A Portrait of Loyalty

The deeply spiritual third installment of White’s The Codebreakers series (after On Wings of Devotion) features a romance between a Russian cryptographer and an English photographer amid the destruction of WWI. Lily Blackwell, 23, leads a double life: most people know her as a nurse’s aide and the dutiful daughter of a navy captain doing her best to assist in England’s war effort. But she’s also a skilled photographer and photo manipulator who works for the government’s propaganda operations. Devoutly religious Russian cryptographer and intelligence officer Zivon Marin has been loyal to the czar’s regime, but is forced to flee his homeland with his brother as the Bolshevik revolution takes hold. He flees to England and ends up working for British government intelligence, where he’s introduced to Lily. As they embark on a relationship, Zivon fears secrets from his past will tear them apart and perhaps destroy his faith. Lily also faces doubts about her work trying to dupe German intelligence and the toll it exacts on the innocent when their efforts provoke more intensive German bombings. White’s smooth flowing narrative and resonant themes of misinformation and social upheaval will draw readers in to this glowing love story. Agent: Karen Ball, the Steve Laube Agency. (Sept.)