Author, Compulsively Readable Thrillers
It was fortuitous that I visited Bletchley Park at the same time as The Imitation Game is in theaters, because parts of the movie were actually shot there. The production crew meticulously recreated several sets, and even better, left them up after the shoot. I’m not sure if they will be a permanent fixture, but I thought … Read more
The sine qua non of the war effort at Bletchley Park was the need to break the German Enigma machine. The Enigma was basically a mechanical cipher machine that was used by every German military (and some civilian) sectors to transmit messages about troop movements, bombings, battle plans, Uboats, and other German war tactics. The … Read more
Those of you who know more than I do about codebreaking (and that’s likely most of you reading this) know this already. But I didn’t, so for myself and others who don’t, there are six basic steps to codebreaking, as practiced in Bletchley Park during the War. The signage at Bletchley explains: “If you can … Read more
As the war progressed, so did the work at Bletchley, particularly after Alan Turing developed the Ultra. And all in total secrecy. It’s amazing to think that over 10,000 people worked at Bletchley over the war years, but no one knew. The secrecy was impenetrable — something that would probably be impossible today. And it … Read more
Most of you you know I’m a former film and video producer as well as a history addict, particularly periods of history that are fraught with conflict. I was lucky enough to visit Bletchley Park in the UK over the holidays, and, of course, I took dozens of photos which I’ll organize and post in … Read more
As some of you know, World War Two has always called to me, and the research I did for An Incidental Spy was a journey of discovery into the creative ways spies communicated with each other and their spymasters. Here in the US, well before we joined the war, Nazi spies were active on our … Read more
With a world of exciting, mysterious and historic locations to write about, I’m often asked where I’ll set my next story. Happily, there are plenty of places on my agenda, and if I write a caper novel, which I’m considering btw, I might have even more places to discover. For now, though, here are my … Read more
It’s all Miss Lear’s fault. Linda Lear was my history teacher when I was a senior in high school. I was in Advanced Placement US history at a small girl’s school in Washington DC, with maybe 15 girls in the class. I had already taken European history as a junior, and I enjoyed it a … Read more
I was so busy talking about Bletchley Park last week that I totally forgot to post pics from London and Surrey. It’s never too late to enjoy the Holidays. Even when they’re over. I missed Carnaby Street and Hyde Park…must go back and catch them next year. And yes that’s … Read more
Tucked away behind the stairs to the former radio tower at Bletchley Park is a tiny museum with all sorts of artifacts, clothing, books, toys, and supplies that the average British family would have used or needed during the war. I thought you might like to see a small selection of what was there. In … Read more