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Absorbing. . . . Gets the synapses sparking.
— The Sunday Telegraph (London)
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Illuminating . . . a rewarding book to read.
— The Washington Times
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Lagercrantz has the lingo, the mood and the place down pat.
— The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
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Winning. . . . A police procedural in which a dogged copper tries to crack a mystery in the teeth of bloody-minded intransigence.
— The Independent (London)
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Lagercrantz (The Girl in the Spider's Web) proves that he can succeed with wholly original work in this multifaceted look at the death of British mathematician Alan Turing in 1954. . . . Memorable prose . . . enhances the complex plot.
— Publishers Weekly
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Turing's life and death have become popular subjects, but this novel by a well-known Swedish writer offers an interesting and fresh angle. . . . A persuasive evocation of Turing's genius and of a Britain still suffering under rationing and repression.
— The Daily Mail (London)
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Lagercrantz neatly intertwines the facts of Turing's life with the fiction of Corell's quest for knowledge to create an unsettling story of state secrets and sexual hypocrisy.
— The Sunday Times (London)
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[A] pensive meditation on the life and death of the mathematician Alan Turing . . . [and a] quietly suggestive depiction of how the investigation affects the investigator. . . . Full of psychological insight.
— Kirkus Reviews
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[Lagercrantz] has the faintest whiff of W.G. Sebald; haunted characters determined to pull others down into turbid, oppressive currents of memory and ideas. You are willingly drawn down with them.
— The Spectator (London)
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Lagercrantz’s fictional variations on this true story make it seem fresh and even more appalling.
— The Star (Toronto)
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“Absorbing…Gets the synapses sparking…Lagercrantz is at home with a damaged hero who has more of an affinity with computers than humans.”
— Sunday Telegraph (London)
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“Lagercrantz is perceptive in his treatment of the tragic Turing.”
— Independent (London)
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"[A] multifaceted look at the death of British mathematician Alan Turing in 1954…Memorable prose enhances the complex plot.”
— Publishers Weekly
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“Lagercrantz interweaves the historical events of Turing’s life with the fictional Corell’s investigation, shifting point of view among various figures…The depiction of Turing is done well.”
— Library Journal
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“John Lee narrates as Detective Constable Leonard Corell investigates Turing’s life and death…Lee delivers this wordy mystery in an unhurried manner, drawing out the convoluted plot…As Corell unravels the clues, the gravelly voiced Lee delivers a polished performance.”
— AudioFile