a well known story, well written and enjoyable read...." Read more

"...non mathmaticians like me needn't be put off because it is not dwelt upon in detail and the technicalities of building the decoding machines is..." Read more

57 customers mention ‘Insight’57 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides a good insight into Bletchley Park and the codebreakers. They appreciate the author's thorough research and the interesting subject matter. The story is well-paced and the pace is on point.

"...the characters and storyline were quite believable and fitted in with events of the time...." Read more

"...Harris knows how to write, and his research is so meticulous that he sounds like an authority on every subject he tackles...." Read more

"...reality for it to appear an authentic possibility; to be educative, informative and clear about the technology without either sending this reader to..." Read more

"...sacrifices in this book to give those with no knowledge a good insight and hopefully also capture their interest as well...." Read more

34 customers mention ‘Believable characters’30 positive4 negative

Customers enjoy the book's believable characters. They find the hero interesting, and the book is engaging.

"...While of course a work of fiction, the characters and storyline were quite believable and fitted in with events of the time...." Read more

"...Harris creates two wonderful leading characters, who come into conflict and into a working accord with each other – Tom Jericho himself and the..." Read more

"...Ingeniously constructed characters and plot." Read more

"...The characters and their actions are believable if not a little over egged, a baddie, a goodie, a romance, a spy and sacrifice with occasional..." Read more

25 customers mention ‘Pacing’25 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pacing and quality. They appreciate the well-crafted characters and seamless weaving of a brilliant thriller around the activities of the spy organization. The author weaves fact and fiction seamlessly, weaving together fact and fiction with skill. Readers praise the author's versatility and ability to create intricately crafted but completely page-turning stories.

"...It is a good yarn, but not a great one...." Read more

"Robert Harris has, with enormous skill, seamlessly woven a brilliant thriller around the activities of the code breakers and support personnel at..." Read more

"...of the historical importance, events, urgency and individual sacrifices in this book to give those with no knowledge a good insight and hopefully..." Read more

"Absolutely lived up to ecpectation...." Read more

22 customers mention ‘Pace’13 positive9 negative

Customers have different views on the book's pacing. Some find it fast-paced and engaging, with an urgency to the story. Others feel the story is slow at times and contains a lot of waffle.

"A pacey, political thriller packed with accurate historical detail and told with a master storyteller's flair...." Read more

"...been intelligent and it does turn into a thriller eventually - but it's slow and boring...." Read more

"...author has captured sufficient of the historical importance, events, urgency and individual sacrifices in this book to give those with no knowledge..." Read more

"...This I personally thought took to long to get going and was very detailed at first in regards to Enigma...." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.

Bluenose Mike
A great read - based on a incredible period of history
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 December 2015
Verified Purchase

What a great read. Based in the second world war, the story of enigma and the work at Bletchley Park is well documented. This book really makes you feel like you were there. Having been fortunate enough to visit Bletchley the book captures the atmosphere and surroundings of that time. The story itself is well told and engaging and I raced through the book in a week or so. While of course a work of fiction, the characters and storyline were quite believable and fitted in with events of the time. I haven't read much by Harris before but I found the book easy to read and a real page turner. I would highly recommend for anyone with an interest in the work of military intelligence, enigma or the second world war.

Read more

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Report
millhall
Coded treachery.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 January 2017
Verified Purchase
I am unaware of a book by this author that is bad. Harris knows how to write, and his research is so meticulous that he sounds like an authority on every subject he tackles. I consider his Cicero trilogy to be his finest academic achievement but even with that potentially dull biography he contrived to weave a very readable series of 3 books. He does the same in Enigma. So many will have seen the film about the life of Alan Turing, that many may think there is no need to read this book. Yet Harris scarcely mentions Turing and tells his own tale. The mathematical complexities are considerable, but there is no real need to understand them to enjoy the book. In essence, the book is a story of patriotism, love and betrayal set in blacked out Bletchley in the context of a team trying to break the codes of the German Enigma machine. It is a good yarn, but not a great one. Some of the twists are scarcely plausible and the ending is hinted at in earlier chapters, so does not come as a total surprise. Some details surprised me. For such a meticulous author, I was amazed that at least twice he seems to identify nighttime by the sudden flight of a "white owl." Strange. I even found at least two grammatical errors. Poetic license, I suppose.
All in all a perfectly acceptable book but, if you have not yet read Harris, there are better ones to choose.

Read more

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Redrag
Pacy and full of interest
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 August 2024
Verified Purchase
Actually a really good read. Sometimes the plot seemed a little elaborate whereas actually maybe the historical detail could have been expanded. But it was really enjoyable and I learned a lot.

Read more

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Report
x0/AB\x0
Enjoyable, well written but didn't warm to the characters.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 March 2022
Verified Purchase
Kindle version is 454 pages.
Tells a well known story, well written and enjoyable read.
But did not warm to the characters and lengthy sections on code breaking.
Other Robert Harris books are recommended as good reads.
Other similar authors you could try include Ken Follett, John le Carre'.

Read more

Helpful

Report
P. Brun
A thought provoking read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 August 2013
Verified Purchase
I did not take very long to read this book because it was well enough written that I could read for long periods and then wanted to get back to carry on reading again. I was born as the war started so can remember a little of what rationing and coupons was all about and this book brought out the day to day wartime living conditions in England very well. Because of this I could well believe the account of what the life and tensions in Bletchley was like. Mathmatics is part of the story of course but non mathmaticians like me needn't be put off because it is not dwelt upon in detail and the technicalities of building the decoding machines is dealt with sufficiently for the reader to be aware that it was a challenge but in no way baffles with science. I was thoroughly involved with the plot and the characters and would recommend this book as a good story with an important historical background.

Read more

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Lady Fancifull
Breaking the code in cracking fashion!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 September 2016
Verified Purchase
Robert Harris’ Enigma succeeds on all the counts I had for it – an absorbing, immersive, thriller; one which though a fiction had enough basis in reality for it to appear an authentic possibility; to be educative, informative and clear about the technology without either sending this reader to sleep, refusing to grapple with the nuts and bolts, or employing the implausible devices bad writers use to educate their readers. And, more than this, I wanted the combination of frantic need to turn pages with a wonderfully structured narrative, interesting characters and, above all admirable writing!

Harris delivers all – not to mention twists I didn’t see coming but, once they occurred I rather hit my forehead wondering how I could have NOT suspected and predicted them. Those are the very best twists – not ones which are just rather crude writerly devices, but twists which make complete sense AND are missed by the reader – particularly in a book which in the end is about a top secret mission, so every character in the book is rather in the dark on the whole picture, and those that aren’t in the dark are doing their level best to cover their own tracks! Twisty, turny puzzles and a mounting sense of urgency are the background of the real story and setting – Bletchley Park and the cracking of the Enigma code in World War Two – which Harris constructs his wonderful fiction around

It is 1943. Alan Turing is not, at this point, in Bletchley Park, but is in America (he assisted in the construction of the famous ‘bombes’ used to crack the codes, for Bell Labs in the States from November 42 to March 43) This ‘absence’ of the known, real figure gives Harris the novelist freedom to keep known and major history in place but have a different cast of characters, without the problems involved in creating untruthful fictions out of real lives

His central character, Tom Jericho, is a young Cambridge mathematician, one of those recruited as one of the Bletchley code-breakers. Jericho is presently back in Cambridge, having suffered some kind of break-down through overwork during an earlier, intense time at Bletchley. He has been sent back to recuperate.

Jericho, one of Turing’s students, has been instrumental in a major decoding operation. It’s not only the stress of working against deadlines to crack the codes used by German U Boats as they targeted Allied shipping which caused Jericho’s breakdown, but a love affair gone wrong.

Inexplicably to those at Bletchley, the Germans suddenly and dramatically change their known patterns of coding. With America about to send fleets of ships, containing supplies to Britain, and U Boats patrolling the sea lanes, it is essential that the codes are re-broken, and Jericho is summoned back to Bletchley, where he half longs to be and half dreads to be, not least because of the pain of the ending of his love affair.

Harris absolutely winds up, tighter and ever tighter, a feverish atmosphere, - working against a dreadfully ticking clock as the likelihood of U Boats finding the American fleet increases, hour by hour. Britain in blackout, edible food increasingly rationed, and dreadful moral calls always lurking – if codes are cracked, how far and how quickly can the Allies save immediate lives in danger, against the fact that such actions will alert Germany to the fact codes have been cracked and lead to radical changes again. And what caused the sudden previous change anyway? Something is not quite right at Bletchley Park…..

This is a brilliant thriller, and Harris looks at wider considerations than just the urgency of code-cracking during the war. It also has much to reveal about class politics, gender politics and the sometimes uneasy relationship between Britain and America, linked to Britain’s class-conscious society. Many of the people who came to Bletchley or were recruited into the Secret Services were old-guard, boys-club, those who had come from the ‘best’ public school backgrounds, into the ‘best Universities, and were ‘people like us’ But the war also needed people ‘not like us’ who had the requisite skills in cryptanalysis, the kind of mathematical ability and conceptional thinking which this needed, who might have gone to the ‘best’ Universities on those merits. And there might be others, ‘not like us’ at all in fact, alien to the whole old boy network – women – who might also have the kinds of minds for the work.

Bletchley Park recruited many women, and certainly some of them must have been hugely frustrated by being utilised well below their intellectual abilities, confined to less demanding, more lowly (but necessary) clerical tasks, simply due to gender. Some of the women would have had sharper, more astute minds for the work than some of their male section heads. And equally undoubtedly the power differentials between men-in-charge and women in lowlier positions would also have been used and abused.

Harris creates two wonderful leading characters, who come into conflict and into a working accord with each other – Tom Jericho himself and the understandably resentful, bitter, highly intelligent Hester Wallace, the house-mate of his lost love, the impeccably upper-class Claire Romilly. It is quite refreshing to see a complex, layered relationship of trust, distrust, dislike, respect and understanding between a male and female, which has nothing to do with a sexual relationship between them, explored.

By all accounts the less than satisfying sounding film-of-the-book did an unnecessary sex-up. The film maker, or possibly eyes-on-the-bucksters of raising finances, took the decision to create a love-interest between Jericho and Hester, thus negating the more interesting dynamic which understands that not every male/female relationship needs sex as its glue.

A highly recommended, immersive, well-written and intellectually stimulating page-turner. It had me reading far too late into the night, and waking far too early before dawn to pick up again and read further

Read more

30 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Client Amazon
Superb
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 February 2025
Verified Purchase
A pacey, political thriller packed with accurate historical detail and told with a master storyteller's flair. Ingeniously constructed characters and plot.

Read more

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Report
CavanM
A strong tale giving a good insight into the breaking of WW2 “Enigma incryption”
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 October 2023
Verified Purchase
Well written and gripping reading but requires full concentration to follow the intricacies of the plot.

Read more

Helpful

Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

rbnn
Enthralling, intriguing, hard to put down (spoilers)
Reviewed in the United States on 15 December 2009
Verified Purchase

NOTE: This review contains major spoilers! Do not read the review until you have read the book.

Well-crafted, deftly constructed, persuasive mystery from Robert Harris, as usual combining his signature ability to make historical events come alive, sympathetic and richly drawn characters, skillful writing and pacing.

Hard to fault the book, whose structure, by the way, is intended to mimic the Enigma itself, with its wheels within wheels giving new meaning to strings of symbols, each wheel here being a new configuration or interpretation of some character's motivation.

Some excellent descriptions of the mental exercise of cryptanalysis, and of problem-solving generally. I recommend by the way Michael Chabon's novel "Final Solution" as well for its insight into mathematicians' psyches.

Wonderful touches on life in the English countryside during the war, and in Bletchley generally, having the ring of authenticity and the warmth of humanism and humor.

Some plot points, unfortunately, I found implausible.

(1) No very good reason was provided for Puck to have to get a gun, much less to steal one, which only increases the risk to him.

(2) No reason for Edward to have been told so much about Claire. His story contradicts himself - he would have been left out of the loop entirely, it seems to me.

(3) The purpose of Claire's supposed security status seemed very unclear to me. All she actually did was disrupt the life of Bletchley's best cryptanalyst, namely Jericho, and cause a huge security risk to Puck. Surely she could have made up to Jericho once the effect of her breakup on his psyche was clear. The plan of having a dalliance with Jericho, then breaking his heart, seems designed to minimize his effectiveness.

(4) The book argues that Puck could not killed Claire (reasoned Tom) because he was under surveillance; but if true, all the harder it would have been to have carried out the scheme he actually did.

(5) Hard to believe Tom's insight about the fourth rotor not being used at the beginning was really as amazing as presented. Seems like the first thing they'd do is try a 3-rotor solution. But here, maybe I am not fully grasping something, so I doubt this criticism is valid.

Nevertheless, the way the book evokes so powerfully a remarkable time and place, with its intersection of cultures - Victorian England and modern England; Russia and Germany; paper and computer; past and present; individualism and society; is unforgettable.

Read more
Report
BJM
Wartime Thriller
Reviewed in Australia on 22 October 2018
Verified Purchase
Immensely well written thriller based in Bletchley Park. Believable characters, plot twists, u-boat drama in the North Atlantic. Keeps the reader enthralled throughout. Harris is a first class writer and the book resonates strongly 23 years after publication.

Read more
Report
Eliot
Enigma
Reviewed in France on 19 April 2012
Verified Purchase
Facile à lire*, plus difficile à suivre dans la complexité des faits qui rend compte de celle de l'époque. On a l'impression d'y être . Impressionnant!

*Je l'ai lu sur Kindle où le dictionnaire intégré facilite énormément les choses, fini le transport des dicos et la recherche ennuyeuse des définitions. Sans compter qu'on y allait à l'économie, en perdant une partie du sens , tant c'était fastidieux.
Un seul regret sur le Kindle: qu'on ne puisse pas prêter les livres qu'on a achetés, autrement qu'au compte goutte: un vrai rationnement qui nuit à l'image de la tablette
Levez nous cet interdit s'il vous plait et on achètera encore plus!

Read more
Report
Translate review to English
Chicco
Bello
Reviewed in Italy on 7 November 2020
Verified Purchase
Un gran bel libro. Spero che altri lo compreranno e lo leggeranno. Leggete e studiate così in futuro non voterete salvini

Read more
Report
Translate review to English
Docker
第二次大戦中のドイツ軍の暗号解読に絡むサスペンス
Reviewed in Japan on 19 January 2003
Verified Purchase
第二次大戦中、イギリス軍は多数の科学者を集め、ドイツ軍の暗号エニグマの解読に全力を上げていた。その結果、この小説の主人公Jerichoの貢献により、一旦はU-ボートで使われる最強の暗号Sharkの解読に成功したのだが､突然また解読不能の状態になってしまう。このような状況下、神経衰弱のため一時現場を離れていたJerichoは再び呼び戻され、暗号解読に取り組むが、彼は元恋人がスパイ行為をしているのではないかという疑念をもち、危険を顧みず真相解明に取り組んでいく。
登場人物は仮想のものだが、エニグマ暗号に関する記述は事実に基づいており、単なるサスペンス小説ではなく、第二次大戦中の情報戦争に関するノンフィクション的な要素もある。この種の話題に興味を持つ読者にはお勧めの作品である。ストーリーはテンポが速く、最後まで一気に読ませてくれる。また、真相もなかなか見えず、結末の展開も意外性があってよい。同じ作者によるFatherlandと同様、近代史をテーマにしたサスペンスの秀作と言える。なお､エニグマ暗号については、種々のHPで紹介されており、エニグマ暗号機の写真があるほか、その動作をパソコン上でシミュレートできるので、あらかじめ見ておくと本書の理解に大いに役立つ。英語の難しさは中程度。

Read more
Report
Translate review to English

See more reviews

Follow the author

Enigma Mass Market Paperback – 1 Oct. 1996

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Product description

From the Inside Flap

From the Back Cover

About the Author

Product details

About the author

Robert Harris

Customer reviews

Review this product

Customers say

Select to learn more

Images in this review

Top reviews from United Kingdom

There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling, intriguing, hard to put down (spoilers)

5.0 out of 5 stars Wartime Thriller

5.0 out of 5 stars Enigma

4.0 out of 5 stars Bello

5.0 out of 5 stars 第二次大戦中のドイツ軍の暗号解読に絡むサスペンス

Amazon Music

AbeBooks

ACX

Veeqo

Amazon Web Services

Audible

Goodreads

Amazon Home Services

IMDb

Kindle Direct Publishing

Shopbop

Amazon Resale

Amazon Business

Enthralling, intriguing, hard to put down (spoilers)

Wartime Thriller

Enigma

Bello

第二次大戦中のドイツ軍の暗号解読に絡むサスペンス