Kirkus Reviews
BOOK REVIEW of MindField, Book 8 of DS Kane's Spies Lie series
In
the eighth installment of Kane’s (CypherGhost, 2016, etc.) Spies Lie
series, a hacker and her parents aim to uncover the truth about a CIA
conspiracy.
Ann
Sashakovich, an 18-year-old Stanford University student and computer hacker, is
the adopted daughter of two spies in the United Nations Paramilitary Force,
Cassandra Sashakovich and Lee Ainsley. Ann discovers that she has the power to
access the internet mentally and turn off “Bug-Loks,” nanodevices that hackers
implant in human subjects to collect information. On her first day of her
sophomore year, Ann meets the handsome Glen Sarkov and quickly falls for him. He’s
the CEO of Mindfield, a startup that’s designing a “nano-firewall” to prevent
hacking of medical technology. When a company called InTelQ expresses interest
in funding Mindfield, Glen is ecstatic, but Ann believes that he may be in danger.
Meanwhile, Ann’s parents need her talents to offset a murderous plan by the
CIA. The story features an engaging cast of multifaceted players, including
Laura Hunter, Ann’s roommate, who has a dark secret about her mother’s death; Frank
Lucessi, an arms and drug dealer; and Daniel Strumler, the newly elected U.S.
president who has a reputation as “America’s dumbest presidential candidate.”
The story switches between several different characters, which gives readers
clear insight into each of their motivations. Ann’s crush on Glen, her frequent
texts with her mom, and her focus on her schoolwork are all nice, down-to-earth
additions to a high-energy thriller. In addition, Kane’s sharp prose moves the
narrative along quickly and leaves no room for dull moments. In one
particularly dark scene, a character reflects on murders he just committed: “As
he stood up, the dead bodies stared back at him. He took a deep breath to keep
their ghosts from causing him to regret what he’d done for money.” Although the
mystery ties up nicely, the fates of some characters are still left unresolved,
which will either leave readers feeling unsatisfied or hoping for another book
in the series.
