Five strangers guard our secrets.
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 inside 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 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…
Welcome readers! It’s my day on the blog tour for John Marrs’ newest release, The Minders, which was released as an ebook on the 23rd of July, before its 17th of September paperback release! You can order / pre- order yourself a copy here.
Thankyou to Penguin Random House and Isabelle for the tour invite, as well as providing me with a Netgalley ARC to read in preparation for the tour. The Minders is John’s second book to be published this year, within a few months of one another! His first 2020 publication being What Lies Between Us that was published on the 15th of May. If you missed it, my review for this domestic thriller can be found here.
John is a writer who pens thrillers so well, but also has the ability to chameleon into the sub-categories of that genre – over the years, a collection of techno-thrillers have been written by John and published, each one has a highly plausible futuristic concept, which doesn’t change with The Minders. The concept of this novel revolves around biotechnology, one where government information has been translated into a genetic code and inserted within five individual with an extremely rare ability in the way that they process information. The way in which the concept and storyline is choreographed feels like it exists in a not too distant future. Although it includes nods to John’s other alternate futuristic reads, The One and The Passengers, The Minders can be read either as a third instalment in that series or as a completely independent bookish entity.
The plotline that’s weaved throughout the pages of The Minders is told through a variety of points of views, with each perspective showing both the motivation of each individual as well as their ability to be a walking government tool. You get to connect with each person thread into the story, you learn their depths while also slipping further into a storyline, so much so that you get not only invested within the unravelling sequence of events but also the lives of those living through them and their personal lives. Between the characterisations and fabulous taut plotline, the mixture of technological terrorism, government cover-ups and lies will draw you in to a unique counter-espionage read, keep you hooked and leave you pretty speechless.
So there you have it, my thoughts on The Minders and it’s a worthy addition to your reading list!
Until next time,
Happy reading!
The Reading Closet 