OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Mind Hackers" by Edmond Dougherty.]

Mind Hackers by Edmond Dougherty is a sci-fi thriller that follows the adventures of tech genius Cole Cheetum, owner of WildTech. Cole is an idiosyncratic boss, and it shows in the type of employees he hires, which ranges from a fortune teller to a former cop turned private security. One thing Cole loves doing is inventing and building things while keeping a relaxed work environment. The news of a suicide jumper who suddenly decides against jumping piques Cole’s interest, and the latter decides to investigate this further. His investigation leads him to meet Jenna, and he helps her realise that she can influence people to do whatever she wants. He invites Jenna to work for him to learn more about her powers and also to help him demystify some strange events that have been happening in his company.

Meanwhile, strange things keep happening around the world. In Ohio, a stay-at-home mum straps a bomb to her chest and blows up a bank after dropping her kids off at school, while in San Francisco, a Silicon Valley tech executive hires a truck and ploughs into runners in a marathon, massacring the lot of them. Are these events connected? What do they have to do with Cole and Jenna?

This book made a pleasant read. It was a slow burner. I was very intrigued and curious to find out why seemingly regular people would commit heinous crimes out of the blue. The author did a good job explaining this without leaving plot holes.

However, this book also had some negative aspects. Some dialogues were muddled up, which made it difficult to ascertain when one character had stopped speaking and when another had begun. After a strong beginning, the book got boring as the author tried to introduce characters such as Cole and Jenna. I believe the author spent too much time doing this, especially the technical aspects of Cole’s work at WildTech. Most of the time, I couldn’t understand the technical jargon involved, and I even started to dread reading anything about Cole and his company because it got very boring.

Another issue I didn’t like was the fact that it had footnotes; I found this very distracting and weird to see in a novel. I wish the author had explained the contents of the footnotes in the body of work, even if briefly. The cover also didn’t do anything for the book and seemed too amateurish. Despite these issues, the book picked up after a while, making me eager to see how it would end. As a result, I rate it 4 out of 5 stars. I’ll recommend it to sci-fi and thriller lovers who enjoy slow burners.

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Mind Hackers
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Getting your mind hack sounds a lot like of a computer problem. This is more like a c-t-h-m in genre, however it must be using advanced scientific technology. It was such a scary phenomenon to happen.

Your review is amazing and I appreciate your honesty about its drawbacks; however, I dislike unnecessarily lengthy descriptions of a scene or character, plus too much unknown technical jargon, so for this one, I'll have to pass.

It looks like the premise has a lot of potential, but the execution was a little bit flawed. It would have been a perfect read for me in another circumstance that isn't this.

Thank you for your review!

I wouldn't want Jenna anywhere near me or my business. What if she hacks and manipulates my mind?

The title alone just got my attention. I’m sure I’ll love the book. Thanks for your honest review.

Cole seems like an interesting chap to associate himself with 'gifted' individuals. Maybe that's his gift. And could it be the end of the world for people to randomly execute mass murders like that? Sounds like an interesting book. Great review.

Cole seems like a business oriented mind person. I guess Jenna's character will be interesting to read. The title of the book got me into this. I guess it will be a good book to read. Thanks for your honest review.

This book sounds interesting. I've read one with a similar premise and similar occurrences and that had to do not so much with mind hacking as with blackmail. It was interesting too.
I agree with you about the cover and the unnecessary technical stuff although I have ways of tuning those out when I encounter them in novels .
As long as it has a good ending, I'd love to read this.
Thanks for the amazing review.

Thank you for the great review of Mind Hackers! The slow burn and plot twists sound intriguing. I'm curious to find out how the seemingly unrelated events tie into the story. The technical aspects of Cole's work might be challenging, but it seems worth it in the end. Thanks for the recommendation!

ElinaT wrote: ↑12 Apr 2023, 03:07 I wouldn't want Jenna anywhere near me or my business. What if she hacks and manipulates my mind?

Lol! I know, right?!

Edit_or wrote: ↑18 Apr 2023, 04:42 The title alone just got my attention. I’m sure I’ll love the book. Thanks for your honest review.

You're welcome. Hope you enjoy it!

zainherb wrote: ↑25 Apr 2023, 04:15 This book sounds interesting. I've read one with a similar premise and similar occurrences and that had to do not so much with mind hacking as with blackmail. It was interesting too.
I agree with you about the cover and the unnecessary technical stuff although I have ways of tuning those out when I encounter them in novels .
As long as it has a good ending, I'd love to read this.
Thanks for the amazing review.

You're welcome, zainherb. I hope you enjoy it!

Chris Agbara wrote: ↑27 Apr 2023, 16:56 Thank you for the great review of Mind Hackers! The slow burn and plot twists sound intriguing. I'm curious to find out how the seemingly unrelated events tie into the story. The technical aspects of Cole's work might be challenging, but it seems worth it in the end. Thanks for the recommendation!

Thanks Chris. I hope you enjoy it!

I guess you need to know some technical jargon to follow all the parts of the plot. Despite the flaws you pointed out, this seems like an interesting thriller with science fiction elements. Thank you for your great review!