3 Ciphers

by Carol Ritz

Why would a top NSA spy care about three ciphers to a 200-year-old treasure? That question has haunted Simon Blake for four years. He still sees his brother, desperate and dying from a plane crash. Still hears the words he whispered into Simon’s ear: “The Beale Ciphers. The cross is the key. Tell no one!” Since that night, Simon has become a super-user at NSA with more security clearances than Edward Snowden. He’s lost his girlfriend and risked everything, but hasn’t uncovered a single new lead to his brother’s killer. Now, a second murder leads Simon to a mysterious box of secrets that once belonged to Thomas Jefferson Beale—the man who left three unbreakable ciphers with a stranger 200 years ago—then disappeared along with a massive treasure. Against orders and with his ex-girlfriend as his only backup, Simon joins the treasure hunt to smoke out his brother’s killer. Soon he has religious zealots, ruthless spies and trained assassins on his heels and each clue drags him deeper into a deadly race across two continents for long-lost secrets that threaten his agency, his nation, and everyone he loves.

ebook

Published November 13, 2018

About the author

Carol Ritz left her job as a Washington DC lawyer to write thrillers. In her debut novel, 3 Ciphers, genius codebreaker uncovers a dangerous link between a dead spy, three ciphers and a legendary treasure.

Carol Ritz once had recurring nightmares that the devil was hiding in the attic, hid her eyes whenever a witch appeared on TV, and covered her ears at the theme music for horror movies. No surprise that her favorite stories were about heroes who faced impossible odds against terrifying villains. By age eleven, when offered a chance to go to Mexico alone on an exchange program, she was too curious to let fear stop her. At twenty, she flew to California with nothing but an acceptance to UCLA law school and enough money to pay for a single quarter.

Ten years later she was a corporate attorney in Washington DC, the center for the U.S. Intelligence Community and international intrigue. By then, she’d developed a passion for telling the kind of stories that had inspired her in life. She left her lucrative job to take on a new challenge—film school. Five screenplays later, she became fascinated by the Beale Treasure story, involving a man who buried a massive treasure in the early 1800s, and left three ciphers to their location with a perfect stranger. Only one cipher has been broken and the treasure has never been found.

Even more intriguing, top cryptologists and spies from the National Security Agency and the CIA were looking for it. From that germ of an idea came her first novel, 3 Ciphers, about Simon Blake, a back-office National Security codebreaker who leaves his cubicle to investigate the link between a 200-year-old Treasure and the murder of NSA’s top spy—his own brother. Currently, 3Ciphers is in development for a motion picture, and Carol is writing her second novel in the Simon Blake series.

Reviews

[Karen R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What a wild ride!. This read grabs you quickly and develops into a very intricate and detailed adventure. The character development is very believable and the series of events that unfold leaves you fully engulfed in in the story. Hard to put down as you want to stay engaged in the storyline and not miss a detail. So visually compelling in my mind. Would love to see this in a movie!

[Marty Monical · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable page turner! I'm a big fan of action packed books that weave in a tapestry of clever characters who are outwitting each other throughout... even better when the author takes you places you've never been and proves he or she has done the research to make you believe every paragraph.

Wasn't sure how I wanted it to end, but very satisfied with how the story unfolds.

One more note... If you're a fan of Clive Cussler, you will love this book. Same conversational yet intelligent style, as if every chapter is its own clever story unto itself.

[Constance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Carol Ritz and Kindle for the gem of a read that is "3 Ciphers". "3 Ciphers" is that mystery which readers will want to read again and again. "3 Ciphers" is what happens when one old age question is dropped into all too modern hands. Viajes felices!

[Vince · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want more!

I read a lot of these types of thrillers. Many leave me feeling hollow or cheated or like I just went shopping at Target and bought a bunch of plastic stuff I don't need. They start out catchy, but in the end they are full of plot holes and weak characters without consistency or depth.

This book, on the other hand, started with a solid hook and kept building. By the end I felt like I knew the characters deeply and had a stake in the outcome. I hope the author has more adventures in mind for Simon Blake. I wasn't ready for this book to end!

[Bernie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The relationship between Thomas Jefferson Beale and President Thomas Jefferson appears too coincidental to be fiction. I bet in real life Sally Hemmings was the link that tied them together. I'd like to see a behind the scenes story that explores the life of Thomas Jefferson Beale. Hopefully soon.