Black Coral by Andrew Mayne, to be published by Thomas and Mercer on 16 Feb, 2021

Look out for this ripping good crime thriller. The second book in The Underwater Investigation Unit Series, this one sees the investigator, McPherson, stumble onto the trail of a serial murderer – but the cases are cold.

Since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle invented the genre, investigators have been blessed with superpowers. Sherlock Holmes’ superpower was – despite the appalling adaptation with Benedict Cumberbatch – his ability to observe and analyse. Investigators have also been flawed in interesting ways – Sherlock was hooked on cocaine.

McPherson, too, observes and analyses; her flaw is a certain recklessness. The result, for me, was a two-session read, but the interruption was mostly because I needed to sleep. If I’d started in daylight, I would have read Black Coral straight through.

Like any thriller, it’s pointless recounting the plot. The reader gets sucked in or she doesn’t. So here’s what I didn’t like and I did.

The trouble with superpowers is improbable escapes, and McPherson’s recklessness gets her into a situation from which no diver could ever escape. I only kept reading because I wanted to know what happened, but my suspension of disbelief had been severely dented. (What hurt even more was that the entire incident turned out to be a dead end.) There was also a piece of photographic analysis that I simply didn’t believe: a face is a blob in a photo of six thousand people, no matter how large-format the camera is.

I liked the descriptions of the Everglades, though I felt they needed more sound and smell; I liked the scenes underwater though I would have liked more claustrophobia in them (but, as a diver, McPherson wouldn’t be claustrophobic); I liked the procession of losers and creeps, but I would have liked them to be less unambiguously losing or creepy.

My unqualified likes outweighed these by miles. I liked the fact that McPherson’s boss had to fight political battles, I liked realism of a tiny police unit being side-lined by more powerful units, I loved the way the threads were woven so that, by the climax, it all made sense without exposition. I liked that McPherson came from a home that was somewhere between broken and merely dysfunctional, I liked that she thought through moral issues, I liked that she had a daughter and wasn’t a model mother herself.

I thought the references to the previous book in the series – which I haven’t read – were superbly pulled off: enough to whet the appetite, yet never enough to obtrude or slow the plot down. The cultural references to the ‘80s were spot-on, and there’s a scene with the homeless that is both funny and compassionate.

It’s not quite a Raymond Chandler, but damn, is it close. Well worth the read.

Thanks netgalley. This was a wonderful change of pace. Sloan as a character is great. She is a risk taker with her own life but cautious with others. Being that this story involved a scuba diving investigator was exciting. Sloan is a rebel, you can't wait to see what trouble she creates for herself.

(I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thanks, Netgalley.)

A nice read; it just lacked the tension and action for my taste. I like my crime thrillers to take me at the edge of my seat, to force me to bite my nails and mutter curses, but this one lacked the depth that I expected and wanted.

The story revolves around the Underwater Investigation Unit composed of Sloan, Hughes and George, who stumbled into a van submerged in a Florida pond while conducting a separate case. The van happened to be involved to 30-year-old missing persons case involving four teenagers.

I love the technical aspects of their underwater investigation, which makes the novel stand out. The bureaucracy in the police and investigative forces also added spice to an already complex case. My problem was too much politics got in the way of an interesting case. I wished there was a balance on both politics and investigation. Their separate case, the River Bandits, also seemed out of place.

Still, I enjoyed reading this. I like the camaraderie of Sloan and Hughes. They make a great partner.

I have read half of this book and cannot continue. It is not to my liking. Thank you Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for this ARC and the opportunity to read it.

Oh boy how I enjoyed this book! I was hooked from the beginning and my attention never turned away. I stayed up so late finishing it because I couldn't put it down.

Been a fan of Mayne’s for a couple of years. Love his Theo Cray series. My review is based on someone who hasn’t read the first book in this series.

Thought the book was very engaging. The opening was captivating. So much so that it doesn’t take me long to read the book. Satisfying conclusion, though I could have gone for a longer climactic sequence of events.

Sloane is a complicated, intelligent and sometimes impulsive character. Looking forward to reading the first book to get more of her backstory but I wasn’t lost reading this one having never met any of the characters.

Time to read the first book in this series and the Jessica Blackwood series.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me a copy.

I thought this was a really excellent follow-up to the first title in this new series. Andrew Mayne has been one of my favorite authors for a long time. Unlike writers many who have found success, he continues to write at the top of his game. The characters are appealing, and I appreciate that he continues to develop them. In addition to the requisite whodunit elements, there is lots of conflict arising from the developing relationship of the characters. Like a good Broadway musical, this series is set to run and run and I cannot wait to read the next installment.

Thank you to Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I was pleasantly surprised. This is number 2 in the series, you don’t need to have read number 1 to read this book. There are parts of the story that are a little unbelievable - 30 deaths in a town and no one noticed? But I’m being picky. I love the character Sloan, how independent and fierce she is. I would definitely read this author again, in fact, I’m going to find number 1 in the series and I’ll look out for more of his books. Very well written from a first person narrative and hard to put down.

I very much enjoyed this fast-paced, intelligent crime drama set in and around Florida’s Everglades. The plot was dense and action-packed, and the novel brimmed with evocations of thrilling underwater diving, criminal investigation agency rivalry, scary alligators, and even scarier human beings. This was the second book of Andrew Mayne’s Underwater Investigation Unit series and I wished I’d read the first as events that I presume happened in book one were sometimes alluded to but not properly explained, especially concerning the central character whose ‘complicated relationship’ with her daughter’s dad remained a mystery. Nonetheless, the novel stands extremely well on its own and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good crime drama with plenty of twists and turns.

Unique premise and well-drawn characters, with plenty of "left turns" along the way to keep the reader intrigued. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and would recommend it to all readers searching for top-rate writing. Perfect summer read!

*I received this book as an ARC from the author/publisher in return for my honest review.*

Sloan MacPherson has solved another case with all the enthusiasm of a young policewoman. Her new position on the UIU is a good fit for her talents. She is now tamed up with Hughes, a veteran and policeman who didn't fit on the force but George has brought him in as another person on the UIU team. This book is a page turner as Sloan and Hughes make their way through the serial killer case and Sloan also gets herself into a pack of trouble underwater because of her zeal with which she investigates. Great reading and a good addition to Andrew Maynes series of books.

I've just finished this book and I'm in awe at how much I loved it. The main character is a complicated, yet strong and tough lady who I immensely enjoyed reading about. She's resourceful, sharp-witted, and intuitive and it's what drives to book.
This is the second installment of the Underwater Investing Unit Series, where Sloan, our main character is a detective, working for the UIU. While on a mission in the alligator-infested swamps of Florida, she discovers a van underwater with four bodies locked inside. It turns out they're four teenagers that went missing thirty years ago after a rock concert. And so the investigation begins. The story is a fast-paced thriller without a boring moment during the whole book a nail-biting, heart-stopping ending. I thought the author did a wonderful job rendering the story so vivid and full of action, by using a very credible dialogue and relatable characters. I practically flew through the pages.
If you like a well-told crime story involving a serial killer and a sassy and gutsy lead, don't miss out on this one.

I was given this book by NetGalley for my honest review.

I have found a new great author. This was my first book from Andrew Mayne. It will not be my last.

It is set in Florida with some cold cases being the backdrop. Is there a serial killer on the loose or is he long gone?
Set in the waters and diving. Very interesting and informative. Mayne gets you feeling that you are right there with the detectives.

Keeps you going with plenty of twists and turns. I really didn't want to put the book down, and was pleased to be able to get back to the story. Doesn't get better than that!

This was my vacation read 2020, it should be yours in 2021. You can smell the damp air of the Everglades in this 2nd book of the Unterwater Investigation Unit. Quite literally by accident, a couple of corpses are found under water. What seems like a teenager party had taken a wrong turn decades ago turns into one of the largest crimes and most dangerous manhunts in Florida history.

This story is straight as an arrow, easy to follow and thrilling to the last page. A perfectly light read for your lounge or beach chair on your next vacation. Not recommended for late night bed reading, if you catch my drift.

This is my first read by Andrew Mayne and I found it very enjoyable. Black Coral is the 2nd book in the underwater series. I was able to read it without reading the first but did miss some of the character development. Throughout the book, Sloan the main character made several references to the previous case and it has me very interested in reading the first book of this series.

I was very intrigued with the idea of an underwater investigative team. I really enjoy crime novels and this one gave a new type of investigative work that was very well written. Mayne was very descriptive when writing Sloan's underwater encounters and I learned so much about Florida's underwater wildlife.

When Sloan is called to do a dive in a lake, she discovers a van that went missing 30 years ago. The remains that are found inside lead her to investigate several missing persons reports spanning across 30 years. Her and the UIU team are desperately trying to stay funded and catch a killer.

I would have liked more when Sloane described her personal life; her daughter and boyfriend. They were more sprinkled throughout and it seemed like almost an after thought. I also felt that the build up of revealing the killer wasn't as mind-blowing as I wanted it to be. It seemed that Sloan was the only one really using her head when it came to the investigation.
Overall I enjoyed this book and do look forward to the next book in the series!

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Black Coral is a solid follow up to Andrew Maine’s The Girl Beneath the Sea. Sloan McPherson is a great character as a professional police diver and detective while pursuing her PhD in Archeology. Sloan approaches her cases with a different eye and a lot of spunk.

I admire Andrew Mayne’s ability to create characters with such different backgrounds. FBI agent Jessica Blackwood with her history of being a magician; Astronaut David Dixon; Sloan McPherson Phd student and from a family of pirates; and Professor Theo Cray as a computational biologist. No cookie cutter characters for this author.

A fast-paced, enjoyable read. 4+ stars. Looking forward to the next installment.

Black Coral (Underwater Investigation Unit #2) by Andrew Mayne is another Sloan McPherson mystery that is fast-paced and I love her character! Sloan who is a member of the newly organized UIU team is called to the scene of an accident to help secure a tow line onto a submerged vehicle.
While underwater, Sloan discovers a different van that had been submerged for years. Later when she convinces chief of investigations for the FDLE that the van needed to be brought out of the lake to check for bodies, a thirty-year-old mystery leads to the discovery of a serial killer. Sloan is fearless in the presence of large gators, murky water, and an elusive killer. Although sometimes Sloan is very impulsive, she has a determination to find the truth and solve the reasons for the four teenagers dying in a submerged van. She soon links other deaths to this same killer. No spoiler, but the method by which the victims are easily taken by the killer is shocking!
I like the new character in the team, Hughes! I am looking forward to new adventures in this series by Andrew Mayne.
Publication Date: February 16, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This has plenty of action and good pacing, along with fun characters. Mayne is fairly prolific and has shown his talent for weaving a good tale, and it shows here. I enjoyed as much as The Girl Beneath the Sea, and look forward to the next in the series.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

Set in the everglades of south Florida, an underwater investigation team recovers a recent wreck from a pond only to discover something that leads them to a serial killer who has been active for decades. If you like SCI style stories that are also murder mysteries, you will enjoy this book. It’s well paced and engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed it and give it a 5 out of 5.

A great book! I was unfamiliar with author and his Underwater Investigation Unit Series but having read the second one I will now definitely read the first. Not only a thriller but some very interesting facts regarding marine species in southern Florida! The book kept me engaged from beginning until its conclusion. I particularly liked Sloan’s tenacity, strength and compassion. Would certainly recommend this book.