The Cipher

You think your emails are private?
Your credit card number is secure?
That stock trades, government secrets, and nuclear codes are safe?
. . . th1nk aga1n.

Robert 'Smiles' Smylie is not a genius. He feels like he's surrounded by them, though, from his software mogul dad to his brainy girlfriend to his oddball neighbor Ben, a math prodigy. When Ben cracks an ancient, real-life riddle central to modern data encryption systems, he suddenly holds the power to unlock every electronic secret in the world - and Smiles finally has a chance to prove his own worth.

Smiles hatches a plan to protect Ben from the government agents who will stop at nothing to get their hands on his discovery. But as he races from a Connecticut casino to the streets of Boston, enlisting the help of an alluring girl, Smiles comes to realize the most explosive secrets don't lie between the covers of Ben's notebook - they're buried in his own past.

Eerily close to reality and full of shocking twists, this techno-thriller reveals how easily the private can become public, and just how dangerous it can be to encrypt our personal histories.

Praise for The Cipher:

'The Cipher is an exciting tale with a twist ending that teens will enjoy.' School Library Journal

'Plenty of suspense and high-tech high jinks.' Kirkus

'Ford (The Morgue and Me) weaves a twisty, paranoid tale of technology, secrets, and lies' Publishers Weekly