#Mastermind #NetGalley
I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

A very satisfying mystery-thriller, the likes of which that I have not read for a long time, makes me give this book 5 stars.
This is well-paced story which has believable characters with credible motivations. The dichotomy of good vs evil is also wonderfully showcased. What makes the reading experience even more enjoyable is the science facts that the characters tell and explain to each other (thus also educating the readers) in very simple terms, avoiding mostly technical jargon. As a biologist-in-training, the bit about DNA reconstruction of long-dead organisms was my favourite bit of the 'science-y stuff'.
The only flaw (which I had to look very hard to find) is 'places' being spelled as 'palaces' in only one instance, but since it is an uncorrected ARC, I'm sure the spelling will be corrected in the published copy.

This was the first book I've ever read by Andrew Mayne but it has prompted me to go through the other series he has authored, notably the 'Jessica Blackwood' series and the 'The Naturalist' series, as the protagonists of those series are also the two lead characters in this book.

After reading the first in the diving series I knew I had to read another Mayne. I liked the characters but the double first person writing threw me a bit. Overall all a well done suspenseful read with great characters.

This book started with a bang. It normally takes me at least a few chapters to get into a book but I was hooked by the end of chapter 1, which was only a few pages long. I didn’t want to put it down. The entire books was filled with intriguing problems and turns. Each time I set this book down I was frustrated because I just wanted to devour it. I kept wanting to read more about Jessica and Theo. I really enjoyed how the book was told half in each of their perspectives. The chemistry the two had was obvious and helped move the story along even when it could have been bogged down in technical information. This was the first Andrew Wayne book and as a result of this one, I’ve added several more to my to be read list.

I picked this book up because of my love for the Naturalist series and I wasn't disappointed with the results. This book is a zany action movie full of government corruption, scientific anomalies, and some good ole Theo Cray rational deduction. Even though it lost a bit of its Naturalist charm by incorporating the FBI and a more nefarious villain, I really did love it at the end.

I was given an ARC of Mastermind by Andrew Mayne. But I'm sorry but sci-fi,-cult-leader -terrorism books are not my cup of tea.. It started out as a good FBI book but then took off....