The Minders by John Marrs

From Goodreads

Everyone has secrets. They know yours...

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...

'One of the most exciting, original thriller writers out there. I never miss one of his book' – SIMON KERNICK.

My thoughts

Thanks to the Publishers via NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I have previously read The One and The Passengers by this Author, the premise of these books and odd characters get mentioned in this story.  So it might make sense to read those books first, but this book can be easily be read as a standalone read.  I gave both those stories  stars or 10/10.

The Minders is a story about 5 individuals tasked with keeping safe the secrets of the Government, this is in an attempt to stop Cyber crime happening.  Hacking of computers is a common event and the Government were concerned that things that they had kept hidden would be revealed.  The Government came up with a cunning plan that the info could be changed and stored as genetic code on an implant.  The 5 individuals chosen had this implant inside them for a period of time in order to allow the Government to find a more secure way of storing this info forever.

As the 5 individuals begin to form new lives and make new acquaintance and friends.  One by one their identities are being revealed and their lives are one by one put at danger.  As they each try their best to stay under the radar and out of danger, it becomes evident that ultimately they might not survive.

Can any of the 5 survive or are they all doomed to die at the hands of an unknown enemy?

I gave this a 4 stars or 8/10.  For some reason it didn't grab me quite as much as the previously mentioned stories.  Maybe the fact that I struggled with the start and found that the story came into it's own around halfway through, as the first half was setting the scene and I struggled a little  at working out what was happening.  The second half though as the story progressed and the reader began to realise what they thought was happening, only to have things turned topsy turvy by the plot twists that began to be thrown at us.  I found the twists drew me in to the ending that I never expected to be true, it was a proper mind twist.  Not all that is seen is real, the mind plays tricks on us as does this Author.

A word of warning about this Author, be prepared to have your mind blown by what he reveals to you as the plot twists are revealed.  All is not what you might think in many ways.