Codebreaker by Jay Martel

 Codebreaker

Book Summary

This original, interactive thriller from debut author Jay Martel follows a brilliant teenage girl as she races across D.C. to decode the clues her father left behind, which may just be the key to saving the country from a devastating tragedy.

Mia Hayes has peaceful plans for the summer—find a part-time job at a coffee shop and work on her college applications. Those plans are shattered one night when government agents arrive unannounced at her home seeking something they believe her father has taken. When the dust settles, her mother is dead and her father is gone, a fugitive on the run.

Three weeks later, and still reeling from her father’s betrayal, Mia spends her seventeenth birthday at a protest in the heart of D.C., where she meets Logan, a rebellious and charming hacker. Just as she’s enjoying her first happy moment since the night her world exploded, a voicemail from her father arrives to upend everything she believed about her family, her past, and what really happened that night three weeks ago. Even more, the voicemail hides another encoded message inside which, once Mia solves it, sets her and Logan off on a mission from her sleepy suburb straight into the heart of the federal government.

With the same agents now hot on their trail, Mia and Logan must navigate their way through American history’s most iconic sites and uncover its most well-hidden secrets to reveal the truth about her family and stop a deadly attack.

In this non-stop thrill ride, the reader has the chance to test their own codebreaking skills alongside Mia, lending an exciting interactive element to this page-turning thriller packed with action, romance, and life-changing revelations.

My Thoughts

I found Codebreaker by Jay Martel to be an intriguing tale.   Mia Hayes looks forward to her birthday scavenger hunt each year.  Unfortunately, this year’s hunt has nefarious people hot on Mia’s trail and she does not know who she can trust.  I liked Mia who is smart and has a knack for solving codes.  I liked the different codes featured in the story and that a brief history of each one was provided (it was done in a way that made me want to learn more).  I enjoyed the interactive element where I can attempt to solve the code before the solution is revealed (some were trickier than others).  

The mystery had twists and turns.  Some bends can be anticipated (the author left a few too many breadcrumbs) while others were a surprise.  Logan and Mia made a good team.  There were times, though, when their dialogue made me cringe.  The story does contain minor foul language (I wish there were none since it is listed as a young adult novel).  Codebreaker is a young adult novel, but I enjoyed it (action, mystery, codes—I’m in).  I was surprised to learn that Codebreaker is the author’s debut novel (bravo).  I was sorry when Codebreaker ended. Codebreaker is a compelling tale with scary scavenger hunt, aggressive agents, curious codes, a helpful friend, memorable monuments, and a noteworthy conclusion.

Codebreaker is available from Amazon*.  If you follow Jay Martel on Amazon, they will send you an email when their next book comes out.  Thank you for stopping by today. I will be feature A Family for the Cowboy Cop by Tanya Agler tomorrow.  It is the fourth A Violet Ridge Novel.  I have a gift related question for you today.  Have you ever received a gift and it did not work (you put the batteries in and nothing happens)?  How do you tell the sender (no gift receipt included)?  The last thing I want to do is upset the sender, but the item has some major issues.  The situation is touchy because the last gift that was received from this individual was sent back (that one had a gift receipt--we did not know they would email the individual).  Any suggestions (please)?  I hope that you have a delightful day.  Take care, stay cool (there has been a heat advisory every day), and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

Library of Congress

*I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book.  I am not required to leave a review.  The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Library of Congress -- A look at some of the books housed there

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Library of Congress -- Main Card Catalog (a small portion of it)