Having read many of this author’s books I was beyond excited to get an early copy of the fourth in a favorite series, Underwater Investigation. It’s such a unique niche in the crime, murder mystery genre. It could be read as a standalone, but getting to know previous cases of the primary character, Sloane McPherson, will give perspective to where she is now.
Sloane has family history in South Florida where she’s called to the scene of a woman’s body on the beach. The underwater investigation team is in disarray as George Solar tries to justify it’s existence and value. As an experienced diver Sloane is often working with various agencies. Her career path takes a sharp right turn when working a new case leads to a deep dive into several cold cases. She’s trying to balance work and be present as a Mom while insulating her teenage daughter, Jackie, from dark violent crimes.
Sloane is paired with a former detective, Gwen, who’s obsessed behavior landed her in a basement full of cold cases. She’s a sharp, bitter, angry, intuitive crazy woman. Gwen is disregarded, made fun of and shunned by her peers. Her abrasive attitude will test Sloane as they team up to catch a serial killer. They first have to prove cases are connected, that a serial killer exists and collect legitimate evidence on the suspect. Then it’s a harrowing race against the clock to prevent further murders. You’ll wonder if Gwen’s delusional, if Sloane has set herself up to get fired or if their theories are even probable. Circumstantial evidence and hunches are not the same as legally proving criminal actions. It certainly kept me guessing as I raced through the pages.
This story is completely different from Sloane’s other adventures as this mystery is set mostly above water. It has a gut wrenching plot theme with just the type of scheme vulnerable victims could all to easily to fall for. The scariest part of the book is how plausible the scenario is, how it’s possible this could happen to a friend or loved one.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital advance reader copy of “Sea Castle” by Andrew Mayne and to Thomas & Mercer. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

I enjoy reading what Andrew Mayne writes, he writes well, interesting characters. I especially enjoyed a new character in this book 4....Gwen. Hardened detective in the 'old boys club'. I feel a good mystery series is a special formula for me. I have to like the main character...they have to be smart, not perfect but not completely broken. (Sloan fits) The mystery has to grab me, if there is a twist in the story, all the better. (yes there was) Andrew Mayne does this time and time again and #4 of this series is no different.

I love the cover on this book by Mayne, but I didn’t love the book. It’s part of a series and you really should read the rest of the series or this one could be confusing.

Always a pleasure visiting with Sloan, these books are just a delight to read. I think I have met Gwen at my current place of work, LOL, she is written perfectly!

When a woman's body is found in the water near a Fort Lauderdale beach Sloan McPherson of the Underwater Investigation Unit is asked to assist the local police. She suspects it could be murder but the detectives on the case disagree. She decides to consult with Gwen Wylder, a detective who most avoid because of her unwillingness to cooperate with other people. Soon Sloan and Gwen, despite their differences, find a disturbing pattern: a serial killer has been preying on young women through a fake online persona. When another woman disappears they race to find the killer before it's too late. This was another solid entry in Andrew Mayne's UIU series, although not as exciting as the previous book. Sloan is a good character who keeps the reader connected to the story from start to finish.

I love this series. This one was slightly different from the others as the UIU had been suspended in the last installment. Even with that, this book did not disappoint! Fast paced, well written. *Spoiler alert* I can't wait to see what the UIU is up against next.

I definitely recommend reading this series in order.

Thank you #netgalley and #thomas&mercer for the eARC.

Sloan McPherson is a member of the UIU (Underwater Investigation Unit) in Florida which is currently disbanded due to the high profile busts they accomplished on their last case. She is therefore being "farmed" out to whoever needs her. She is called in on a case of a young woman found on the beach that is a possible suicide but more likely a homicide. Sloan has trouble with the slow pace the other law enforcement officers and reaches out to a (in)famous homicide detective in Miami for her insight. Gwen Wylder is cantankerous, manipulative and generally disliked by everyone she works with. Instead of helping Sloan with the case at hand she give her one of her own cold cases to solve. From this odd combination of personalities they forge a working relationship which through many twists and turns manages to solve the cases.
This is a great read (I read it in one sitting!) The plot is ingenious and will have you guessing and doubting and shocked at the turn of events. This is the fourth book in the series and I look forward to more. I have read the author's other books and found them great reads too.

Good book! This book was a little tricky for me?! At times I felt lost a little and had to look back at what I read! But it ended up being a great read! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, serial killers and great police work! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I will definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

All I have to do is hear that Andrew Mayne wrote another book and it is instantly part of my To Be Read List. Like the rest of this series (and all of his other series), I really enjoyed this book. Single mom, police diver Sloan is a complex person. And the new character, Gwen, is even more so. Together they were quite a team, and the case they were on had plenty of twists and turns to keep it interesting. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for access to a digital ARC on NetGalley.

BIG thanks to both Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Sea Castle!

Sloan McPherson of the Underwater Investigation Unit is called in to consult when a young woman washes ashore on a Fort Lauderdale beach. The detectives say suicide but Sloan says murder. For assistance, she turns to Miami homicide detective, Gwen Wylder, who is known to be a manipulative, bitter tyrant. From there it's hang onto your seat time!

Is this book completely realistic? Not on your life! Are there too many times it seems as though ESP is being used by Sloan? Not on your life! For some reason, those things didn't bother me at all. I absolutely loved Sea Castle!! The twists kept me enthralled.

I highly recommend this series, which has previously been about deep-sea diving investigations. I wasn't sure I was going to like Sloan working on land but it was a fun read!!

The Underwater Investigation Unit has been temporarily (at least that's Sloane's hope) disbanded, and Sloane has been seconded to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The FDLE isn't prepared for her investigative prowess and she soon finds herself working with a curmudgeon buried in the basement of the Miami PD, Gwen Wylder. Sloane's unconventional approach soon provides new leads in two cold cases, and she's soon pulled along on a crazy ride to prevent a murder! Great fun as usual.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for access to a digital ARC on NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the copy of Sea Castle. I love Andrew Mayne books because his characters always leap off the page and I live with them while I am reading. Sloan is a great character as always. The wild card is Gwen, who I don’t think I would like in real life, but as a character was amazing with her single mindedness and drive to prove herself. Little touches, like the Lao’s coffee incident, seem insignificant but serve to humanize the characters and make them more real. If you love a twisty story, you will love this book. It was hard to know who or what to trust. This is the fourth book in a series, and it can be read as a stand alone, but do yourself a favor and read the series because it just keeps getting better and better.

Detective Sloan is back, she is called in after a body is found at the shore. She dives into the case head on as always. This time around she does not have he under water unit, and is dealing with beaucratic red tape. In trying to get away from under her supervisor she enlist the help of an older detective. Gwen has been pushed into filing duty, due to her abrasive personality. While Sloan is trying to solve the case of the girl on the shore, Gwen seems to have an agenda of her own. The two go on an adventure to solve the case, it seems like both their reputations are on the line.

I truly enjoyed the straight toward writing of this author. The story was fast paced and truly entertaining. I have not read any of the other books in the series, but I don't think you have to in order to enjoy this story.

The thing I didn't love is the resolutions of each problem that came up. The conflict was always conveniently solved and that made the story more predictable. Overall I liked the story and would read the other books in the series.

Sea Castle was my first Andrew Mayne read and I really liked it! Fast-paced with a main character (Sloan McPherson) who likes to bend the rules - in this "case" (pun intended), she meets her match in irascible Gwen Wylder. Gwen's been shunted off into no-policewoman's land b/c of her quick temper and accusations of witness and evidence tampering. Gwen throws some cold cases Sloan's way (seems the UIU is on hold at present and Sloan's at loose ends) and together they look to solve the "Lost Girls" case. Very much enjoyed their journey, and a few twists and BIG turns along the way make it super fun. The last few chapters really pack it in; in fact, I'd say the first 2/3 of the book are a bit slow. Still a winner, though, and now I'm interested in Mayne's entire catalog. Love it when that happens!

P.S. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

My thanks to Thomas and Mercer, Andrew Mayne and Netgalley.
I love Sloan. I also love the UIU. The main reason I read these books are for both!
This book had no UIU.
Sloan comes in and unbelievably solved 2 cases "one a serial" in less than 48 hours. Something that had been in the books for quite a few years.
So..that's completely ridiculous.
Yet? It's Andrew Mayne! I expect that.
I hated that this was mostly on land. Still, I quite enjoyed the crap out of it!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Thomas & Mercer and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A titillating novel full of suspense, twists and turns.

Another fabulous book by Andrew Mayne! Sea Castle follows Sloane as she tries to navigate police life without Solar at the helm of their unit (for now, hopefully). She joins forces with another off beat investigator, Gwen, that no one likes. Together, they solve some cases with outside the box thinking. Then they have to solve a serial murderer case and things get a bit wild. This was a very interesting book with all it's twists and turns and I can't wait to read more from this author!






Note to author/ publisher: (I will not put this in my review, just wanted to get a note to editor) Chapter 38 with Gwen and Sloan at Carla's front door is really confusing to read. I'm not sure if there is missing words or page breaks in my e-reader but I had to read the following chapter to even get a clue of what they meant in 38. There seems to be missing dialogue maybe? I just got really lost in that Chapter at first. Overall, a fantastic book!