45. The Women of Arlington Hall by Jane Healey

listened on Audible

329 pgs.

2025
Adult Historical Fiction
Finished 9/6/2026
Goodreads rating: 4.24
My rating: 3
Setting: 1947-1950 Washington DC

My comments: This story was a dragger, for me....it just seemed to drag on and on.  The premise was good, the characterization was good, some of the situations seemed ... off, not quite believable.  Much of the book was about the friendships between the women and some of the men codebreakers, and how the FBI personel and the government personel working on the problem of Russian spies interacted with each other.  The last third of the book perked up a bit, and my overall reaction increased.  However, I'm left with a ho-hum  feeling, unfortunately.  Quite a bit was apparently (based on the afterword by the author) based on facts and truths, and I did learn....or recall...quite a bit about out country's history at the time.

Goodreads synopsis: A female codebreaker puts her future and her heart on the line in a stirring novel about love, loyalty, betrayal, and Cold War spy games by the bestselling author of The Secret Stealers.

1947: Adventurous Radcliffe graduate Catherine “Cat” Killeen cancels her wedding and upends a future that no longer suits her. At the behest of her professor and hungry for a challenge, Cat arrives in Virginia to work on a confidential military project. A student in cryptoanalysis, Cat is already ahead of the game—to assist in rooting out Soviet spies who have infiltrated the US.

Joining the “government girls” of Arlington Hall, Cat gains the respect of her superiors and the friendship of her peers. Then, on a night out in DC, Cat runs into Jonathan Dardis, her arrogant and privileged Harvard rival and newly minted agent for the FBI. What Cat and Jonathan share is a competitive drive and an attraction that’s becoming just as spirited. They’re also united in the same critical goal for America. Together, they’re diving deep into the shadows of espionage.

The stakes of the codebreaking operation grow ever higher, and Cat’s relationship with Jonathan opens her heart. Amid dangerous intrigue and grave secrecy, Cat is ready for every risk—no matter how personal the stakes get.