The Bletchley Riddle: Chapters 26–43

by Ruta Sepetys, Steve Sheinkin
A brother and sister — 19-year-old Jakob, a code breaker, and 14-year-old Lizzie, an investigator — find themselves in Britain's Bletchley Park during WWII. They are helping Britain decode the Nazi’s Enigma communications, while also trying to unravel a mystery surrounding their mother’s disappearance.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–10, Chapters 11–25, Chapters 26–43, Chapters 44–65, Chapters 66–94
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. treachery
    an act of deliberate betrayal
    “In the meanwhile,” says Tooth, “as Home Guard volunteers, you must be on the watch for enemy agents. You are empowered to detain anyone whom you have good reason to suspect of sabotaging telephone wires, signaling to airplanes, or any such acts of treachery. Anyone you suspect of scouting or spying for the enemy.”
  2. discerning
    having or revealing keen insight and good judgment
    Three minds are better than one, of course, and I do love working with a team. Colin is tireless and discerning. Marion is organized and adventurous in the best of ways.
  3. inclination
    an attitude of mind that favors one alternative over others
    As we walk down the platform toward our carriage, I notice a familiar face peering at me from the first-class car. It’s the Colonel. My first inclination is to wave, of course, but since we’re not at the Park, would acknowledging him be a violation of the Secrets Act?
  4. imminent
    close in time; about to occur
    The intense facial expressions give voice to the afternoon headlines.
    Invasion is imminent. Bombs will soon scream from the sky.
  5. aristocracy
    a privileged class holding hereditary titles
    Colin’s steps slow, taking in the imposing building with countless windows and columns.
    “It’s so…grand.”
    “Yes, it’s been home to aristocracy since the 1700s.”
  6. distraught
    deeply agitated especially from emotion
    "...I’ve been so distraught, Lizzie. I do think that I was among the last to see your mother. She came to the US embassy in Warsaw to help break down the office and evacuate. The Germans descended quicker than we expected and—” Olivia takes my hand.
  7. interrogate
    pose a series of questions to
    “Your grandmother has already interrogated the ambassador. Really annoyed him.”
  8. diversion
    an activity that amuses or stimulates
    “A party?” repeats Colin in disbelief. “The Germans are invading and the Americans are throwing a party?”
    “A diversion,” I tell Colin. “An attempt to buoy spirits. Gran does it all the time.”
  9. fascist
    relating to authoritarian hierarchical government
    “It’s my job to find out what side people are on. Well, we’ve been watching Kent. Turns out he’s got lots of unsavory friends. Fascist types, pro-Nazi buffoons. And we find out Kent was offering them papers, material he stole from the embassy. Personal correspondence between Churchill and President Roosevelt. Highly classified stuff...."
  10. meticulous
    marked by extreme care in treatment of details
    Colin steps in beside me. “Blimey. Looks like a bomb went off. Someone was searching for something. Think it was Fleetwood?”
    “No. He’s the meticulous sort. Can’t stand disarray.”
  11. sleuth
    a detective who follows a trail
    “She hid what?” says Jakob.
    “She hid…her fear because she knows I’m a tremendous sleuth and would immediately uncover everything.”
  12. proactive
    causing something to happen rather than waiting to respond
    “I went to London.”
    His head snaps to me. “What! London could be bombed any minute. What were you thinking?”
    “I was being proactive. Taking the investigation into my own hands instead of waiting for others. I went to the American embassy to meet with Olivia McQuatters, one of Willa’s colleagues. She worked at the embassy in Warsaw. She was there when Willa arrived.”
  13. linguist
    a specialist in the study of language
    Code breakers walk the paths of the Park, mumbling, rubbing their eyes. People snap at each other. I see one man, a respected linguist, throw his mug in the lake from sheer frustration.
  14. replica
    copy that is not the original
    I shake it off. Get up and stretch. Step over to the table with our replica Enigma.
    What would Arthur Scherbius think of all this? All these clever people at this secret countryside estate, desperately scrambling to solve his machine.
  15. encrypt
    convert ordinary language into code
    “Go on.”
    “Then I lock them in place,” I say. “I close the lid. The machine’s ready.”
    “Go on.”
    “That’s it. Then I wait. I wait till someone gives me a message to encrypt.”
Created on Tue May 13 19:38:31 EDT 2025 (updated Tue Sep 30 11:03:20 EDT 2025)

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