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Robert Harris
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Enigma: A Novel Mass Market Paperback – September 1, 1996

by Robert Harris (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 6,291 ratings
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"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
Previous page
  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Ballantine Books
  4. Publication date
    September 1, 1996
  5. Dimensions
    4.22 x 0.82 x 6.76 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9780804115483
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0804115483
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A gripping World War II mystery novel with a cryptographic twist, Enigma's hero is Tom Jericho, a brilliant British mathematician working as a member of the team struggling to crack the Nazi Enigma code. Jericho's own struggles include nerve-wracking mental labor, the mysterious disappearance of a former girlfriend, the suspicions of his co-workers within the paranoid high-security project, and the certainty that someone close to him, perhaps the missing girl, is a Nazi spy. The plot is pure fiction but the historical background, Alan Turing's famous wartime computing project that cracked the German U-boat communications code, is real and accurately portrayed. Enigma is convincingly plotted, forcefully written, and filled with well drawn characters; in short, it's everything a good technomystery should be.

From Publishers Weekly

Set during WWII, Harris's latest thriller concerns the British attempt to crack the Nazis' secret codes.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0804115486
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ballantine Books (September 1, 1996)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780804115483
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0804115483
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.22 x 0.82 x 6.76 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 6,291 ratings

About the author

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Robert Harris

Robert Harris

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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

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
6,291 global ratings
Passionate, Personal Writing...WELL WRITTEN
5 Stars
Passionate, Personal Writing...WELL WRITTEN
A well written, heartfelt, personal journey that is a quick read yet fulfilling in energizing my true Trinity...the mind, body and soul. GREAT BOOK!!!
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Top reviews from the United States

rbnn
5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling, intriguing, hard to put down (spoilers)
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2009
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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.
2 people found this helpful
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Craig MACKINNON
4.0 out of 5 stars The enigma of the Enigma-breakers
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2008
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RObert Harris has made a good living crafting thrillers out of significant historical events. Pompeii takes place as the volcano is about to bury the eponymous city in lava. Fatherland poses the question of how a victorious Nazi Germany would supress news of the Holocaust. Enigma uses less obvious but still vitally important event - the codebreakers of Bletchley Park, who kept Britain in WWII by reading submarine dispatches (encoded on the Enigma machine) and diverting Allied convoys around them. Harris sets the book Enigma during the largest convoy battle of the war - the battle of convoys HX-229 and SC-122, attacked by a Wolfpack of over 40 U-Boats - and the codebreakers' attempt to use the signals from the battle to break into the Enigma code. Harris does a very clever thing - using the decoding attempts as an opportunity to explain cryptography, the Enigma machine, the development of the first computers, and even commentary on the collapse of the class system in Britain during the War.

But the convoy battle simply serves as the background for the main story. Cryptanalyst Thomas Jericho has been involved with a woman who mysteriously disappears. Jericho and the girl's housemate set out to solve the mystery, which appears to be related to some mysterious unbroken cryptograms from the Ukrainian front. What is the subject of the cryptograms? Is there someone inside Bletchley feeding information to the Nazis? Is the missing girl a traitor or a victim of circumstance?

The story is an efficient and taught thriller, seamlessly interweaving historical facts with the fictional mystery story. I'm not sure if someone totally unfamiliar with the Enigma machine and codebreaking would follow the cryptanalytical aspects of the story - certainly those that have seen an Enigma machine (e.g. in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry) or who understands statistics would be ahead in the game. I suppose it's unlikely those that haven't or don't would pick up this book in the first place.

Certainly, this story is vintage Harris, and every bit as enjoyable as Fatherland, Pompeii, etc. The characters are interesting enough, but the real treat is the immersion into the paradoxical life of the intellegence agent - how do you use the information gained without compromising the source?
4 people found this helpful
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Carol Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars This author takes the reader’s mind on a vivid tour of love, pain
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2018
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If you have not heard of Carolyn Smith, you will, because she is a literary genius whose work touches a varied of subjects. This author takes the reader’s mind on a vivid tour of love, pain, grief, innocence, self-worth, betrayal, empowerment, insecurities, friendship, injustice and so much more. Smith’s ability to tease with words is impressive, and different from a lot of other works’ I’ve read. This collection of poetry and few short stories reveals Smith’s humor, strength, humanity, and love and appreciation for relationships.

This book is addictive, making it difficult for the reader to put down. It is definitely my favorite book of poetry. Many of the poems will resonate with readers, as we have all experienced love or desire love, and we are not immune to the topics addressed in Enigma. Smith is a passionate writer and it’s easy to forget that you’re a reader and not a character in one of her incredible writings. In poem 11 (one of my favorite poems), the author writes “He whispers I love you to my ghost," which I thought was a brilliant way of conveying how an insecure or naïve young woman is no longer available, no longer prey. Her book is both thought-provoking and entertaining.

I highly recommend this book for mature adults, poetry-lovers, but especially students and educators of Literature/English.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Chicco
4.0 out of 5 stars Bello
Reviewed in Italy on November 7, 2020
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Un gran bel libro. Spero che altri lo compreranno e lo leggeranno. Leggete e studiate così in futuro non voterete salvini
One person found this helpful
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BVK
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing novel
Reviewed in Canada on December 13, 2018
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Robert Harris is an excellent author. I have read most of his historical fiction novels and loved them all. When I read Enigma I was totally captivated and in awe of Harris's skills; I was drawn completely into the plot and the characters. All his books are top notch, but for me Enigma is a an historical fiction masterpiece.
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Manfred
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!
Reviewed in Germany on December 8, 2017
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Ich bin echt begeistert von dem Thriller! Die Spannung ist konstant, so dass ich immer wieder nur sehr schlecht aufhören konnte zu lesen. Und die Spannung ist weitgehend erträglich. Ein überspannender Thriller ist mir zu sadistisch und dazu bin ich nicht Masochist genug. Was mir besonders gut gefällt, ist die Einbettung der spannenden Story in ein historisches Umfeld, das der Autor offenbar sehr gut recherchiert hat. Man bekommt offenbar einen recht guten Einblick in diese merkwürdige Welt der Entschlüsselungsgeschichte im 2.Weltkrieg in England. Auch die englischen Zustände in dieser Kriegs-Zeit finde ich ziemlich gut dargestellt. Dieses Buch zählt zu meinen hervorragendsten Thrillern. Ich kann es nur jedem empfehlen. Und die Kindle-Edition macht es relativ leicht, etliche (wenn auch nicht alle) Vokabel-Übersetzungen zu erhalten. Leider nur schwierig ganze Phrasen übersetzt zu bekommen - vor allem Slang oder moderne Redewendungen. Diese Lexika sind ja sagenhaft altmodisch: Am genialsten finde ich es, wenn man ein englisches 'Fremdwort' nachschaut und erhält als 'Übersetzung' das gleichlautende deutsche Fremdwort.
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BJM
5.0 out of 5 stars Wartime Thriller
Reviewed in Australia on October 22, 2018
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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.
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Lady Fancifull
5.0 out of 5 stars Breaking the code in cracking fashion!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 16, 2016
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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
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