Mind Blind

Gr 7 Up—Ciaran Bane comes from a family of mind readers who work as a mercenary organization, specializing in kidnappings and interrogations. But Ciaran is disdained by his relatives, seen as the weakest of the group, since his powers are so sensitive he can barely tolerate being around other people, much less deliberately reading their minds. After he botches the kidnapping of Vivian, a teen his family has targeted for interrogation, and she is killed, Ciaran is determined to prove his worth by braving the outside world and satisfying his family's mission. When he breaks into Vivian's family's home to retrieve something she hid there, he's discovered by Vivian's sister, Lucy, and is forced to bring her along as he evades his family. One too-flat character mars an otherwise solid thriller. The prologue and first chapter will immediately grab readers, and Ciaran's backstory and motivations are solid. The way his family's mind reading works—some by touch, others by eye contact or tone of voice—is intriguing, and the connections between his family and Lucy's are revealed over the course of the story. But it's hard to believe Ciaran and Lucy's frenzied race from London to Edinburgh would even happen considering how he immediately confesses to her sister's murder. Her grief is also only present when it's convenient as part of Ciaran's character growth. Teens who want a thriller above all else will tear through this novel, but those who stop to think along the way will surely see where the pieces don't quite come together.—Gretchen Kolderup, New York Public Library