"Another strong release in the Charlie Smythington Mystery Series"

• ASIN: ‎ B0B69HQTQQ
• Publisher: ‎ Sync Publishing Inc (July 10, 2022)
• Publication date: ‎ July 10, 2022
• Language: ‎ English
• Print length: ‎ 377 pages
• Page numbers source ISBN: ‎ B0B5MRRNH4
• Genre:  Espionage Thrillers

The BookViral Review:

A thoroughly enjoyable read, ‘Mind Control’ sees the return of Charlie Smythington in another high-stakes mystery where murder and hidden agendas are the order of play as the stakes get ever higher.

The best books murder mystery novels are character-driven. You can have an original plot, but if the readers don’t care for the story’s protagonist then chances are they won’t get to the end of the book. Most importantly protagonists have to be interesting and authentic without being clichéd and this is something Hillman definitely got right in A Phone To Kill For and does so again in Mind Control.

Layering one crime over another, Hillman remains in command of multiple threads as Charlie moves from one theory to another in their search for the truth. A search that takes him into the world of international espionage and cutting-edge technology that will change how we interact with the world about us.

Here, Hillman demonstrates his strong affinity for the genre, with well-researched technology details and a keen eye for relationship dynamics so they always come across as believable and authentic. Especially between Charlie and Sonja as their relationship matures.

In A Phone To Kill For Hillman introduced us to an extended cast of eclectic characters which included wealthy business magnet MT Day whose trust in Charlie’s instincts was rewarded many times over. Mind Control sees their friendship reach new heights as twists and turns in a multi-layered and cleverly well-constructed plot command our attention from the first page as the plot thickens and the suspense continues to mount.

Novels like Mind Control that evolve through multiple plot threads often lose their way or rely on the obligatory genre shootout to paper over narrative inconsistencies. Yes. Hillman gives us a couple of nerve-shredding shootouts, but they add an exciting level of immediacy to his narrative that is well-conceived and finely tuned to the story he’s telling us.

With main characters and their backstories now firmly established Mind Control finds Hillman’s Charlie Smythington Mystery Series coming into its own with the promise of more good things from future releases. It is highly recommended.