06/13/2016
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. (Aug.)
Praise for Killfile: “Fast, fun, and frenetic. A whip-smart edge-of-your-seat thriller.” — Ernest Cline, author of Armada and Ready Player One
“[A] flip, unusually compelling hero... Farnsworth, author of the fantastical Nathaniel Cade series (Red, White, and Blood, 2012, etc.), stands to expand his following with this clever, offbeat thriller.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Christopher Farnsworth has written a blistering, provocative, and propulsive novel - reading KILLFILE is the equivalent of being strapped to the nosecone of a ballistic missile hurtling through the sky at 5,000 MPH. Which is to say, it’s one hell of a ride.” — Nick Cutter, author of THE TROOP and THE DEEP
“Part James Bond, part Jason Bourne, part Professor X, only smarter, wittier, and can run faster. Adrenaline action at its mind-reading best. Christopher Farnsworth’s KILLFILE unleashes the greatest weapon ever: the human mind.” — Beau Smith, creator/writer of WYNONNA EARP
“Like his protagonist, Chris Farnsworth is a mind reader: he knows how to keep me hooked until I reach the last page. KILLFILE is his best yet.” — Ian Tregillis, author of BITTER SEEDS and THE RISING
“From the very first page of KILLFILE, I knew I was in the hands of a master storyteller. Christopher Farnsworth delivers his best thriller yet, and I can’t wait to read whatever he comes up with next.” — Boyd Morrison, author of THE ARK and THE EMPEROR'S REVENGE (with Clive Cussler)
“. . . Mixing a deliciously readable hybrid of “man on the run” adventure with technothriller elements and a protagonist with a powerful telepathic talent that doesn’t hesitate to kick him in the balls on occasion, Killfile is, in the final analysis, bloody good fun.” — Jonathan Howard, author of JOHANNES CABAL THE NECROMANCER
Praise for Killfile: “Fast, fun, and frenetic. A whip-smart edge-of-your-seat thriller.
Christopher Farnsworth has written a blistering, provocative, and propulsive novel - reading KILLFILE is the equivalent of being strapped to the nosecone of a ballistic missile hurtling through the sky at 5,000 MPH. Which is to say, it’s one hell of a ride.
03/15/2016
Capable of hearing other people's thoughts, a burden the CIA exploited to the fullest when he worked as an operative, John Smith is now a private consultant trying to keep other people out of his head. Trouble comes when a wealthy software genius asks him to track down former employee Eli Preston and sift through his thoughts for some intellectual property he's appropriated. When his mission is compromised, John runs for his life with Eli's associate, Kelsey. Farnsworth clearly likes thrills with a supernatural touch; he's the author of the nicely admired "President's Vampire" trilogy. With a 60,000-copy first printing.
2016-05-22
Hired by billionaire Everett Sloan to determine whether a whiz kid who used to work for his data-mining outfit stole company secrets to start his own operation, mind-reading investigator John Smith finds himself targeted by a conspiratorial group with secret CIA connections.Years removed from quitting the CIA, which trained him on how to use his skills, Smith is no ordinary telepath. Not only can he "hear" what people are thinking, he also can project thoughts and fears into their heads. The problem is, when he defends himself from an attacker by implanting a traumatizing memory or crippling feeling, he himself retains a percentage of the pain or suffering. High-tech bad boy Eli Preston ("the next Zuckerberg"), the data thief, is so concerned that Smith will reveal his illicit government ties that he wants him 100 percent dead. Though Smith is no slouch at fisticuffs, his powers are neutralized when thugs are delivering blows to his head. He also suffers without his meds, haunted by the memory of interrogators torturing and killing a prisoner in Bagram who was telling the truth when he said he didn't know where Osama bin Laden was. Now on the run, his credit and bank accounts voided by the powerful bad guys, Smith gathers up strength to take on a wider-reaching threat than he envisioned. He gets help and then some from Kelsey Foster, a fetching, now-former associate of Preston's. Though Farnsworth takes his time detailing Smith's past and the military's interest in "mind warfare," that doesn't diminish the appeal of his flip, unusually compelling hero or the up-to-the-minute freshness of the story.Farnsworth, author of the fantastical Nathaniel Cade series (Red, White, and Blood, 2012, etc.), stands to expand his following with this clever, offbeat thriller.
Like his protagonist, Chris Farnsworth is a mind reader: he knows how to keep me hooked until I reach the last page. KILLFILE is his best yet.
From the very first page of KILLFILE, I knew I was in the hands of a master storyteller. Christopher Farnsworth delivers his best thriller yet, and I can’t wait to read whatever he comes up with next.
. . . Mixing a deliciously readable hybrid of “man on the run” adventure with technothriller elements and a protagonist with a powerful telepathic talent that doesn’t hesitate to kick him in the balls on occasion, Killfile is, in the final analysis, bloody good fun.
Part James Bond, part Jason Bourne, part Professor X, only smarter, wittier, and can run faster. Adrenaline action at its mind-reading best. Christopher Farnsworth’s KILLFILE unleashes the greatest weapon ever: the human mind.