Codebreaker

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.

Author: Jay Martel
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Published: 07/22/2025
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.79lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.40w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9781250355546
Audience: Young Adult


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 05/15/2025
Booklist 06/01/2025 pg. 77
School Library Journal 07/01/2025 pg. 79

About the Author
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.