Bletchley Park Brainteasers

Put your brain to the test with never-before-seen tests, riddles and puzzles from Bletchley Park.

Do you fancy finding out if you have a talent for morse code? Or discovering whether your crossword hobby might have seen you recruited into the history books? If so and you're a Bletchley Park history buff or a fan of the GCHQ Quiz Book, then this is the book for you.

When scouring the land for top-level code-breakers, the Bletchley Park recruiters left no stone unturned. From mathematical-geniuses to sixth-form students who could read orchestral scores, chess masters, linguists, and Egyptologists who could interpret hieroglyphics, code-breakers were gathered from all around the country.

Once selected, the chosen few had to complete various tests - chess puzzles, crosswords, secret language translations, complex riddles and more - to see if they had what it takes to join the country's elite code-breaking team. Now you can see if you have what it takes, too.

Accompanied by nuggets of historical fascination such as the story of David Omand who was asked to translate an essay written in made-up Elvish and ended up as Director of GCHQ, or Jean Valentine, who volunteered in Dundee aged 18, disclosed that she loved the challenge of a cryptic crossword and found herself whisked down to Bletchley, these brain-teasing puzzles and riddles will give you a taste of what it felt like to be tested by the keenest minds in the country.

About the Author

Sinclair McKay is the author of the bestselling Secret Life of Bletchley Park. He writes for the Spectator and the Telegraph and spends much of his life eyebrow-deep in dusty archives! He lives in east London.