The Traitor Beside Her

By: Mary Anna Evans

Narrated by: Kimberly M. Wetherell

Justine Byrne can't trust the people working beside her. She can't trust the women who live down the hall. She can't even trust the man in front of her, and she just might love him.

Inside the walls of Arlington Hall, a former women's college in Virginia that has been taken over by the United States Army, hundreds of men and women sit, bent over stacks of paper. Pencils in hand, they labor to decode countless pieces of communication coming from the Axis powers. Justine works among them, handling the most sensitive secrets of World War II. But she isn't there to decipher German codes. She's there to find a traitor.

It's difficult for Justine to imagine any of the cryptanalysts as a spy. They are some of the most brilliant people in America—and some of the most eccentric—and they understand the stakes: a single secret in enemy hands could end thousands of lives. Someone has decided to share the Allies' secrets anyway. Justine keeps her guard up and her ears open, confiding only in her best friend, Georgette, a fluent speaker of Choctaw who is training to work as a code talker.

Justine tries to befriend each suspect, believing that the key to finding the spy lies not in cryptography but in understanding how code breakers tick. A frightening attack is her first clue that someone is onto her, making it clear that, along with fighting to save her country, Justine is racing a ticking clock counting down the seconds of her own life.

©2023 Mary Anna Evans (P)2023 Dreamscape Media

What stands out is the author's total ignorance

Not a shred of what Ms Evans'
writes about spycraft, cryptanalysis or training bears any resemblance to reality. Characters are staid, static, 2-dimensional. I made it to chapter 11 (of 26) before the generally awful writing made it impossible to continue. There are thousands of excellent books (fiction and nonfiction) about WWII; don't waste your time or credit on this one.

Seemed so basic/simple. Tedious

Very simply written. Narration seemed to go with writing - very amateur. Just kept hoping to get it done. Not sure deserves even 3 stars.

Don’t fake a Southern accent!

I enjoyed the book, and the narrator would have been ok if she had left off the Southern accent. She not only drawled too much, but threw in poor grammar, although the character was supposed to be intelligent and in a position to know better. You can’t fake a Southern accent. Even actors don’t do it that well. And- a particular pet peeve of mine- don’t use a Southern accent to show stupidity! … I really had to turn off the book and take breaks. Just- be warned.

Informative and intriguing!

Well written with interesting characters. This book gives insight into some of the challenges faced during the second world war, with regard to the spy networks and extreme difficulties, faced by this country, and by allies. Anyone who enjoys World War II history will love this book, as I did.

Spellbinding

Mary Anna Evans is a new author to me, and I will definitely be reading more. Great characters and a gripping plot.