Christian Tech Thriller for Teen Boys—Core Deception by Jeremiah Friedli

Core Deception by Jeremiah Friedli

What if there was an ice age in Hawaii? What if your government could see and track your every move? What if the only way to save your sister was to hack into the system that held her captive?

Welcome to The Sword and Story Podcast, where we help Christian families find exciting, faith-filled books for their boys. Our mission is to raise strong, courageous warriors for the kingdom of God. Join us on a quest to discover stories that inspire our boys to grow into godly young men.

I am your host, Laurie Christine. I’m an author, Bible teacher, wife, and mom to four wild, wonderful boys. I write adventure-packed biblical fiction and devotions for middle-grade boys. You can learn more about my books at DragonSlayerBible.com.

Our guest author today is Jeremiah Friedli. Jeremiah writes young adult fiction with a thriller feel, inspired by true stories of spies, chases, battles, and underdogs. He loves reading and writing tales of espionage, intrigue, and suspense. He’s the author of the Core Series and a 2025 Realm Awards finalist for his debut novel Core Deception.

Jeremiah is a homeschool graduate, lifelong writer, and native Texan who can imagine danger just about anywhere and any time.

Back Cover of Core Deception

A Tyrannical Government, A Cryptic Letter, A Devious Hacker

In a world where the government’s CORE systems see and track everyone, seventeen-year-old hacker Seth Alvarez is determined to save his sister from being placed in a reeducation facility. Armed with a cryptic letter, Seth embarks on a search for the valuable incognito devices—cyber master keys that can set his sister free. But with only three weeks remaining, he finds himself wedged between two powerful forces who will stop at nothing to get the devices first. 

Appeal to Boys

• Male protagonist with a challenging mission.
• High-stakes espionage, codes, hacking, and survival.
• Explores real issues: fear, courage, faith under pressure.
• Provides an adventure where boys can “live vicariously” through Seth.

Key Themes

• Fear: Seth wrestles with fear in a government that punishes missteps.
• Faith: Shows how Scripture and wise counsel help overcome fear.
• Purpose: Boys crave greater mission and meaning; story fulfills that longing.
• Danger: God designed boys to seek risk and adventure—the book explores healthy vs. unhealthy ways to live dangerously.
• Mentorship: Seth leans on his father’s wisdom even while taking action himself.

LINKS

Free Novella: Association, a prequel to the Core series. https://dl.bookfunnel.com/ohbb5qkywc

Jeremiah’s Website:  www.JeremiahFriedli.com

TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW 

Laurie Christine & Jeremiah Friedli Discuss Core Deception, Book One in the Core Series.

Laurie:
We are excited to learn about your book. It’s the first book in the Core Series and it’s called Core Deception. I’ll let you take the mic and tell us about your book.

Jeremiah:
Core Deception takes place in a future that may be near, or maybe a little farther off. An ice age has plunged the world into an arctic catastrophe, and resources have diminished quickly. Populations across the globe are rushing toward the equator, where they can survive.

That’s the world seventeen-year-old Seth grows up in, living in a city-state called the Socialist American Peoples, in Hawaii—which had long ago been abandoned due to the ice age, but a small remnant of the United States found a way to make it work there. The thing that makes life achievable in this small city-state is the Core.

The Core is a computer system—an algorithm, an AI—that runs just about the entire nation. It makes sure things operate smoothly and efficiently so people can survive. Normally, this is not a problem for Seth—until the day he learns his sister must go in for normalcy testing. He has never heard anything good about that. It never ends well.

Suddenly he finds himself at odds with the Core—the very system that says his sister needs to be tested. Seth needs to find a way to stop that. He discovers the existence of secretive, highly valuable incognito devices. Through a cryptic letter, he learns there’s a way to get some, and they would be his key—cyber master keys he could use to set his sister free. That discovery launches him on a quest to track those devices down.

Who the Story Is For—and Why Boys Will Love It

Laurie:
That sounds really intriguing. I think my boys would really enjoy that. What age group would you say this book is written for?

Jeremiah:
I’d put it in the 13–18 range, or more narrowly 14–17. A lot depends on the reader. Each reader is ready for different types of story themes and different levels of complexity in plot and worldbuilding.

Laurie:
My oldest son is a voracious reader, and I think he would really enjoy this plot. It sounds like a book that would appeal very much to boys. Tell us specifically why you think this book would appeal to teen readers—especially boys.

Jeremiah:
Being a guy, I am trying to write books for guys too. That’s my heart’s desire: to reach boys and teen guys. The main character is male, and I think boys like hearing about a challenging mission they have to take on and work through. You definitely see that with Seth. He faces a daunting task: how do you deceive systems that track every aspect of life—not only through video and audio, but in other ways as well—so that he can save someone he greatly loves?

There’s another aspect that pairs well with that: fear. In this world, you can easily imagine fear as an inherent theme. When you have a government that jumps on you for any misstep, you can be imprisoned or worse. Seth is a believer, but his faith hasn’t been tested quite like this before. He faces a daunting task and fear hits him hard.

Many guys don’t like to talk about our fears, or even admit we have them, but they’re there. A lot of us struggle with fear regularly, even if it looks different from person to person. This story shows one example of how someone can face those fears, struggle with them, work through them, and—through wise counsel and the Word of God—overcome them.

Some readers will also enjoy dabbling in ciphers, codes, and other technological aspects. You don’t have to know all of that to enjoy the book, but if you like that kind of thing, you can have fun with it.

Mission, Purpose, and Living Courageously

Laurie:
I love that you said it gives boys a mission—a challenging mission and a greater purpose. Seth has a greater purpose and a challenge to live for. I think God has given our boys a desire for that greater purpose in life. Often they don’t see it in everyday life, but they crave it.

That’s why we read books: to live vicariously through the main character and go on adventures together that we wouldn’t be able to do in real life. What seventeen-year-old actually gets to take down a cyber-criminal ring and decipher codes and tech? We don’t get to do that in real life, but our boys get to do that through the book.

Challenging them to live for a greater purpose is something boys crave. I also love that you deal with real issues kids face—namely fear. Admitting fear, learning how to deal with it, how to face it, and how to live courageously are crucial. On this podcast we talk about raising strong, courageous warriors for the kingdom of God.

Talk a little more about that theme. You touched on fear and facing fears. How could the themes in your book encourage boys to live strong, courageous lives and be courageous warriors for God’s kingdom?

Jeremiah:
Those are great points. I’ll add one more thought before I answer the next question. To an extent, our society has taught boys, “Don’t do anything too dangerous.” There’s a good part of that, but there’s also a part of a boy—especially as he starts becoming a man—that hears a call to do something dangerous.

There’s a right way to fulfill that and a wrong way. We have plenty of examples in history and Scripture of both. David and Goliath is a right way example.

What I think we need is guidance on when to venture into dangerous areas and how to handle fear when it comes. Boys need someone to walk them through those things, to mentor and guide them.

That’s what you see in this story. Seth encounters a fearful situation, yet he can’t do nothing; he cares for his family. He’s not going to sit by and fail to act. But he struggles throughout the story: there’s a constant pull between “I have to do the right thing,” and the voice of fear saying, “Don’t do that. That won’t work. That’s dangerous.”

He finds answers by working with his dad. In this society, the Core systems regulate you to your normal everyday life. Once someone becomes an adult, the algorithms understand your patterns. If you step outside the norm, you get dinged and may encounter the police. Seth is restricted by the Core too, but his father can offer wise counsel and coaching.

As the story goes on, Seth realizes he needs to lean on someone wiser and more experienced, even if that person is more restricted in what he can physically do. Seth, as a teenager, has an advantage: the Core hasn’t learned everything about him yet, so he can break some norms his dad couldn’t without immediate consequences. He has to rely on wisdom stronger than his own.

As for where the fear theme came from—honestly, it’s something I’ve always struggled with: fear of man, fear of failure, fear of incompetence. But about five years ago, during the 2020 pandemic, I was hit with a fresh fear. Things were disrupted and changed, and I was overwhelmed by fear of the unknown. It even started dictating some of my actions. That wasn’t right. As a Christian, I know my future is secure, regardless of disease or disruption.

Later I read a Max Lucado quote: “Fear at its center is a perceived loss of control.” That was me. Life felt out of control. I wove elements of that fear into the book. Seth’s life seemed figured out within the parameters of his dystopian government—then something comes along and totally disrupts it. He has to ask, “How am I going to deal with this?” As the story goes on, he asks, “What does the Bible say about this? How do I draw closer to God to deal with this?”

Parents, Mentors, and Wise Counsel

Laurie:
That’s great. I know many parents, grandparents, and caregivers listening will think, “Yes, that’s what I need for my son.” We want books that teach real-world struggles and teach boys to rely on God and take their fears to the Lord.

I love that you address fear and help boys face it in a real way—by going to the Lord and to strong, wise counsel. That’s missing in a lot of mainstream secular books where parents are often portrayed as clueless, and no one would go to them for advice.

I love that Seth goes to his dad for advice, yet he also has a lot of agency. Teenagers in this society have more freedom, so he can go out and do the cool stuff. I also appreciate how you addressed the call to live dangerously. Boys want to live dangerously, and I think God made them that way. Our culture often says, “Be safe. Don’t take risks.” But God wired boys and young men to push the limits in a healthy way. There is a right way to do that and a wrong way, and unfortunately we see many young men choose the wrong way. We want to teach boys to make wise choices, take appropriate risks, and still be strong, courageous warriors for God’s kingdom.

I love those themes in your book. What’s coming up next for you? Are you working on the next book in the Core Series?

Jeremiah:
Yes. Core Deception is book one, and I’m guessing it will be three books total. I’m not saying that for sure yet because sometimes an author starts writing one book and it turns into two—or thinks there’s a trilogy and it becomes two books.

I’m working on book two now. I tend to plan the book before I write much of the first draft, so that’s where I’m at. I’m doing a lot of planning and hope to start that first draft before too long.

One of the key settings will borrow from a mainframe computer room. I’m exploring more of the technology and the Core, and I’m actively weaving in espionage elements, which I love. That likely comes from my intrigue with Cold War espionage. I’m asking, “How can I borrow from that and work it into a futuristic USA and have fun with it?”

Laurie:
That sounds like a lot of fun. Will Seth be the main character in that book as well?

Jeremiah:
Yes. Seth will be the main character in each of the novels. There’s also a prequel novella called Association, available for free as an ebook on my website. It features Kristen, Seth’s sidekick, and tells some of her backstory before she appears in Core Deception.

Laurie:
Okay, cool. I will have a link to that free ebook in the show notes at SwordAndStoryPodcast.com. Jeremiah, tell us where we can find it on your website as well.

Jeremiah:
Go to www.JeremiahFriedli.com. From the Books tab, click on Association. It’s also featured on the main page.

Laurie:
I just want to clarify how you spell your last name, because it’s pronounced “freely,” but it’s not spelled the way it sounds. Can you spell it for us so listeners can find your website?

Jeremiah:
Yes. F-R-I-E-D-L-I—JeremiahFriedli.com.

Laurie:
I’ll include links in the show notes as well.

Book Blurb & Early Reviews

Laurie:
I’m going to read the book blurb you have listed on Amazon, and then a couple of reviews I saw there for Core Deception, and we’ll wrap up.

Book Blurb:
A tyrannical government. A cryptic letter. A devious hacker. In a world where the government’s Core systems see and track everyone, seventeen-year-old hacker Seth Alvarez is determined to save his sister from being placed in a reeducation facility. Armed with a cryptic letter, Seth embarks on a search for the valuable incognito devices—cyber master keys that can set his sister free. But with only three weeks remaining, he finds himself wedged between two powerful forces who will stop at nothing to get the devices first.

What readers are saying:

• “The world-building is immersive. The concept of the Core’s ever-watchful presence is both fascinating and unsettling, and the clean, compelling writing makes it easy to lose yourself in the story.”
• “Core Deception is an intriguing story with a plot that keeps you engaged. The characters are well developed and the writing is easy to follow, making it a great choice for teenage readers who enjoy suspenseful storytelling. I highly recommend Core Deception.”
• “Core Deception grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let go. I appreciated how clean the book was and that the main character made clear—but not in-your-face—references to Christian morals.”

Be sure to check out Core Deception at www.JeremiahFriedli.com.

Laurie:
Jeremiah, thank you so much for joining us today on The Sword and Story Podcast.