Doublespeak: A Novel

Lieutenant Lena Stillman has been left, nearly alone, on her code-breaking mission in remote Alaska. World War II has been over for a month, but due to crimes committed a lifetime ago, Lena is still under the control of the powerful Miss Maggie, her spymaster in Washington, DC.

Shaken by her role in the disappearance of Corporal Link Hughes, Lena yearns for an opportunity to redeem them both. Then she receives a shocking message containing Link’s potential location: Siam. Embarking on a clandestine rescue mission to Bangkok, Lena is reunited with shadows from her past—including loyal friend Byron; and the attractive yet dangerous “William Yardley.” As personal and political allegiances shift in the postwar maelstrom, it seems impossible to know who is innocent or culpable and whether their actions are motivated by love or revenge.

Overlaying rich historic detail and an intricate plot, Doublespeak is an entrancing sequel to Alisa Smith’s first novel Speakeasy (Douglas & McIntyre, 2017), which received the honour of being a Walter Scott Prize Academy recommended book of 2018.