I enjoyed The One! I read it, and then I listened to it. I loved The Passengers and thought John Marrs was on top of his game with this entertaining, chilling action-packed, fast track ride to the unthinkable where technology and humans collide in more ways than one. Both are not to miss, and it's a good idea to read them before The Minders.

The Minders again draws us into the world of humans and technology, and hackers are upping their game here. The Minders is set in the near future after both The One and The Passengers' events, and there are a few references to both. I loved how it brought a familiar feel to the story, and I enjoyed seeing some of the impacts both stories had on the characters in The Minders. It added some excitement and thrill to the story for me. There are spoilers to both books. However, if you are not planning to read The One and The Passengers, it works great as a stand alone.

Five people are selected to be Minders, who are programmed to store massive amounts of data with government secrets. Is that safer than computers? Well, John Marrs tests that here, and he is not afraid to put his characters through the wringer to see how secure it is. I was left a little stunned a few times while reading this one. The chapters alternated between the minders' POV and John Marrs creates distinct characters and has a knack for juggling a few at a time.

The pace is slower and the action not as thrilling, and I felt John Marrs was a little off his game here for good reasons. However, even when he is off, he is good!! I highly recommend it.

The nitty-gritty: The Minders had lots of potential, but too many silly plot points and unlikeable characters made this a miss for me.

I think your enjoyment of The Minders is going to hinge on whether or not you can get past some of the ridiculous plot elements, at least that was my experience. The Minders is set in the same world as Marrs’ The Passengers and The One and builds on some of the details in those books. Saying that, it isn’t really necessary to read either one first. For example, I’ve read The Passengers but not The One, and I had no trouble following along. The books take place in a futuristic UK, and each addresses an interesting bit of future technology. The Passengers focuses on the dangers of self-driving cars, The One revolves around a matchmaking system involving DNA matching, and now with The Minders, Marrs delves into the world of data hacking and ways to prevent that from happening.

The story focuses on five main characters who have all been selected to participate in a secret government program. The UK has recently been attacked by a group of cyber criminals called the Hacking Collective, a fringe group who aim to interfere with the country’s cyber safety protocols by hacking into secure online files and causing havoc and even death. Due to the recent failure of the British government choosing to hide volatile government secrets inside moving vehicles—yep, you guessed it, the Hacking Collective took them down—they have decided instead to store these secrets inside the human brain. Because humans can’t be hacked, right? 

These “Minders,” as they are called, have been carefully selected because of certain physiological traits, one of those being that all the Minders have some form of synesthesia. Specially trained by the government and given strict rules for the next five years of their lives, the five Minders each have an information-filled capsule implanted into their brains and are instructed to leave their friends and family behind, move to a remote location (a location known by only one man, their “handler”) and lie low as much as possible. In return, the government will pay for anything they might need, and of course there is a big payout once the five years are up.

But shortly after all five Minders are happily settled into their new homes, things start to go wrong. The classified information stored in their brains is slowly leaking through, and now they have access to these secrets. Even worse, someone is after them, someone dangerous who wants them dead. And there is nowhere to run...

I’m honestly baffled by all the high ratings for this book on Goodreads. And we’re talking almost 1,500 ratings of what look to be mostly four and five stars. Unfortunately, I found The Minders to be full of silly coincidences, over-the-top characters and a completely unbelievable premise. I want to talk about the characters first, because while they were certainly entertaining, they were some of the stupidest characters I’ve ever run across before. If you’re going to choose five people in all of Great Britain to be the keepers of the biggest government secrets ever, wouldn’t you choose a little more carefully? Instead, Bruno, Sinéad, Charlie, Flick and Emelia are chosen based on a computer quiz, which confirms that they all have synesthesia. Apparently, this condition is all that’s required to be a good fit. However, we soon meet all five characters and trust me, they are not good fits at all. Now I’m aware that Marrs was going for pure entertainment and shock value, and that’s exactly what he achieved.

But here, judge for yourself: First we have Flick, a sad sad woman who discovered that her DNA Match turned out to be a notorious serial killer. Now she lives in a state of depression, convinced she’ll never meet the love of her life. Sinéad’s husband is a narcissist and has been gaslighting her for years. He’s convinced her that she’s ugly, fat and useless, and Sinéad believes him. It isn’t until she passes the quiz that she has the strength to get up and leave him for good. Bruno is the single father of an autistic boy who requires constant care. It turns out his wife Zoe was cheating on him, but she and her lover died in a car crash when their self driving car was hacked. Cheated out of a settlement from Zoe’s death, Bruno is now a bitter man who has only one thing on his mind: revenge. Charlie was also involved in a self-driving car mishap and now he’s completely alone and friendless because of it. Last is Emelia, the biggest mystery of all. Emelia wakes up in a hospital and can’t remember anything: who she is, how she got there, and worst of all, the man who claims to be her husband and wants to take her home. It isn’t until much later in the story that Emelia’s secrets are revealed. Now seriously, would you choose these people to protect your county's most highly sensitive secrets? Me either.

The more I learned about the characters, the more I disliked them. In addition to making terrible choices along the way, we learn that each one went through intensive government training (which is never explained), and now they all have crazy ninja skills that seem to kick in just when they need them most, i.e. whenever they are being threatened. There’s also the issue of those secrets that are stored inside their brains, secrets that are leaking out, which means they aren’t secret anymore. Now it’s up to a bunch of depressed, mentally unstable citizens to keep those secrets, even if they’re dying to tell someone. I read science fiction and fantasy all day long, so I’ve learned how to suspend my disbelief when needed. But sometimes an author just goes too far into “unbelievable” territory and I have a tough time rolling with it, and this is one of those cases.

The only character I really liked was Emelia, whose story is actually very well done. Marrs is really good at misdirection, and I was honestly surprised by some of the twists involving Emelia and her husband. If only the other characters’ stories had been half as well developed, I think I would have enjoyed this much more.

The plot itself is a bit of a mess, and the author seems determined to throw in every outlandish trick in the book to shock his audience. The Minders is also a fairly violent story, and I’m not sure why I’m surprised because The Passengers was violent as well. One of the characters goes on a killing spree, and how he got away with all those murders is anyone’s guess, lol. Get ready for a huge body count, and be careful who you get attached to, just saying.

And while I’ll admit this was a page-turner and there were some genuinely exciting scenes, it just wasn’t enough for me to give this a higher rating. I’ve come to the conclusion that John Marrs might not be for me, and as curious as I am to go back and read The One, I think I’ll pass for now.

Thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.

What an interesting concept! Marrs has created a world in which its possible not only to compress all the secret info in the UK into DNA AND to put that DNA into five people who have synthesis (a fascinating thing in and of itself). Now Flick, Charlie, Sinead, Emilia, and Bruno all have a bigger problem than those they faced before the implant- someone is atter them. The first half of this plot driven novel is very much world building the characters and their back stories while the second half gets much more exciting. No spoilers from me. I'd not read the earlier books, which I understand might have made this a richer experience, but that didn't matter to me. This isn't my usual genre but I was entirely comfortable with the story, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good thought provoking read.

If I could describe this book in one word I think it would be insane.
This was one of the hardest books to put down. From beginning to end I was hooked, wanting to know more and more about each and every character. John Marrs put so much thought into each and every detail, and by switching point of views every chapter, kept all us readers on our feet.
This book follows the five Minders, people who have Government secrets implanted into their genetic code, as they navigate life hiding in plain sight.
The Program offers its subjects the ability to start fresh if they complete the Test.
Flick, a 36-year-old girl who signed up for the program after a failed Matching experience with a broken heart, struggles to live a life devoid of true meaningful relationships while in the Program.
Charlie, a 25-year-old graphic designer who craved the idea of giving his life meaning.
Sinead has lived with her abusive husband for long enough, and decides at 38-years old that it is time for her to prioritize herself.
Bruno doesn't belong here at all, after his son completed the puzzle without his knowledge, he enters the program completely unprepared and just wanting to pay his sons medical bills.
And finally, the missing piece of the puzzle is Emilia. A girl who wakes up one day with no memories or idea of what her life was like. Her only hope: find the Minders and uncover her past.
This futuristic thriller had me enthralled from beginning to end, and I cannot recommend it enough. If you love a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat for the sum of its pages, and leave you completely in awe at the end, pick this up now!
Thank you to NetGalley and the Berkley Publishing Group for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

The Minders (John Marrs) is the type of Sci-Fi story I enjoy.  You know the plot is impossible....but only for now. In the near future this could be mankind's reality. The only difficulty I had reading The Minders was keeping all the characters straight in the beginning. I want to thank NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an early copy to review.

This is the third book author John Marrs has written set in the near future and it is a continuation of The Passengers and The One. While it adds to the enjoyment of the story to have read the other books before reading The Minders, it’s not essential. The author has created an intriguing look into the future as governments try to deal with the threat of computer hacking on a global scale.

The book started slowly and spent a lot of time dealing with each minder and their personal story; first as a private citizen and, then, as a minder. The pace did not speed up until well into the second half of the book. But, when it picked up, it really picked up! Approximately the last third of the book was non-stop action and was one shock after another.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

Sci-fi thriller set a few decades ahead of today.
5 people solve a puzzle requiring an alternative thought process. Five people willing to cut all ties to their life, their family and friends. Four of the five are desperate for a new start, a new chance at life.
Hackers are holding countries hostage - breaking protections in their covered up crimes, historical data, etc. With a new medical procedure, data is implanted in these five people for five years. They must live isolated yet blend in.
Will they be hacked?
Some very shocking moments, great twists and concepts for our potential future lives.

The book is set in a futuristic England, where technology has advanced. You can get a cheek swab to find your perfect mate and cars drive autonomously. In trying to protect the government’s secrets in a highly advanced technological world, the government developed a new program and recruited ordinary people with a specific skill set to guard their secrets from the hacking collective.

I am picky in what sci fi and fantasy books I read. I need them based in a reality I can believe. This really hit the mark. I first read Orwell’s 1984 in 1984, when everything in his book was still a prediction. And since then, I’ve lived through where technology has taken. I will admit, I’m still slightly disappointed we didn’t arrive at robot cleaners and flying cars from the Jetsons. And while the world created by Marrs isn’t happening, you never know if or when it could.

There are a lot of characters thrown at you pretty early on, with alternating chapters about them, but the author is pretty good at reminding you who they are without being repetitive. And as I read the book, moving from character to character, I knew what was going on, but didn’t always know what it meant. I couldn’t read fast enough to find out where the story would end up.

I recommend this if you want to escape to highly technological world field with suspense and thrills.

John Marrs is quickly becoming the king of sci fi. The Minders has a fascinating concept where in the near-future, hacked computers becomes such an issue that the government decides to come up with a solution to protect government secrets. Five random, ordinary strangers are selected to become Minders, meaning they will hold the governments deepest secrets in a genetic code implanted inside their heads. The five of them together know every secret. The problem is: one of the five cannot be trusted. And a plot-driven thriller with plenty of twists and turns ensues. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy fast-paced science fiction futuristic thrillers.

John Marrs never disappoints. Futurist thrilling experience and a must read for fans of Marrs. The Minders has fantastic atmosphere and world building. The characters are well developed and engaging. The story is told from multiple points of view that are executed seamlessly and easy to follow. This book checks a lot of boxes for me; lots of action, intrigue, a quick witted, fast paced read that delivers

I couldn't get into this one. I was really looking forward to it because it has great reviews. I'm wondering if maybe those are from people who read his other two books. I think if I had read those other two I may have enjoyed it a bit more. It was very difficult for me to get into it in the beginning. There was too much technical talk. It did pick up a little bit, but I still never really felt like I understood what was going on.

I really like John Marrs, and have read his previous books. He takes a sci-fi twist with The Minders, which isn't bad, but I will say, he relies far more on the plot driving this particular book, whereas I felt like his previous books were more character-centered. For that reason, I'm giving this book 4 stars instead of 5, but I still enjoyed it. If you're more of a sci-fi reader, this might be your favorite book of his yet!

My other issue with this book was that it was quite slow, so combining that with more plot driven than character driven, I had a hard time getting started. It does pick up steam though, and by about the 2/3 point, you'll be hooked. I have no doubt this will be another successful book by John Marrs.

I didn't realize this was technically not the first book in the series, that doesn't mean you HAVE to read them in order. However, if I would have known I would recommend reading "The One" and "The Passengers" FIRST and then coming back to "The Minders," however, I'll just be reading them out of order and hopefully, it doesn't give too much away! Even non-sci-fi fans will love this book! The ending will leave you speechless.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is why I can’t have nice things. I’ve heard so many great things about The Minders and I was excited to finally read it, my first John Marrs novel. Unfortunately, I did not find it to live up to any of the hype for me.

Let’s start with what I enjoyed. Going into the book, I was a little wary of the sci-fi elements and expected that to bring the story down for me, but it was actually my favorite part. Everything felt futuristic, but not that futuristic that it seemed unbelievable. A lot of it seemed like things that could still happen in my lifetime and that was kind of cool – and a little scary.

I thought the concept of the story was interesting and unique, but I ended up feeling really bored for most of it. The story is incredibly slow paced until the final third or so. It’s heavily character-driven, but I felt pretty ambivalent about all of them, which made it feel like a chore to get through. None of the characters were likeable and where there were a few sympathetic elements to all of them, I just never felt a connection to them. I almost DNF-ed the book several times, but the promises of crazy twists and suspense I kept reading in other reviews kept me going.

Sadly, I felt left down by the twists, as well. There were a few surprises that I didn’t guess beforehand, but most of the larger plot twists I predicted far in advance. I thought there were enough clues that anyone paying attention would guess them. Or even if you just read a lot of thrillers, you will probably be able figure it out. While the sci-fi backdrop felt unique, the actual execution of the plot seemed redundant.

Overall, The Minders was not for me. I liked the concept and the action did pick up in the last third or so of the book, but everything leading up to it was really boring to me. I didn’t care for the characters and I guessed a couple of the major plot twists long before there were revealed. While I didn’t really enjoy the story, I am obviously in the minority opinion, so it still may be worth checking it out.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 2 Stars

I absolutely love John Marrs and he is one of my “auto-buy” authors, meaning I’ll read anything he writes! I was so excited to get my hands on a early copy of The Minders. The Minders is set in the future, and scientists have figured out a way to implant sensitive government information into people’s heads, and the book follows several of these people, known as “Minders”. The book is told through multiple points of views, primarily from the different Minders. I really enjoyed that aspect, as we saw how each of them adapted to this new life they’d been thrown into.

As the book progresses, there are references to some of Marrs’ past work, including The One, and The Passengers. While you can definitely read this without having read the other two, I’d highly recommend reading the other two first (starting with The One) so you have some background and context for events that are mentioned in The Minders.

As always, Mr. Marrs did a great job of holding my attention and keeping me wanting to know what would happen. His writing is engaging, and his stories are always so unique. I will say that this is not a super fast paced thriller where the action starts immediately, but is rather a slow burn where you know something is coming, but takes a while to build up to.

I will say that I felt like the ending of this one was not my favorite. Without spoiling anything, I’ll say that it felt a little over the top, and I had open questions that weren’t resolved. Because of that, I rated this one 4 stars. That said, I would definitely recommend The Minders for fans of suspense books, especially if you enjoy a little bit of a futuristic world in your books!

Picking up a few years later in the same futuristic world that makes up many of Marrs’ books, this time the Hacking Collective is after the country’s secrets, so as a protective measure, they’ve been implanted into the minds of five citizens.

The ensemble cast is tricky to pull off, especially when they’re disconnected for the majority of the book so it really became more about the concept and execution rather than the plot or characters and I tend to zone out in those cases (see Vox, The Power, etc.). It didn’t help that the premise itself was just too outlandish for me.

I never felt like I got a good grasp of any of the characters and while there were spurts of action, the majority of the book didn’t keep my interest up until the very end.

I’m rounding up but reluctantly... this was just very very dull.

John Marrs has done it again. He’s brought us back into the same futuristic world of The One and The Passengers, but this time about hacking into the government.

What does a government do to keep all their secrets safe? They put their secrets into the minds of 5 unlikely citizens. This is another of Marrs books that would make a great Black Mirrors episode because of the futuristic tech. I loved it. I read that The One has been picked up by NetFlix as a new series!

This is my 4th book I’ve read from this author and apparently I can’t get enough. I was really excited to see it tied back to his two previous books that I enjoyed so much.

I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!

*Thanks to Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advance copy!*

Who would you trust your secrets to if you didn't want them to be computerized and vulnerable to attack? IN John Marrs newest novel, you could become a Minder and hold your country's secrets in the near future.
In the United Kingdom, five people have been chosen to keep the country's secrets safe from any and all hackers and enemies. They must leave there old life behind and become a part of the government.
This book was thought provoking and action packed and kept me pulled in throughout. I will nowe have to go back to find his earlier books to catch up.
Thanks to the author, NetGalley and Berkley for an advance copy of this book.

👩🏽‍🔬Book Review 🧑‍🔬

Thank you @berkleypub ,@johnmarrs.author , and @netgalley for my review copy

Out Tuesday! You don’t want to miss this one!

Would you be willing to leave your old life behind? Maybe escape someone or some horrible things? In exchange all you would have to do is be implanted with the governments top secrets and know everything but lay under the radar. No contact with your old life, no deep meaningful relationships. You would be the worlds first group of unhackable humans. You get special training, emotions are limited, you are taught how to never give answers. Would you?

My thoughts:
This was another wild ride from John Marrs! Sci-fi thriller with addition of humanity and what we really need from life. Each person who is in the Minder program is running from something. Some I was rooting for and others I was like how the heck did they manage to get as far as they did. There were reference to two of his books The One and The Passengers. I knew enough about The One to know what they were talking about and remebered things from The Passengers. It really was interesting how far the government went to protect their secrets and plans even when it was going oh so wrong. There was a lot of twists and turns, it was fantastic!
4.5⭐️

I’m a recent (last two years) but huge fan of John Marrs. He weaves a story so uniquely & deftly written that you rip through the book faster than you plan to. This one connects to his previous works The Passengers & The One (both I loved). Three books in & he’s subtly created such a realistic, near future tied to technological advancements that seems almost possible. This books follows the people chosen to hold all of a governments secrets within their minds. It also sprinkles things from the other two books in it so nicely, it feels as though I’m just continuing on with one long story. I love the world Marrs has created & it’s always a joy to get caught up in it, there’s always twists, secrets & surprises galore. It gets a definite recommendation from me & I can only hope there’s more to come.