‘Codebreaker’: A Cipher Teen Adventure

‘Codebreaker’ is a surprisingly taut thriller about politics, growing up, and the history of encryption.

Jay Martel is the pen name of married writing team Andy Bennett and Katy Helbacka, authors of young adult novel, “Codebreaker.”

It’s not easy to create a successful novel these days. Of the approximately 440,000 new fiction works released every year, only 1,000 of these might reach the U.S. bestseller lists. Those odds aren’t great, especially for new authors.

Some might employ gimmicks to boost sales, like new cover editions, discounts, or celebrity endorsements. One option that often surfaces is the “interactive” ploy, offering the audience a novel (pun intended) way to connect to the created world. “Choose Your Own Adventure” books were one such example that emerged in the late 1970s.