What do you think?
Rate this book
Mindjacker
She can steal your thoughts. And you won’t remember a thing.
In a scorching city filled with corruption and brutalized by climate change, Quinn has learned how to survive using her street smarts and technical skill.
She can read minds. Not in the woo-woo empathic sense, but by mindjacking, aka illegally downloading someone’s memories and wading through them until she finds the evidence that means payday.
That is, as long as she can steer clear of the cops and avoid getting dimed. Totally doable.
Until a job goes terribly wrong, and Quinn discovers the real enemy isn’t who she thought it was.
And that it’s far more deadly.
If you love fast-paced dystopian sci-fi with badass heroines, you’ll love the Mindjacker series!
In a scorching city filled with corruption and brutalized by climate change, Quinn has learned how to survive using her street smarts and technical skill.
She can read minds. Not in the woo-woo empathic sense, but by mindjacking, aka illegally downloading someone’s memories and wading through them until she finds the evidence that means payday.
That is, as long as she can steer clear of the cops and avoid getting dimed. Totally doable.
Until a job goes terribly wrong, and Quinn discovers the real enemy isn’t who she thought it was.
And that it’s far more deadly.
If you love fast-paced dystopian sci-fi with badass heroines, you’ll love the Mindjacker series!
258 pages, Paperback
Published December 7, 2018
5 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 27, 2023
El Diablo is a desert city in a climate change wrecked environment. 130F/54C days are the norm and the desert has become too dry even for cacti. No outdoor plant life. The poor of the city bear a larger share of the stress not being able to afford as much shelter from the environment. Extreme economic stratification locks them into lives of meaningless never ending struggle while living in the dangerous and depressing "downtown".
The main character is a young woman who does "mindjacking", nonconsensually copying memories out of the brains of her victims for money. She rationalizes her criminal activity as a means of escaping her economic oppression, that she does it as part of a criminal organization with an ethical code, that the organization is making the world better, and that her victims are privileged bad actors involved with corporate espionage. The main character never makes it clear how what she does is helping the world. I think that works for the story, as it makes the main character flawed and more human.
I read an interesting quote elsewhere that stated that a dystopian story is about Caucasian people being forced to live like currently marginalized people. The race of various characters is not mentioned in the book, but strongly implied to be Caucasian. I think that will help the typical sci-fi fan get more invested in the plight of the "downtown" characters and help them receive the message about the plights of poverty.
You really find yourself rooting for the protagonist, hoping she finds a way out of having to live in the "downtown" section of her city. The story is a suspense story, as she gets herself into one difficult situation after another. It makes it hard to put the book down and it makes her story fun to read.
Warning. This book ends on a cliffhanger.
The main character is a young woman who does "mindjacking", nonconsensually copying memories out of the brains of her victims for money. She rationalizes her criminal activity as a means of escaping her economic oppression, that she does it as part of a criminal organization with an ethical code, that the organization is making the world better, and that her victims are privileged bad actors involved with corporate espionage. The main character never makes it clear how what she does is helping the world. I think that works for the story, as it makes the main character flawed and more human.
I read an interesting quote elsewhere that stated that a dystopian story is about Caucasian people being forced to live like currently marginalized people. The race of various characters is not mentioned in the book, but strongly implied to be Caucasian. I think that will help the typical sci-fi fan get more invested in the plight of the "downtown" characters and help them receive the message about the plights of poverty.
You really find yourself rooting for the protagonist, hoping she finds a way out of having to live in the "downtown" section of her city. The story is a suspense story, as she gets herself into one difficult situation after another. It makes it hard to put the book down and it makes her story fun to read.
Warning. This book ends on a cliffhanger.
January 12, 2019
I was a huge fan of the Refugee trilogy and the Daughters of Anarchy books by this author and the new books does not disappoint.
These are a blend of sci-fi and thriller that are complex and engaging. The author writes strong female characters, and much like the Daughters of Anarchy, they are driven by a personal moral code of righting wrongs and justice. All of the characters are deeply complex, and you can see them evolve through the story. Nothing is static or left out. Small details are used in how they act to really connect you to them. By the end of the book, you feel as if you know them because the writing is so fluid and natural. It is not narration-heavy, which is what really makes this so engaging, because you connect so much better with the characters when you are learning about them by what they say and do vs just being told in narration.
The story itself if great. The idea of mindjacking, and how it can be used, for good or bad, feels original in this. There are twists and turns in the story, which makes you not want to put it down. Excellent writing and a solid story. I am looking forward to the next.
I was given a free copy of this book.
These are a blend of sci-fi and thriller that are complex and engaging. The author writes strong female characters, and much like the Daughters of Anarchy, they are driven by a personal moral code of righting wrongs and justice. All of the characters are deeply complex, and you can see them evolve through the story. Nothing is static or left out. Small details are used in how they act to really connect you to them. By the end of the book, you feel as if you know them because the writing is so fluid and natural. It is not narration-heavy, which is what really makes this so engaging, because you connect so much better with the characters when you are learning about them by what they say and do vs just being told in narration.
The story itself if great. The idea of mindjacking, and how it can be used, for good or bad, feels original in this. There are twists and turns in the story, which makes you not want to put it down. Excellent writing and a solid story. I am looking forward to the next.
I was given a free copy of this book.
September 24, 2018
This past week I had great fun reading the book Mindjacker by CA Hartman. Mindjacker is the first in a new series, focusing on a woman, Quinn Hartley, who works as a mindjacker in a future dystopian society ruled by climate change.
As with all the CA Hartman novels I’ve read, the main protagonist is a strong female character, more than capable of handling herself in a variety of dangerous situations. Quinn, in this book, reminds me significantly of Stevie from Daughters of Anarchy. Both are comfortable with violence, and both are driven by a deep desire to make the world a better place. That being said, I find Quinn to be a more relatable and well-rounded character.
The pacing of this book is superb, and this ended up being a really quick read for me. Hartman does an excellent job of layering the tension, always being sure to give readers short breaks where we can catch our breath before adding another twist or complication. More often than not, I found myself ten or fifteen percent of the way through the book when I felt like I had only been reading a few minutes.
I found the world building in this book to be solid. Hartman has an eye for details, from plants to clothing, that brings this future society alive. However, if I had to list my greatest disappointment with the story, it was that I wanted to see even more of this world, a common problem I have with first books in a series. Much was hinted at but never truly explored, which only made me want to learn more.
As with any story these days that deals with hacking minds, it’s hard not to draw a comparison to Inception. The primary difference, in my eye, between Inception and Mindjacker, is that Inception focused on the rules and practice of hacking minds, while Mindjacker focuses on the characters who would consider rummaging through another’s mind their occupation. Inception deals with the world of dreams, Mindjacker deals with the world that possesses such a technology.
Overall, I really enjoyed this read. Fast, thrilling, and interesting, I’m very curious to see where this story goes next.
Originally Published at Waterstonemedia.net
As with all the CA Hartman novels I’ve read, the main protagonist is a strong female character, more than capable of handling herself in a variety of dangerous situations. Quinn, in this book, reminds me significantly of Stevie from Daughters of Anarchy. Both are comfortable with violence, and both are driven by a deep desire to make the world a better place. That being said, I find Quinn to be a more relatable and well-rounded character.
The pacing of this book is superb, and this ended up being a really quick read for me. Hartman does an excellent job of layering the tension, always being sure to give readers short breaks where we can catch our breath before adding another twist or complication. More often than not, I found myself ten or fifteen percent of the way through the book when I felt like I had only been reading a few minutes.
I found the world building in this book to be solid. Hartman has an eye for details, from plants to clothing, that brings this future society alive. However, if I had to list my greatest disappointment with the story, it was that I wanted to see even more of this world, a common problem I have with first books in a series. Much was hinted at but never truly explored, which only made me want to learn more.
As with any story these days that deals with hacking minds, it’s hard not to draw a comparison to Inception. The primary difference, in my eye, between Inception and Mindjacker, is that Inception focused on the rules and practice of hacking minds, while Mindjacker focuses on the characters who would consider rummaging through another’s mind their occupation. Inception deals with the world of dreams, Mindjacker deals with the world that possesses such a technology.
Overall, I really enjoyed this read. Fast, thrilling, and interesting, I’m very curious to see where this story goes next.
Originally Published at Waterstonemedia.net
November 2, 2019
This nonstop action thriller was full of adventure and kept me going until the very end. Quinn was a very strong female lead and I absolutely loved her. I can’t wait for her next set of adventures.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 4, 2019
This is an amazing story that had interesting characters and a great storyline. I could not put this book down. Fast paced action and an incredibly riveting story kept me reading through the night.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 18, 2021
I couldn't put this book down! I ordered the second in the series before I even finished the first. Fast paced, clever, and very well written. Looking forward to reading more by this author!
December 20, 2021
Excellent!
This is a very cleverly written book - a mix of science, science fiction, and thriller - but put together very carefully to produce a brilliant read. It's not a new idea, 'mindjacking', and so I was worried that this would be another repeat of ideas I had already read, but actually it was really good. The basic idea is as you would expect, but why it is carried out, who carries it out and what happens to them - that produced an exciting story indeed.
This is part of a series, but could be read as a standalone, there is not a nasty cliffhanger - although I do think you would want to find out what happens next!
This is a very cleverly written book - a mix of science, science fiction, and thriller - but put together very carefully to produce a brilliant read. It's not a new idea, 'mindjacking', and so I was worried that this would be another repeat of ideas I had already read, but actually it was really good. The basic idea is as you would expect, but why it is carried out, who carries it out and what happens to them - that produced an exciting story indeed.
This is part of a series, but could be read as a standalone, there is not a nasty cliffhanger - although I do think you would want to find out what happens next!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews