SECRET KEEPERS

Bletchley Park, an estate outside London, was the topsecret home to World War II codebreakers and hired the nation’s brightest minds— 75 percent of whom were women. It’s also the setting for Kate Quinn’s latest novel, The Rose Code (March 9, William Morrow), $28, which tells the story of three female codebreakers (local spinster Beth, debutante Osla and selfmade Mab) who penetrate the Germans’ secret communications. Inspired by Women’s History Month (and her heroines), Quinn shares her reading list: four new books of fiction by women.

Courage, My Love (Berkley, April 13) by Kristin Beck: “Fascist Italy gets short shrift in World War II fiction, which makes Kristin Beck’s debut a fresh, gripping read. Two women—a single mother and a polio survivor—struggle to survive in German-occupied Rome and discover just what steel-strong stuff they’re really made of.” $17

Wild Rain (Avon) by Beverly Jenkins: “The great Ms. Bev is back with the next installment of her Women Who Dare series, and this time it’s an independent Black rancher and a Washington reporter butting heads on their wayward journey toward happily ever after. Jenkins is the best for fun, moving swooners set against fresh, original historic epochs—and this should be no exception!” $8

The Social Graces (Berkley, April 20) by Renée Rosen: “Rosen always writes whipsmart women, and I can’t wait for her depiction of notorious social dragons Alva Vanderbilt and Mrs. Astor, who battle for control of New York society during the Gilded Age. Bridgerton’s Lady Whistledown and Lady Danbury have nothing on these two!” $17

The Women of Chateau Lafayette (Berkley, March 30) by Stephanie Dray: "A sensationally ambitious novel starring a WWII schoolteacher-turned-resistance fighter, a WWI socialite-tumed-ciplomatic powerhouse and a French revolutionary-turned-American Founding Mother—all linked by the home and legacy of to quote Hamil-ton, 'America's favorite fighting Frenchman.'" $27 Available in bookstores and online