Wink, Murder: A Bletchley Park Mystery
London, April 1942. Mary Clark’s gift for learning languages has made her an invaluable asset in the secret world of Bletchley Park. Sent reluctantly to Bedford, she attends top-secret Japanese lessons and is introduced to her American study partner, Spencer. A natural linguist, observer and organiser, Mary is ideal for wartime intelligence work and is summoned back to Bletchley to receive orders to be covertly placed as a waitress in the opulent surroundings of The Ritz hotel, London.
This is the third delightful book in the series, and although standalone, it does link to the earlier books. Mary’s mixed Jamaican and British heritage reveal that her life is affected by blatant racism and sexism in 1940s Britain. This is also reflected in the experiences of her sister through letters received, but Mary cannot respond in kind, revealing the dangers and discrimination she faces.
The story is gripping. The lovely interplay between Spencer and Mary is humorous and shows the difference in American and British English, which gives the story lighter moments at a very dark time in our history post Pearl Harbour. The Bletchley children had to learn to keep secrets, even from their own families, and to ‘trust no one’ as national security is threatened. Innovative technology, such as ‘the secret listeners’, is introduced.
Historical events and real-life characters are slipped in effortlessly, which make excellent discussion points as to their significance in history or to the story. The Blitz, rationing and the distrust of foreigners add to this. The absolute horror of air raids is graphically described using all the senses to bring the reality of war into the reader’s imagination. An excellent resource for 9+ year-olds studying World War II.
