Rating 8.5/10
Synopsis
In the 21st century information is king. But computers can be hacked, files can be broken into. So a unique government initiative has been borne. Five ordinary people have been selected to become the latest weapon in thwarting cyber terrorism. A revolutionary medical procedure has turned them into the ultimate secret keepers – the country’s most secretive 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. Only somebody has discovered who the secret keepers are. And one by one, they are being hunted down…
Review
The Minders is John Marrs’ most recent novel, and like every single one of his novels a thrilling rollercoaster of a ride, that I would highly recommend to any type of reader.
Marrs has this uncanny ability to hook a reader within the first few pages (uh what am I saying, if a reader picked up the book and turned to a random page they would probably get hooked), which in my eyes is what makes or breaks a thriller. Within a few pages I was already wondering: where is this leading? But I REALLY wanted to find out. What also makes this novel intriguing is that it refers to some of his other novels in many ways, particularly The One and Passengers, for which it could almost be a kind of sequel. It doesn’t have to be though and I don’t want to deter new readers, because you can actually start with any of his novels. However, if you haven’t tried any John Marrs novels then get on it now!
The plot is set in a not to far future United Kingdom, post Brexit and post pandemic. Possibly the authors vision of a future U.K, struggling with its own identity in a cyber terrorism-filled-world. The UK’s most important secrets are at risk from The Hacking Collective. To prevent further security breaches the U.K government issues a test for the U.K population to find 5 individuals who will guard their secrets…in a more organic way.
I didn’t connect as well as usual with the characters in this novel – I’m not sure why as I usually connect well (even with the bad ones) with all of Marrs’ characters. Maybe it was the knowledge that something terrible may happen to them? Or maybe I just know that Marrs doesn’t do happy endings? Despite this, the plot more than made up for it with its movie like action and intrigue. Yep this ones a one sitting read!
There’s not much to say about the writing, as Marrs’ writing, as usual is absolutely fantastic, with well (but not over) described scenes, high action and vivid imagery.
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