by John Marrs

Del Rey, out now

We all keep secrets – but some more than others…

John Marrs’ high concept SF thriller kicks off with an attack on an automated truck, one of a number that are carrying the most vital UK state secrets (whether we actually have any worth keeping is a debate for another book!). With the weakness in the system apparent, scientists come up with a plan – to incorporate it into the very fabric of five people – known as Minders – who will live pretty much off the grid for five years to ensure the secrets are not obtainable.

The book’s interspersed with “redacted” notes from government meetings, and you’ll laugh out loud as Marrs lampshades the inherent lunacy of the idea with a great line. But he – and the characters involved – all commit to this plan, and we follow them before they’re chosen and once they’re out in the wild world. They’re a motley crew, and not necessarily the most stable even before their lives are turned upside down. There’s also an ongoing mystery regarding a woman who’s woken with amnesia and is not at all sure that she can trust the man who claims to be her husband.

The Minders is set in the same world as Marrs’ earlier SF novels, The One and The Passengers, and there’s some cross-referencing to those which ensures that those who haven’t read them (which at that stage included me) are up to speed. Marrs writes about the future technology with an ease, not letting his characters ponder too much about what they’re using (as we don’t now when we use the latest innovation). The characters mostly feel three-dimensional and there’s some horrific moments which can take the reader by surprise as certain facets of their personalities are revealed.

Verdict: Marrs ensures you suspend your disbelief sufficiently to inveigle you within the lives of the Minders – and then you’ll be hooked. 8/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order The Minders from Amazon.co.uk

Click here for our interview with author John Marrs