Killfile

June 13, 2016
Psychic John Smith, the resourceful hero of this clever if one-note thriller from Farnsworth (The Eternal World), can read minds and influence the actions of others via mental suggestion. John used to work for the CIA, but he left after a harrowing incident, in order to become an independent troubleshooter who sells his services to the supremely wealthy. One of his clients is tech billionaire Everett Sloan, who hires him to recover an alleged stolen algorithm from the mind of onetime protégé, now a rival, Eli Preston. John teams with Sloan’s assistant, Kelsey Foster, who’s competent, levelheaded, and beautiful, for the mission. But mysterious forces turn the tables on John, and he and Kelsey must run for their lives. John’s psychic abilities save them time and again in a series of entertaining variations on mental suggestion and illusion, convincing would-be assassins to overlook his presence and attack one another. The action-filled story concludes, not unexpectedly, with a final push by John to avenge wrongs done by his pursuers. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, ICM.

June 1, 2016
An intriguing premise makes the latest thriller from Farnsworth shine. John Smith has a special gift, and with his former work in the CIA, he was able to hone it. He can not only read minds, but also implant traumatic memories inside someone else's head. He immediately knows if someone is truthful and can uncover any target's secret. Smith, now a consultant, is assigned to get close to the CEO of a company that might have stolen key parts of a competitor's technology to design their state-of-the-art software. What should be a simple investigation rapidly turns deadly when the CEO figures out who Smith really is, and now Smith is marked for death. Farnsworth keeps the action and originality flowing. James Rollins, Michael Crichton, and Jeremy Robinson fans should definitely think about picking this one up. Hopefully a sequel with John Smith will be coming soon.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)