Dark Dive by Andrew Mayne

 

First Lines: Prologue. Central Florida. 11,867 BCE. She was scared.

 

Florida's Underwater Investigation Unit did its job too well, uncovering corruption at the highest levels. Political pressure disbanded the unit, but public outcry and its string of successes brought it back. Unfortunately, the UIU's first case is a personal one for Sloan McPherson and her partner, former Navy diver Scott Hughes. 

 

Longtime family friend Fred Stafford has disappeared. His truck is found near an unmarked sinkhole, and as Sloan continues her investigation, she realizes how little she knows about the missing man. 

 

In no time at all, Sloan and Scott find themselves joining a treasure-hunting band of underwater cavern divers, becoming involved in a cold case, and even looking into the buried secrets of the long-ago past. 

 

~

 

I always look forward to reading the latest Underwater Investigation Unit thriller. I've learned a lot about diving in different locations-- in Dark Dive, it's sinkholes and underwater caverns-- and about the state of Florida itself. Florida seems to be the home of abandoned "pet/monsters": pythons, anacondas, Nile crocodiles... let alone the native alligators, and Sloan has to take the wildlife into account each time she dives. 

 

The diving sequences are always riveting. You never know what's going to spring at Sloan from out of the murk, and I have to admit that I enjoy the vicarious scares. But it's not all fast-paced thrills and technical gadgetry. I wish every state in the country could have someone with the savvy of Sloan's boss, George Solar. To smooth the way for his investigators, Solar has two RVs-- one filled with lawyers ready, willing, and able to get search warrants and other legal necessities, and the second armed with CSI techs and all the lab equipment they need to avoid the interminable delays of local law enforcement backlogs. Sweet, eh?

Even sweeter is the fact that the cast of characters is just as strong as the story, the thrills, and the technology. I like Sloan's irreverent voice, and her partner Scott is increasingly figuring into the stories. In addition, there's always a one-time character whom you wish could become a recurring one. In Dark Dive, it's octogenarian Gayle Pinnesky. I just loved her to bits!

Exciting story, lots to learn, fantastic setting with a touch of the alien about it, and great characters. If you haven't already gone diving with Andrew Mayne's Underwater Investigation Unit, it's time you did!

Dark Dive by Andrew Mayne

eISBN: 9781662506451

Thomas & Mercer © 2024

eBook, 296 pages

Thriller, #5 Underwater Investigation Unit

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

Sea Castle by Andrew Mayne

 

First Lines: A crescent moon casting glimmers of light onto the rolling waves of the ocean would normally be a relaxing sight to me. But not tonight.

 

Even though the Underwater Investigation Unit has been disbanded, Sloan McPherson still wears a swimsuit under her clothes when she's on call. It's a good thing for this particular call-out, as a young woman's body has washed up on a beach near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Against the common consensus, Sloan thinks the young woman was murdered, and she goes to Miami homicide detective Gwen Wylder for help. 

 

Wylder is known for being wicked smart, manipulative, and a tyrant, and she demands something in return from Sloan for her help: Sloan's fresh insight into seemingly unrelated cold cases. As loose ends from the old cases begin to come together, another woman disappears. Sloan and Gwen are certain she's the newest link in a deadly chain leading to a serial killer trolling the Florida coast. 

 

But the deeper these two go, the stranger the case gets...

 

~

 

I've been enjoying Andrew Mayne's Underwater Investigation Unit series immensely, and Sea Castle is the best one yet. Through police diver Sloan McPherson, Mayne has been instrumental in changing my rather antiquated view of mothers in dangerous professions, and once the scales were removed from my eyes, my enjoyment of these compelling stories grew-- especially when Sloan began tempering her tendency to leap into danger without thinking with some good, old-fashioned common sense. It's been a pleasure to watch Sloan grow as she gains experience. She's truly gifted in searching for clues and putting them together, and if you're in a life-or-death situation, she's the type of person you want on your side.

With the Underwater Investigation Unit disbanded and its members working in other divisions, Sloan finds herself working for a boss who hates her. When she doesn't agree with everyone else that the young woman found on the beach died accidentally, her search for help leads her to one of the more interesting characters I've read in quite some time. Gwen Wylder is a gifted homicide detective whose talent and unstoppable determination have made her a pariah. No one wants to work with her, and spreading rumors about her level of sanity and her work ethic seems to be a favorite pastime of her fellow officers. After years of working in this toxic environment, it's no wonder that Gwen is extremely paranoid, bitter, and manipulative. Sloan herself has raised more than a few eyebrows (and doubts) in her short career, and she's used to being considered the crazy one. Pairing her with Gwen Wylder on the hunt for a serial killer really tests how much she's matured in her job.

 

When someone says, "A lot of this is Gwentuition and Sloanology," I had to laugh. These two have their own ways of doing things, and it was a delight watching them learn to work together-- Sloan especially since, for the first time, she's the one reining in someone else instead of someone doing that to her.

 

This fast-paced story kept me guessing, and the identity of the serial killer really surprised me-- something that doesn't happen very often. Although everything is tied up by book's end, it does end on a cliffhanger that makes me wish that the next book in this series were available now. Bring it on!

Sea Castle by Andrew Mayne

eISBN: 9781662506420

Thomas & Mercer © 2023

eBook, 312 pages

Thriller, #4 Underwater Investigation Unit mystery

Rating: A+

Source: Net Galley

Sea Storm by Andrew Mayne

 

First Line: The bow of our boat bounces across the crashing waves, sending spray and foam into the night sky.

 

Sloan McPherson of Florida's Underwater Investigation Unit is one of the responders to a distress call from a sinking cruise ship off the coast of Fort Lauderdale. When the explosion seems to be the work of an ecoterrorist and other ships are threatened, it becomes a race against time.

 

A coming tropical storm means valuable clues and evidence could be washed away, and Sloan is concerned about the strange lack of urgency by authorities. She's determined to track down every lead she has, little knowing that she's put herself on a collision course with someone who has every resource imaginable to bury her.

 

 

~

 

Andrew Mayne certainly knows how to write a compelling thriller, and I really enjoy this Underwater Investigation Unit series. The underwater scenes are so vivid that I felt as though I were swimming alongside Sloan as she dodged pursuers and raced to bring a James Bond-like villain to justice. 

 

Sloan McPherson is definitely the star of this show. The McPherson clan is filled with scallywags and pirates which means that sometimes all she has to do is ask a relative to get information on a lead she's developing. She has phenomenal instincts and an amazing knack for putting clues together which the other members of her team are learning to rely on more and more. The dashes of humor throughout Sea Storm are usually at her expense but in the spirit of camaraderie which readers will have a greater appreciation of if they've read the other two books in the series. I have read those other two books (The Girl Beneath the Sea and Black Coral), and one of the things I like the most is Sloan's character development. Sloan is growing up as the series progresses. She's learning to control her impulsiveness as well as to rely on her own opinions rather than looking for validation from men.

A main character with a distinctive (and addictive) voice, thrilling underwater scenes, and a compelling mystery all mean that, once again, I'm looking forward to Sloan McPherson's next adventure. Bring it on!

Sea Storm by Andrew Mayne

eISBN: 9781542032230

Thomas & Mercer © 2022

eBook, 300 pages

Thriller, #3 Underwater Investigation Unit

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

Black Coral by Andrew Mayne

 

First Line: Everyone is looking at me funny.

 

When police diver Sloan McPherson arrives at the scene of an accident in which a driver crashed through a guardrail and into a Florida canal, little does she realize she's embarking on a possibly life-changing moment. Not only is the canal home to alligators, but it's also known to be one of the haunts of Big Bill, the biggest, the meanest alligator of them all.

 

As she swims through the murky canal, hoping that Big Bill is occupied elsewhere, she finds a second car submerged in the water. Inside are the bodies of four teenagers who disappeared thirty years ago after attending a rock concert. At first, the teens' deaths are thought to be a horrible accident, but the evidence points to murder. The more Sloan uncovers, she realizes that there's been a serial killer working this area for quite some time, and the discovery of a recent murder shows that the killer may be back in business. 

Will Sloan unmask him and bring him to justice, or will he be able to silence her?

~

This is the third book I've read written by Andrew Mayne, and it won't be my last. This writer knows how to tell an exciting story that captures my imagination. In the case of this Underwater Investigation Unit series, it's the visuals and information about diving that Mayne provides that help keep me glued to the action.

Sloan McPherson is a strong main character. She comes from a family whose shady past is well-known, and this has given her the idea that she's always got something to prove-- especially to those in law enforcement.  She's working on a degree in archaeology, and since she's the only police diver available in an area filled with coastline, canals, and the Everglades, she has plenty to keep her busy. She's passionate about what she does, and she can be impulsive, which means there can be situations when she should keep her mouth shut... but doesn't.

In the first book in the series, The Girl Beneath the Sea, I was exasperated by Sloan's TSTL (Too Stupid to Live) moments when she would take unnecessary risks. This was especially annoying since she's a single mother. I'd contemplated not finishing the book, but Mayne does know how to tell a riveting story. I decided that the jury would be out until I'd given this second book a try. The jury is now in. What happened?

I think this is a situation where Mayne and I both underwent a change. Although there were dangerous moments for Sloan in Black Coral, she didn't blunder into things without a care in the world. She assessed the situation, she understood the risks, and she took as many precautions as possible. The TSTL moments were gone. In addition, I had my own epiphany. I realized that I was applying my own double standard. Why did I think it was more acceptable for a male character who's a father to do extremely dangerous things than it was for a woman who's a mother? Yes, Sloan is a single mother, but her ex-husband is an excellent father who doesn't shirk any of his responsibilities toward their daughter, and it's obvious through scenes with her tween daughter, Jackie, that Sloan is raising an intelligent, responsible, caring person.  So... as long as Sloan abandons those TSTL moments, I'm totally supportive of her occupation. See? Reading fiction can make people smarter!

With all this talk about characterization, I don't want you to think that the story lacked meat on its bones. Serial killer books aren't my favorite, but this one was done extremely well because, for most of the book, this was a cold case in which a lot of time had to be spent on teasing out clues and evidence. Readers weren't following along in the footsteps of a crazed killer. I also liked all the jurisdictional infighting Black Coral shows. Sometimes you wonder how all the various law enforcement agencies manage to get anything done. 

Black Coral also works very well as an audiobook. I do like Sloan McPherson's "voice", and narrator Susannah Jones brings her to life. She also does a good job with male voices (much better than the male attempting female voices in the audiobook I'm reading now). I was in the mood for an exciting story with a strong lead character, and Andrew Mayne's second Underwater Investigation Unit thriller was just what the doctor ordered. I'm definitely looking forward to book number three.

Black Coral by Andrew Mayne

Narrated by Susannah Jones

ASIN: B08D3XGR55

 Brilliance Audio © 2021

Audiobook. 9 hours, 13 minutes

Thriller, #2 Underwater Investigation Unit

Rating: A-

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

The Girl Beneath the Sea by Andrew Mayne

 

First Line: Something else is in the water.

Sloan McPherson comes from a long line of Florida treasure hunters and drug smugglers, but she's working hard to forge her own path out of her family's shadow for herself and for her daughter. Working on her doctorate in archaeology, Sloan is a police diver for the Lauderdale Shores Police Department.

 

When Sloan finds the body of a woman floating in a canal-- a woman Sloan knew as a girl-- all eyes are on Sloan. The police, the DEA, the FBI, all of law enforcement wonders if she's the prime suspect, and they start following every move she makes. As a result, she finds herself teamed with the one person she hates: a DEA agent who put her uncle behind bars. Together, the two are going to have to outsmart a ruthless cartel searching for a lost fortune.

 

~

 

I was introduced to Andrew Mayne's writing by his first Dr. Theo Cray mystery, The Naturalist, and when I learned that this mystery was the first in a new series about a woman police diver, I knew I had to give it a try. At the end of The Girl Beneath the Sea, I had mixed emotions... but I'm game to read the next book in the series (Black Coral, released in February 2021).

 

Mayne certainly knows how to tell a riveting story, even though the plot seems to be a bit far-fetched at times, and he also knows how to create a main character with a distinctive voice. The youngest child and only girl of the McPherson family, Sloan is a self-professed "alpha wolf," and it's true that her brothers do not make appearances in this book. Her shady family background in treasure hunting and drug smuggling has made her believe that she's always got to prove herself to everyone, and it's this that I had the most problems with. As an alpha wolf, she thinks nothing of putting herself in extremely dangerous situations with no backup, and I found her occasional TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) moments exasperating, especially since she's a single mother. If the story hadn't been so compelling, I would have stopped reading for this reason alone. I can't stand women who are TSTL.

 

However, as I said, Mayne knows how to tell a compelling story, and there are two things I really liked about The Girl Beneath the Sea: (1) teaming Sloan with DEA agent George Solar, a man she hates for putting her beloved uncle behind bars, and (2) the underwater scenes. Mayne is a diver himself, and he brings the underwater sequences to life. There's a lot of fascinating information about diving and the underwater world to be learned here, and he really had me squirming whenever Sloan was diving in those murky Florida canals. (I love the water, but I want to be able to see what's in the water with me if you know what I mean.) Teaming Sloan with George Solar puts a cap on those hare-brained solo stunts of hers and makes her grow up emotionally.

 

Even though the plot seemed a bit unbelievable from time to time, and even though I wanted to shake some sense into Sloan whenever she decided to dive in and save the day all by her lonesome, I do want to read the next book in the series. If Sloan continues her ill-advised ways in the second book, that's when I'll call it quits.

The Girl Beneath the Sea by Andrew Mayne

eISBN: 9781542009577

Thomas & Mercer © 2020

eBook, 328 pages

Thriller,  #1 Underwater Investigation Unit

Rating: C+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.