The Minders, By John Marrs ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Computer Hacking, Dystopian Fiction, Espionage, Government Conspiracies, The United Kingdom, Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: February 16th, 2021

416 Pages

Synopsis:

In this electrifying near-future thriller, five strangers guard government secrets, but only four can be trusted.

In the 21st century, information is king. But computers can be hacked and files can be broken into—so a unique government initiative has been born. Five ordinary people have been selected to become Minders—the latest weapon in thwarting cyberterrorism. Transformed by a revolutionary medical procedure, the country’s most classified information has been taken offline and turned into genetic code implanted in their heads.

Together, the five know every secret, the truth behind every government lie, conspiracy theory and cover up. In return, they’re given the chance for to leave their problems behind and a blank slate to start their lives anew.

But not everyone should be trusted, especially when they each have secrets of their own they’ll do anything to protect…(Goodreads)

The Minders is the third book by John Marrs set in the UK in the not too distant future. While you needn’t have read The One and The Passengers to keep up, I’d still recommend you do so to get a better sense of the world and technology. The chapters alternate between the five complex main characters, and as usual, Marrs does a solid job fleshing out their backstories. The plot itself is a little slower paced in the first half than in the previous books, but it’s still compelling, and given the increasing sophistication of hacking, I could see some of the things detailed in the book happening. My only quibble is that I felt like I was being told rather than shown what was happening, yet despite this, I was still drawn into the story. I have to say that after reading three books in this unnamed series now, I’ve found that the author is quite adept at making what would ordinarily be ludicrous plot points acceptable. Overall, The Minders is another exciting and creative piece of science fiction and a worthy follow-up to the previous books. 

Constant Fear ~ By Daniel Palmer – 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Adventure, Computer Hacking, Doomsday Preppers, Drug Cartels, Mystery, Thrillers

 I received this ebook from NetGalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review.

~ When Jake Dent’s dreams of playing professional baseball were shattered after a drunk driving accident, so did his marriage. Left alone to raise his diabetic son Andy, Jake retains his sense of control by becoming a devoted Doomsday Prepper. 

Andy, now a student at the prestigious Pepperell Academy where Jake is a custodian, has a secret–he has formed a computer club that takes money from the wealthy and gives it to the poor. Usually their targets don’t even realize they’ve been hacked. But this time, the group has targeted the wrong people, and now a vicious drug cartel is intent on getting its money back.

As the cartel infiltrates the Academy and takes Andy and his friends hostage, Jake, with his years of training and stockpile of weapons and supplies, is the best hope for getting them out alive. But survival in a real life situation is much different than practicing for a potential catastrophe, and Jake learns there are no rules or second chances.

Once upon a time, Jake had everything going for him. A promising career in major league baseball, a beautiful wife, and an infant son. Then his dreams are crushed when he’s in a drunk driving accident. Finding his life out of control, he finds relief in reading a survivalist blog, and prepares himself and Andy for the doomsday he knows will come eventually. Living in the quiet, picturesque Berkshires of Massachusetts, in a double-wide trailer near the prestigious school where Jake’s a custodian, the two are very close, although lately Andy’s been chafing at his father’s rules and drills. Jake has no idea that Andy and a group of friends who call themselves The Shire, have been siphoning small amounts of money from rich people and dispersing the funds to the needy. Unfortunately, their latest venture results in them inadvertently stealing two hundred million dollars in bitcoins, and now someone has stolen the bitcoins from them. Even worse, the money belongs to a Mexican drug cartel who sends a group of psychopaths to get the money back. 

Constant Fear grabbed my attention from the very first page. Jake is such a sympathetic character. With everything that’s happened, you can understand why he’d become a survivalist. He’s not crazy, he just believes in being prepared and doesn’t want to lose everything again. He’s done a wonderful job raising Andy, and the two love and respect each other. I think their relationship is the strongest part of the book. Jake also has a girlfriend, Ellie, who is very supportive even though she knows nothing of his secret life. All the characters are wonderfully written, even the villains. Andy and his friends obviously make some incredibly stupid choices, but they see themselves as modern day versions of Robin Hood and his troupe. They don’t understand what repercussions their actions might bring until it’s too late. Once the cartel gets involved, the action is non-stop and nerve wracking, and I found it almost impossible to put the book down. There’s some pretty gruesome passages, involving torture, which I had to skim over a little, but everything is realistically written. The ending is perfectly satisfying and has a twist which I didn’t see coming. As usual, Daniel Palmer has done his homework; whether it’s in regards to the lives of survivalists, the politics of drug cartels, or the technical aspects of computer hacking. He never leaves his readers confused. This is definitely a perfect summer read if you like thrillers!