The Electrician's Code

I owe Clarissa Draper a huge apology. My mind has been so totally elsewhere while working on the Secrets of Honor edits that it's affecting other things I do. Like the title of this post.

In both the title and in referring to Clarissa's new book in the second paragraph below, I called the book The Engineer's Code. Clarissa is so gracious that she didn't correct me. I only learned of it today (Wednesday) from a commenter, who I've thanked.

The correct title of Clarissa Draper's new book is The Electrician's Code.

~~~~~

I spent the weekend sprucing up the joint because today we have a special guest taking refuge Under the Tiki Hut from the hot summer sun. She writes awesome and smart code-based mysteries featuring London detectives Theo Blackwell and Sophia Evans. Her first novel, The Sholes Key, was so good - even though I couldn't figure out any of the codes :)

Now Theo and Sophia are back now in the newly released The Electrician's Code.

Are you wondering who this fantastic and brilliant author is? Her name is Clarissa Draper. And here she is.

Carol, thank you for having me. It's such a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed reading your thrilling mysteries over the past few years. 

Today I want to talk about codes and ciphers.

If you have read my books, you know I love to add a challenge to each one in the form of a code or cipher to solve. Some of my readers like to play along, hoping to solve the messages before the detectives. But, I'm not the first to do this. 

There have been many codes placed in famous stories. Let's look at just five:

(1) Edgar Allen Poe's "The Gold-Bug" - The story involves cryptography with a detailed description of a method for solving a simple substitution cipher using letter frequencies. The cryptogram is:

53‡‡†305))6*;4826)4‡.)4‡);806*;48†8

¶60))85;;]8*;:‡*8†83(88)5*†;46(;88*96

*?;8)*‡(;485);5*†2:*‡(;4956*2(5*—4)8

1;48†85;4)485†528806*81(‡9;48;(88;4

¶8*;4069285);)6†8)4‡‡;1(‡9;48081;8:8

‡(‡?34;48)4‡;161;:188;‡?;

(2) Sherlock Holmes "The Dancing Men" - Sherlock homes sets to solve a series of notes. The code looks a lot like the photo above.

(3) Agatha Christie's "The Four Suspects" - In this short story, the killer receives instructions by coded message. This story uses a flower code.

(4) Robert Harris's "Enigma" - This story is about a mathematician trying to break the famous German "Enigma" codes. 

215 AAA FRA "ABIRUXKP" PCDAONONEBCJBOGLYMEEYGSHRYUBUJHMJOQZLEX

(5) Dan Browns' "The Da Vinci Code" - This is one of the most famous code books written. In the book, the main character tries to de-crypt a message found beside a dead body. There is also a note containing a Fibonacci sequence left out of order, as a code.

Based on the code in the story "The Adventure of the Dancing Men" I have created a message. If you can decipher it, I will give you a free E-copy of my book. 

What codes did you find interesting in a novel you've read?

  

Clarissa Draper lives in Mexico with her family, and can be reached via her blog, http://clarissadraper.blogspot.com or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ClarissaDraper.

The Electrician's Code: 

**Please visit the book's website to view photos of the codes and lots of story extras.**

An elderly man with only one leg is murdered and left in a pool of his own blood outside his house. To add to the mystery, a note found in his pocket says, 'Why Run Backwards You’ll Vomit.' London Detective Chief Inspector Theo Blackwell can’t understand the motive for killing the old man, or the meaning of the cryptic message.

Later, a woman is stabbed on her doorstep. The two seemingly unrelated cases have two things in common: apparently random victims and suspects with alibis.

As DCI Blackwell works on solving the cases, he requests the help of code-breaker Sophia Evans, who is battling a personal and tricky case of her own.

Find her latest book here: 

Amazon.com

Goodreads.com

I just want to say that I can't solve any of these codes either :)

But I already have Clarissa's book on my Kindle

and am really looking forward to reading it.

Get your copy today!