Andrew Mayne doesn't disappoint in this new series. Jessica Blackwood has the mysterious intrigue as usual, and then with the scientist brain of Theo Cray, they make for an interesting pair.

Theo and Jessica are back, to save the world from their nemesis, the Mastermind. It sounds kind of silly, but the characters are smart and charming and the plot is executed skillfully so it's a very good story. I would describe it as a techno thriller.

There is honestly SO much going on in this book it’s difficult to determine where to begin. The premise of the piece was pretty strong and kept things moving. Mayne may appear to be taking things in one direction only to steer them on the complete opposite way. The narration gained pace throughout and kept me wanting to turn more pages to get to the next chapter. While the science may have been a bit much for me it all came into perspective and Mayne did a wonderful job of keeping me engaged and well informed. This was a wonderful read I can’t wait to read more of his books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Exciting ride with great characters

This is my second novel by Andrew Mayne and he is quickly rising to the top of my favorite authors. I have not yet read the previous books featuring FBI agent Jessica Blackwood or the other series featuring Dr Theo Cray but I intend to. I'm going to start with Theo Cray. He is a little odd but has a good heart and a brilliant mind. I was totally fascinated and absorbed anytime he was explaining really intellectual matters that most ordinary people would have a hard time grasping. Now Jessica Blackwood, FBI agent Blackwood was a character I could read many many books featuring her. She is smart and tough without being abrasive and just plain likable. She may not be a genius like Dr. Cray but she definitely is smarter than most. The “villain” of the story seems to be a roll over character from previous books with Jessica Blackwood. Michael Heywood aka. The Warlock. I don't know where that moniker comes from but I guess it's more nefarious than just a plain average name like Michael Heywood. Once we meet him in the story you get why he has this alias because he is just a plain average looking dude. I don't know how much is really realistic with all the action that happens in the book but it was exciting and had me turning page after page until I was done. I definitely recommend this title and I most likely will find the time to read other Andrew Mayne books. I give this book four and a half stars.

MASTERMIND – by Andrew Mayne – Highly Recommend!

‘A mysterious electrical storm plunges Manhattan into darkness. As a strange, smothering fog rolls in, all communication crashes. In the blink of an eye, the island seems to vanish into a void.’

‘FBI special agent Jessica Blackwood and brilliant scientist Dr. Theo Cray know this isn’t a freak accident. It’s a sinister sleight of hand….’

That. Was. Awesome!!

MASTERMIND is an intense Thriller and an engaging storyline with well-placed humor and bad*ss characters that will keep this reader coming back for more!

I can not wait to read Book Two in the series, THE FINAL EQUINOX: A Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood Thriller, Scheduled To Release September 13, 2022, Though Subject To Change.

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Publishing, for providing me with an eBook of MASTERMIND at the request of an honest review.

I love Andrew Mayne books, they are always compelling and fast paced and he has fascinating protagonists. Mastermind is no exception.

When a mysterious fog engulfs New York City and seems to vanish the island and the same begins happening to other cities around the globe at the behest of a criminal mastermind known as The Warlock, FBI special agent Jessica Blackwood and Dr. Theo Cray are teamed up to determine just what is going on. With Jessica's background in magic and illusion and Theo's history of successfully using data to track series criminals, they're the team that is needed to solve this bizarre case. As the two embark on a fascinating globe trotting investigation, they eventually find that they're facing adversaries that go beyond The Warlock.

Thought Mastermind is the first in this particular series, if you haven't already done so, I encourage you to go read the Theo Cray series and Jessica Blackwood series before you jump into this one. They're both fantastic series and as it'll give you the additional history and context on these two incredible characters. I was incredibly excited when I reached the point that this pairing was teased and the story lived up to my expectations. I'm looking forward to reading the next entries in this series.

Mastermind brings together two of Andrew Mayne’s popular characters in one novel. An electrical storm in New York City starts a mystery that needs the expertise of Jessica Blackwood and Theo Cray. The storm appears to be the work of the Warlock, a serial killer. Jessica is a FBI agent with a history with the Warlock. Theo is a biologist who specializes in forensic science, and has a great track record for catching serial killers.

Mastermind is told with the alternating points of view of Jessica and Theo. Both characters are intelligent and unique. There is a quite a bit science/technology discussion in this book. The story is wild, and it makes for an entertaining read.

This is the first book that brings Jessica and Theo together. I have read The Naturalist series that features Theo, and have enjoyed all of them. I have not yet read the Jessica Blackwood series. I recommend reading Mayne’s other books, but it’s not necessary to have read any of them before reading Mastermind.

Fast-paced and exciting thriller. A good book for fans of Andrew Mayne’s other books.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A mysterious electrical storm sends Mahattan into a blackout and has a lot of people in a panic. While others are trying to figure it out Jessica knows that one of the names on the list probably isn’t the bad guy and she ends up going and finding him in a very different sort of place and rescues him. Then they short of team up, the guy she rescues is Theo Clay an unusual kind of scientist. There is definitly some trust issues but at the same time they have to rely on each other to try to stop the man behind everything.

This book was a while ride and I love my action based books but even some of the stuff done in this book was a bit over exaggerated and hard to believe. Some of the things Jessica does on her own, especially rescuing Theo was just over the top. That being said it was fun but just not really what I was expecting.

I did learn after I read this that there is another series before this that I believe this series spins off from because it’s all about Theo Clay and that it might be something I should check out before trying more from this new series so I understand this very strange scientist!

Guess who’s back, and not alone this time? Our favorite computation biologist Theo Cray has resurfaced from when we last saw him at the end of Dark Pattern, the fourth book in The Naturalist series, but now he is joined by Jessica Blackwood, the star of another one of Andrew Mayne’s popular mystery thrillers. The author has said these two are his favorite characters, and even though I have not read the Jessica Blackwood books yet, I know enough about them and the protagonist’s reputation that when I first heard about Mastermind, I could hardly wait to get my hands on this opener to a new spinoff series featuring this brilliant partnership.

It was just another typical evening in New York City when the story opens, full of the regular hustle and bustle of sightseeing tourists and residents hurrying home from work. Without warning, all of it comes to a screeching halt as a mysterious storm descends upon Manhattan, plunging everything into darkness. Engulfed in a thick warm fog, the entire island looks to have disappeared, leaving a dark vast void in its wake. Initial attempts to reach those within the area have been met with failure, owing to the fact that the storm had knocked out all electricity and cell service.

FBI Special Agent Jessica Blackwood, having dealt with weird, difficult cases before, is immediately called to the scene. Surveying the effects of the storm, Jessica knows right away that this had to be a deliberate attack. The proficiency, trickery and sheer showmanship behind the act are the hallmarks of her old nemesis, the serial killer and cult leader Michael Heywood, also known as the Warlock. To Jessica, it all just seems so obvious, especially in light of Heywood’s recent escape from prison, but for some reason, no one else seems interested in heading down this investigative path, and it’s driving her crazy.

Meanwhile, in a prison in Myanmar where he had been captured by the local government for trying to distribute unauthorized medical aid to their people, Theo Cray has been starved and ill-treated for months. Little did he know, his name had come up as a person of interest in the probe into the New York City incident. Only when Jessica Blackwood shows up to his rescue does he find out all about what happened with the storm, and having followed the news of the Warlock closely, he understands why she has reason to suspect Heywood, and the danger they are all in now if her suspicions turn out to be true. As more cities start going dark, falling victim to the phenomenon now being called the Void, Theo and Jessica must race against the clock to track down a psychotic genius and put a stop to whatever he has planned.

Having been thoroughly preoccupied with Mayne’s Underwater Investigative Unit as of late, which is his new detective series that is far tamer in comparison, I hadn’t realized how much I missed the wilder, over-the-top scenarios that are more characteristic of The Naturalist books until I started reading Mastermind! Oh, Theo, never change. From cities seemingly vanishing into thin air to a terrifying battle with a troop of rampaging chimps, there appears to be no limits as to how crazy things will get. Still, if you’ve read the author before, then you should be no stranger to his style. You should also know that there’s always method to the madness, some clarity to the chaos whenever we get into the science and technology in his books. Many of the scenarios that Theo and Jessica find themselves in might be on the extreme side, but very often too there’s sound research behind the concepts.

I am also loving the dynamic and even the romantic tensions between our two protagonists. I suppose it’s only natural to bring the two of them into an eventual relationship, but I was surprised how well it worked for me, considering how Theo isn’t typically someone you would call boyfriend material (just look at how his last relationship imploded to see what I mean). Jessica, who strikes me as someone whose passions run high, wouldn’t seem like a good match for him at first glance, but I’m pleasantly surprised to far, if not completely onboard. The next book in the series will reveal more, I hope, and in the meantime, I am also enjoying their working partnership a lot. Whereas Theo can sometimes become fixated and myopic on a certain subject, I’ve noticed Jessica tends to see the full picture. Whereas he can be overanalytical, she is also better at reading the overall mood. And while they’re both very intelligent and used to fighting their way out of trouble, he’s more book smart and she’s more street smart. Overall, their strengths complement each other very well, and together they make a formidable mystery solving team.

Finally, I happy to say it’s not compulsory to read any of The Naturalist books or the Jessica Blackwood series before tackling Mastermind, because I think the author catches you pretty well. But, speaking as someone who’s only familiar with Theo Cray before this, having knowledge of at least one of the characters would probably help. After reading this novel though, I’m interested in picking up Jessica’s books now more than ever. Angel Killer has already been on my reading list for a while, and I guess I really shouldn’t wait any longer.

All in all, Mastermind was pretty awesome. Andrew Mayne is a must-read author for me, and not only is Theo Cray my favorite of his creations, he’s probably also one of my favorite fictional characters of all time. To see him paired up with Jessica Blackwood was a treat, and I am glad Mayne already has plans to have these two together again for a sequel, and hopefully there will be even more adventures after that.

Audiobook Comments: Jennifer O’Donnell and Will Damron take on narrator duties here, reading Jessica Blackwood and Theo Cray’s parts respectively, and they are truly spectacular as a team. The story’s fast pacing, delicious intrigue and non-stop action elements also make this audiobook a highly engaging and enjoyable listen. Absolutely recommended.

https://lynns-books.com/2021/11/04/mastermind-theo-cray-and-jessica-blackwood-1-by-andrew-mayne/
4 of 5 stars
This isn’t my first Andrew Mayne book and certainly won’t be my last. I loved his Naturalist series and Professor Theo Cray has to be one of my favourite fictional characters. With this new start the author brings together two of his favourite characters with the crazy professor teaming up with Jessica Blackwood (Angel Killer being the first book in which she makes an appearance. A book I definitely want to read). On top of this crazy combo he also brings into the story an evil mastermind that he has previously written about known as the Warlock. Let the shenanigans begin.

To be honest I hardly know where to begin with this one. It is a fun ride for sure and is completely over the top madness. As the story sets out, well, how can I put this, New York City seems to disappear! Surprise!! Yes, I was surprised, fear not, it hasn’t literally disappeared, even though it seems to be little more than a dark hole, NY has been plunged into darkness with no electricity, no services, no nothing. FBI Special Agent Blackwood is called to the scene and immediately has her own thoughts on whats taking place here – although she seems to be at odds with those in charge. Queue a risky rescue and getaway and Professor Cray is brought into the fray and not a moment too soon as the nightmarish attacks seem to be spreading to other cities.

These two are a force to be reckoned with for sure. With Theo’s remarkable thought processes and Jessica’s street smarts the two make a scarily unpredictable yet effective team and this is just as well as they certainly get into a lot of trouble.

I don’t really want to give the plot away so won’t elaborate. What I can say is this feels like the start of a very entertaining partnership. I think there’s an element of trust here, both on the part of Jessica, who has to go with Theo’s outlandish lateral thinking, and on the part of the reader, who may be used to one or other of these characters but not used to the two together. However, as ever with one of Mayne’s books I practically inhaled this story. The pacing is just off the scale, there is a constant barrage of fascinating places and scenarios and I literally couldn’t put the book down.

Criticisms. Well, one of the feelings I had relates not so much to this book as the slightly lacking feeling of completion with the Naturalist series. Admittedly the author does a great job of rounding up where the professor went next and what he got up to but I still have a slightly bewildering feeling of incompleteness somehow. The other slight issue is a feeling of rushing to bring both these characters into a relationship together. I actually didn’t feel it at all. Maybe it was too quick. And I can completely understand the desire of the author to go down that route, in fact I think it’s a good plan, it just felt rushed. The chemistry wasn’t strong enough and it feels like it should have been teased out a little more.

That being said I can’t deny that I am strangely addicted to Mayne’s body of work. With his imagination I wouldn’t want to get on his wrong side. This author seems to make everything possible and the way he explores the impossible is just a little jaw dropping.

I would say for new readers, you don’t have to have read the previous books to enjoy this one. Personally, however, I think it might help to have a feel for both characters before delving into this one – just to gradually get a feel for things. But, that’s a personal choice as I intend to go back and read the Blackwood series.

As it is, if you want an over the top, slightly crazy, intelligent, madcap adventure involving two characters that make a rather formidable team as they tackle the slightly OTT Bond style villain and his plans to take over the world – then here you go.

Slight reservations aside I can’t wait for the next book.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the author, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

Rating 4*

I've been reading Andrew Mayne's books for a while now and I've really enjoyed them all, and this one is no exception. I kind of agree with a few other reviewers that you mostly don't need to have read any of the Theo Cray or Jessica Blackwood book series to be familiar with this title. Having said that, it would be nice to read the Jessica Blackwood first because it's a little helpful to have background on her. Overall, Andrew writes a great full and engaging story.

This was the first book I had read from this author and it won't be the last, I may even have to go back and read his others. Jessica Blackwood is an FBI agent who comes from a line of magicians, something she's not real keen on letting others know. At the start of the book she's in Maynamar rescuing Theo Cray (a brilliant thinker) from prison, she wants his assistance to find out why Manhattan has experienced a blackout that caused widespread criminal activity. Jessica thinks her nemesis, Michael Heywood, is behind the blackout. Jessica and Theo investigate missing chimpanzees. zombie humans and two more black outs. They are always seem to be one step behind. The author has quite the imagination and I never saw most of what he put Jessica and Theo through, I could not turn the pages fast enough to find out what happened next. How they get out of their situations is just as interesting. I would highly recommend. Thank you to #Netgalley and #Thomas & Mercer for the ARC.

"Mastermind" joins former magician and FBI agent, Jessica Blackwood, with Theo Cray, computational biologist, of the Naturalist series of books, in a rip-roaring roller coaster ride of a story. This was the first book of Andrew Mayne's that I picked up and it would have been a 5-star read except for the fact that there were so many references to the previous series of books featuring Jessica and Theo that I put this book down to read all the previous books. So I highly recommend reading the Blackwood and Naturalist series in order to get full enjoyment out of this book...you won't regret it.

I loved the characters, especially Theo, and I hope the author continues with this new combined series. I really enjoyed all the books with their use of technology, science and magic. Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley!

Wow!! This was a mind bending plot with great characters. I couldn’t put this roller coaster ride down
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Special agent Jessica Blackwood is called from her self-defense teaching position at the FBI bureau to go back out into the field with a small team to investigate a major blackout in Manhattan, NY. When they finally get close by helicopter they find they will have to achieve other means to get inside the city because anything electrical will shut down immediately outside the perimeters including air traffic. The bureau soon finds out that Korea also has a major shutdown taking place in Seoul., so now Jessica's job is to find one of the scientists on the terrorist plot list and retrieve all the information from him to find out who and what is behind these devastating blackouts while more cities around the world are being targeted and for what deadly purpose is really behind these blackouts that have probably been employed as a cover-up for a deadlier event that may already be in progress and millions of lives could be at stake if the FBI and the CIA and other secretive black ops don't hurry to discover who and where this Mastermind is hiding!

When Jessica finds her target Dr. Theo Cray, he is not what she expected, he has been held in a prison in a horrid prison for quite awhile (thinking he will die there) and the man looks like a walking corpse. How could this man who is at almost death's door and not having human contact for weeks or months be responsible for the world crisis that is starting to take place and while Jessica interrogates him as well as saving the life of the unusual and strange scientist, she will soon find out that whoever is behind these major devastating events planted Dr.Cray's name on the list because they are afraid this scientist will discover their identity and interfere in their ultimate plot while Jessica will find that she also plays a major role in this devastaing scheme and will become a major target of the "MASTERMIND".

This book was an unexpected and exciting action thriller. There was a little bit of everything involved in the story from the blackouts, the meetings with the high officials, the different prison situations and especially the thirty missing chimpanzees and running into a.drug cartel in Mexico. Now there were some very intense moments involved where I was holding my breath. What fun! This story was a non-stop rollercoaster ride from the first page until the last chapter and I found I still couldn't get enough and I wasn't ready for the book to end since I was enjoying it so much and I was so involved and entertained with the most wonderful characters. There are some mixed reviews on this book stating it was too unbelievable and over-the-top but I whole heartedly disagree. I thought it was frightening at times and with explanations given for all the events that happened I found the story very believable and so happy that this book was fiction. The characters were absolutely fantastic even the the ones that played minor roles, their descriptions and storylines were just so well-written and the excitement never stopped. I felt as if I were watching a thrilling movie only reading the scenes was so much better. Andrew Mayne really knows how to write and entertain his readers and I look forward to reading his next novel but also I now want to read all prior novels especially in this series. I highly recommend this book to any reader who would like to go on and action adventure with a high octane blast!

I want to thank the author "Andrew Mayne" and the publisher "Thomas& Mercer" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this exciting novel and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I highly recommend this exciting thriller and have given a rating of 4 1/2 MESMERISING AND THRILLING 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌠 Stars!!

Mastermind starts with a bang…a series of them actually, as a mysterious event plunges Manhattan into darkness. Natural event? Terrorist attack? So begins the wildly over the top adventure that for the first time brings together Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood, leading characters from two of Andrew Mayne’s other series. Fast paced and action packed, the story does require a healthy suspension of disbelief, but I enjoyed the heck out of it. It’s the literary version of a summer ‘popcorn flick’ and would make a heck of a miniseries for Amazon or Netflix. I look forward to the next adventure. 4.5 stars (rounded up to 5)
I’d like to thank Andrew Mayne, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eArc of Mastermind.

"If you were to ask me what’s broken in this world, I’d say it’s the amount of talent found in the places we ignore."

This was a fun twisty little read. I loved our two agents- Theo and Jessica. From their crash and burn meeting to their slowly getting to know each other and build a friendship. Their minds were so well together and I loved how they played off each other.

The plot was so wild to me - I don't read a lot of government and bioweapon espionage so the twits and turns were completely new for me. I never had any idea where the plot or the story was going. It was a great read, one that kept me flipping pages, and definitely felt like a fast read as I raced through it to know the end. I will definitely be reading book 2!

** A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. **

Quite a rollercoaster of a read! I am not familiar with Jessica Blackwood or Theo Cray, previous characters by this author. This may have helped a bit at first, but ultimately did not affect my comprehension of the story line.

This book has all the essential pieces to a thriller with medical, biological, and espionage components, including sound scientific background and discussions, a plausible plot, and the wide range of human emotions including fear, empathy, hate, love, and accomplishment.

I will look forward to the next book in this series!

This is my first book I've read by Andrew Mayne but it won't be my last. I really enjoyed the badass MC Jessica Blackwood and her relationship with Dr. Theo Cray. Those two went through a lot together as they tried to figure out what was behind the VOIDS happening that began in Manhattan. Blackwood suspected a "mastermind" who she said is a master manipulator that has been nicknamed The Warlock. He just so happens to also be a serial killer. Dr. Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood have different ways of handling situations and different philosophies in many ways, but they find ways to work together and to trust each other. The Warlock, for whatever reason, is after Dr. Cray and Jessica but for very different reasons. I think the adventures the duo went through to figure out the reasons for the VOID was exciting and took them all the way from Manhattan to Asia. There were twists and turns that I definitely didn't see coming, and the ending was a killer...meaning I need book 2 now!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

#Mastermind #NetGalley

I thought this was a first time author for me but when I looked I realized that I had actually already read a book by him. That surprised me. I'm not sure if it was because I went into this book completely blind, or if it was really that great of a story, but I truly enjoyed it. It was a quick and easy read/listen. It WAS apparent right away that there was a lot of back story that had already occurred, either in a prior book or a prior series, but since this said it was the first book in this particular series, I decided to go on ahead. I'm glad I did.

This book starts with a bang and throws us into a fast introduction to the two main characters. There is Jessica Blackwood, an FBI agent with some pretty big history with one of the main suspects and Dr. Cray - a character that definitely has some history but the reader is only given it out in very sparse tidbits. It wasn't until after I finished this book that I looked it up and realized there is a WHOLE lot of history behind these characters. That's a bummer.

Anyway, this was a quick story that had a really awful bad guy that for some reason no one else thought was particularly bad (except the female MC). She somehow gets partnered with the male MC (for a reason that's really not very clear) and together they start following the clues to try to figure out what is really going on. There is the requisite inter-agency drama, and for some reason, the bad guy REALLY has a problem with our new duo. Anyway, it was easy to follow and the story arc was completed fairly quickly.

Would I read another book in this series? Yes, I would. But, I would probably go back and read the other series to try to understand the byplay that occurred in this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone.