Codebreaker by Jay Martel Book Review

About the Book:

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 Review:

I enjoyed reading this very entertaining novel. I liked learning so much about codes, the many kinds and how they have been used in the past. There is also fun information about the locations Mia and Logan visit, such as Ford's Theatre. I liked all the puzzles but would not call the style of this book interactive. Readers are given a chance to solve each message but it makes no change to the progression of the plot.

The plot is a good one where only two young people can do the work to save the nation from terrorists. Hunting the codes and deciphering them bring a new aspect to a familiar plot. I hope this imaginative writing duo produce more adventures because I'll be watching for them.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Authors:

Jay Martel is the pen name of husband and wife writing team Andy Bennett and Katy Helbacka. They’ve spent the past twenty years collaborating on everything from theatrical productions to escape rooms to their son, Theo. Andy works in cybersecurity and has an MFA in creative writing from NYU and Katy is an award-winning theatrical producer, writer, actor, and director. They live in northern Minnesota. Codebreaker is their debut novel.

Wednesday Books, 384 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)