I've always enjoyed the Jessica books more than those featuring Theo, but I really liked the first one they had together. This one wasn't as good, mainly because it featured less "figuring out" and plot points that are outlandish even for this author's usual style. Perhaps there was simply not enough Jessica. If you haven't read the others before this you would enjoy it just fine, though.

I think I need my brain to catch up to what I just finished reading. Science and mathematics are complicated subjects that I aced in school but Theo’s mind works much differently than the rest of us. He’s like a computer with a glitch, can solve any problem but can’t get a joke. Sometimes he’ll make an off hand remark that’s accidentally funny and that’s why I like him. Jessica is his awesome sidekick with an intriguing past and sarcastic mouth that somehow Theo just understands. The two are wrapped up into something beyond my comprehension. Imagine getting a message from space, maybe aliens? There was so much technical know how that flew right past me I found myself skimming over it, not out of disinterest but frustration at not “getting” it. The overall storyline was unique and could definitely be a Netflix movie. Mayne’s writing makes me think and attempt to puzzle it together. I was pleased to receive an early copy and wrote this review voluntarily.

I received an ARC through "NetGalley" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This story begins with Theo at a company facility discussing his findings regarding a robot striking a man. Once he outlined what happened and left the facility to go back to his hotel, he later received an invitation to be part of a team. After going through the interview, he learns that he was chosen and given a short time to get ready to leave. He was then brought to a location which was a center listening for Alien life.

Jessica was working on a case with her trainees at the same time. This case involved girls that had gone missing taken by a creature that only happened at night. After reviewing evidence, Jessica was able to solve the disappearance. After she got back to her office, she requested time off to pursue a request that Theo made. In his quest for information, she discovered information that fed into Theo's search.

Later, both Theo and Jessica wound up at the same location. Follow the steps that Theo took along with the locations he traveled to. See what information Jessica discovered while searching for answers to Theo's question.

The ending will answer all of the questions and provide the rationale as well as who was trying to sabatoge the alien search. This is book that you definitely want to read and continues the excellence of Andrew Mayne's stories.

The very smart and mega, mega rich dude, Thomas T. Theismann is obsessed with finding and making contact with other civilisations in the universe. By the weight of the sheer numbers of galaxies you could safely assume that we are not “alone”. So Theismann has spent several fortunes setting up research institutes and space observatories to search for that all elusive message. I mean we know humans have been sending all sorts of data out into space - music, digital encyclopaedias, Simpsons episodes for years. But so far nobody has “replied”. Until now!

The transmission seems to originate somewhere in the vicinity of Neptune. Computers translate the binary data into a message approximating “hello earthlings, we come in peace. A carefully crafted reply is sent and scientists are eagerly awaiting a response.

Dr Theo Cray, computational biologist and overall brainiac has been asked to visit one of the facilities in the Nevada desert. He is taking the place of David Ikeda who recently killed himself in his room during some conference. Theo is not sure why they want him there but treats it like any other job. Despite the NDA everyone had to sign he is in pretty constant contact with his girlfriend, Jessica Blackwood - FBI agent and specialist in debunking illusions. She tells him to be careful as she is not convinced of Ikeda’s suicide.

Soon Jessica joins Theo at the facility as more people have disappeared and at least one has been murdered. They travel to Guatemala as another signal seems to emanate from there. They also travel to Ecuador where they find a baffling structure. By now Theo is playing devil’s advocate and is trying to see how the messages could be spoofed if indeed that is what’s happening.

I love Andrew Mayne’s books and I love the Theo and Jessica characters, each has their own series as well. But, I found this book had less action than I would have liked and a bit too much “geek speak”. I can usually follow along quite well but this was next level it just confused me as I wasn’t sure what was supposed to real and what was made up gobbledygook. Unfortunately this lessened my enjoyment of the book a bit and I found myself skimming pages of jargon. Nevertheless I will always be keen to pick up a new Andrew Mayne book. Many thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

I love the Jessica Blackwood series as such I read the first Jessica Blackwell and Thomas Cray. I was intrigued and scrambled for the arc for book 2. I am guessing this is really book 2 as noted but I apparently lost something along the way. I was not aware they were quote "boyfreind/girlfriend". That was not the impression I was left with at the end of Book 1. Author Andrew Mayne is intelligent, so much so that I think he forgets the lowly who love his writing * raises hand* .Sometimes I felt I was in a science class. Sad to say those pages were lost to me. The book was not a wash because the wit of Jessica along with her think outside the box combined with the intelligence and methodical thinking of Thomas Cray always make for entertainment and if I learn something along the way, all the better. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the arc, I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. #thefinalequinox #andrewmayne #thomasandmercer

An interesting pair of protagonists- Dr. Theo Gray and FBI SA Jessica Blackwood,= a billionaire, and a mysterious message from space (or is it) made this an intriguing read but know that there's probably more science than you might want. I've liked Theo Gray in the Mayne's other series but I'd not read the earlier book in this, which put me in a curious position of being both a new reader and an old fan. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

Book Review: The Final Equinox (Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood #2) by Andrew Mayne
Published by Thomas & Mercer, September 13, 2022

★★★★☆ (3.75 Stars)
Mixed!

The most notable change in this "Theo Cray" book compared with previous editions in the series, is its absence of profanity.

I decided to give author Andrew Mayne another look, five years after I read the first two Kindle offerings of his "Theo Cray" series: "The Naturalist" (2017), and "Looking Glass" (2018).

Like many readers, I was then turned off by the profanity.

It was quite incomprehensible that the protagonist, painstakingly portrayed as an erudite, highly-educated college professor /computational biologist, would drop the "F-BOMB" in almost every page of both first books as though he lacked the vocabulary to expression exasperation - or fright.

I was happy to be spared this time. So many books to read, so to speak.

// "The Final Equinox" (2022) by Andrew Mayne //

The Andrew Mayne brand, I notice after reading three books, consistently shoots for the sky, so I was prepared for a brilliant plot, cutting-edge scientific theorem and technological jargon, at times arguably in the "Believe It Or Not" category, gadgetry - and magic, the author being a noted magician, inventor, diver and TV show host, alongside his Edgar award achievements.

In "The Final Equinox", the paradoxical vision of a Yuri Gagarin-era cosmonaut entombed intact inside a hermetically-sealed ancient Mayan sarcophagus deep in the Guatemalan jungle, is paired with extraterrestrial interactive communications triangulated to the planet Uranus.

What a premise, setting such high expectations!

I read with bated breath. This has to be where the talented author segues to what may be a new genre in his writing, new dimensions and worlds to conquer.

Alas, this was not to be. The finale falls far short.

But the story does have its brilliancies.

Review based on an advanced reading copy courtesy of Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley.

Mayne is an excellent writer, so I truly wanted to give 5 stars. But after reading his other thrillers, this book is just bland. There’s way too much science, and the mystery just isn’t that great. My only saving grace is that I love Theo and Jessica, but I found myself skimming through a lot of the extraneous information. I gave 3 stars (instead of less) because his writing is so top notch, but I easily could have passed on this one. Hopefully, he will revert back to his mysteries. And, I do like the way Theo uses Science to solve crimes, and I don’t need serial killers. I just need a more interesting plot.

The main characters in this series work really well together but the actual story was a bit of a wander and wonder. Came together in the end but I struggled to get there.

I love Mayne’s writing, characters and unique takes on modern topics, so I can’t gush enough. I’m a huge fan of Jessica & Theo and this latest addition to their story doesn’t disappoint. Mayne always has a way of creating interesting, off the wall, fast paced plots that twist and turn and keep you on the edge till the last page. This is the second book in the Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood series, and can be read as a stand-alone but if you want to get caught up pick up book one, Mastermind. And if you find you love these characters and want more, check out their earlier individual series Jessica – Jessica Blackwood series (Angle Killer, BK 1) and Theo – The Naturalist series (The Naturalist, BK 1). These aren’t essential to read before The Final Equinox, but you won’t regret as they give you SO much insight into these awesome characters and how they come together.

I’m a huge fan of Andrew Mayne’s Jessica Blackwood series, which made this book a must-read for me the instant I saw it. Even better, it’s the second time Mayne is teaming Jessica up with Dr. Theo Cray, the protagonist of the author’s other popular series. Jessica is a magician-turned-FBI-agent, and Theo is a computational biologist and skeptic who is trained to see patterns where others see chaos. In this novel, Theo is summoned to join a group of scientists trying to interpret whether an apparently interplanetary signal is coming from intelligent life elsewhere in our universe.

I wish I could say I loved this book. I did like it, but it left me wanting more of what makes Mayne’s novels so great. This book is very heavy on the science and way too light on the storyline. I get it – Mayne knows a lot about the subject and is sharing his research with the reader – but it feels like a data dump at times. While it’s undeniably an interesting topic, the “it factor” behind Mayne’s other clever and compelling thrillers is missing here. We are introduced to an extensive cast of scientists, but they aren’t well developed and I couldn’t keep them all straight. I love the interplay between Theo and Jessica, but I wanted more of it, as they spend most of the story working in parallel rather than together. I also wanted more of Jessica and her butt-kicking magician-style crime solving, but she feels more like a supporting character to Theo rather than the absolute bad-a$$ female protagonist she usually is.

I’d recommend this book for fans of Andrew Mayne’s other work. While this reads perfectly fine as a standalone, if you’re new to Mayne, I highly recommend going back and reading Angel Falls or The Naturalist to see what makes Mayne’s stories so intriguing and original, and what makes these two main characters so awesome.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me an advance copy of this book.

My thanks to Thomas and Mercer, Andrew Mayne and Netgalley.
It's funny, but I didn't much like these two together.
This time I did.
Unfortunately, the story as a whole was not to my liking at all.
It actually seemed a bit ridiculous.
Not that I don't believe in intelligent life out in the cosmos.
I could bitch and moan about what Mayne has done to my 2 favorite characters.
What I want to say is please bring back the strange and funked up murder mysteries.
Until it goes back in coarse, then I'm finished with this author.

Makes you wonder........If there really is intelligent life out there in Space, the last place they'd contact would be US.

Andrew Mayne brings together the dynamic duo of Dr. Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood in this second edition of this series. Theo is a computational biologist as well as a computer modeling expert. Jessica is his girlfriend who happens to be an outstanding FBI agent. When we say that Jessica has plenty of tricks up her sleeve, it's not an exaggeration. In her younger days, she performed as a magic prodigy with her father and her grandfather. She knows every trick in the trade.

Thomas T. Theismann, billionaire investor, likes to throw money at his latest endeavors. And since the 1980's, Space exploration gets his attention. That's why he's called a group of scientists from various backgrounds to meet in New Mexico. His reps have sworn everyone to secrecy including the curious Theo. A signal has been transmitted from Space and received in the jungles of Guatemala. But as Carl Sagan has stated: "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

Road trip........And what Theo and the others find within some deep caves in those jungles will be jaw-dropping. Science tries, through trial and error, to figure out the rules of the Universe. But this latest situation is just not following any kind of rules. And add to that, there are always blind spots in even the best in their expertise.

Theo Cray realizes that he has been called in as a fill-in for the famous Dr. David Ikeda. Ikeda was found dead in his hotel room some time back. Suicide was the ruling. But Jessica is not so sure after she begins investigation into his death. Her greatest fear is that Theo is in danger. What Jessica doesn't realize is that her name is on that death star as well.

There's plenty of excitement in The Final Equinox. I've enjoyed the pairing of Theo and Jessica together with their high intelligence and their snappy dialogue and comebacks. I would have liked them to have had a more extended adventure in Guatemala and in Ecuador. They were back in the U.S. in a heartbeat. There were also long passages of scientific explanations that leaned heavily at times and took away from the intensity of the storyline.

The Final Equinox reads as a standalone, but there are earlier works of Andrew Mayne that feature Theo Cray from the very beginning. Those are exceptional. The Final Equinox just makes you cast your eyes to the skies and wonder what all those strange lights are out of nowhere in the late, late night sky.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to the talented Andrew Mayne for the opportunity.

Thomas T. Theismann has quietly spent a significant amount of his billions on finding out if there is life in the universe. A signal is received from space and Theismann has gathered scientist and scholars to ascertain if it is an actual message from another life form far out in space. Theo Cray, a computational biologist is invited to the discussion and challenged to help prove that the signal is real. Theo invites Jessica Blackwood, his girlfriend and an FBI agent to help solve the mystery when people start mysteriously disappearing and turning up dead.
This is an exciting thriller. This is the second book in his Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood series.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles. I really not the opportunity!

I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

Andrew Mayne has done it once again with The Final Equinox! It is the second book of the Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood Thriller series. I was hooked by the unique premise of the prospect of receiving a signal from outer space. Theo, who has a background in computational biology, is a sceptic, and it is a delight to see how this character deciphers problems and challenges. Bring Jessica Blackwood, an FBI agent, into the mix, and it's pure magic. Split into seven parts; it follows both protagonists as they unveil the secrets of the mysterious billionaire Thomas T. Theismann and the murder of another academic at the lab. Andrew Mayne delivers specialist knowledge in simple terms and celebrates science, logic, and witty dialogue. The ending was brilliant, and it was a pleasure reading this author's work. If you are into outer space, biology, computer science and archeology, do not miss this! As this is a stand-alone, you can read this book first, but I strongly suggest reading the first one to understand the protagonists better. A 5-star read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Mercer for providing an e-ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.

I am so bummed that this was the final book in the series. The characters are amazing and compliment each other SO WELL. This book did NOT disappoint at all. It was so awesome. The plot was out of this world and I just could NOT put it down. Even if you aren’t into science/outer space books, you HAVE to read this. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I do NOT recommend you read this before the first book in the series. That one will not disappoint either.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the second book that combines two characters from two series by this author - Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood. Already in the first book, I thought it was a very successful combination and I still think so. This time, Theo and Jessica spend less time together, at least in the first half of the book, but still work on the same cause - each from its own perspective and using their own unique skills.

This time, the case they are working on is not related to a serial killer, but it is about something completely different. Theo is asked to join a group of scientists working on a top-secret project that could be groundbreaking for humanity. But as usual with Theo, he distrusts everything he sees and is always looking for hidden patterns. And this time he may be right. The key to solving this mystery may be to answer the question of what happened to one of the scientists who previously participated in this project. This is what Jessica does.

Theo and Jessica are such fascinating characters. Watching their extraordinary minds work is always fun. I really like that working together makes their skills develop significantly. They are now able to analyze the problem not only in a way that is unique to them, but also learn from the experience of the other person. I guess you could also say that they're more aware of their limitations now, especially Theo.

The pace of the story is very fast, with some good twists. The plot is, as always, unique and very closely related to science and scientific discoveries. I like that this time Jessica and Theo are working on something other than a serial killer case, even though, of course, they are also solving several mysterious deaths and crimes.

If you haven't read the first book in this series, that won't be a problem. Like the fact that you haven't read any of the other books by this author, and this is your first meeting with Jessica and Theo.

As for me, I will definitely continue this series.

Another fantastic book by Andrew Mayne! I loved reading more about Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood. And I love how they both go about working a theory or problem. Their minds are so insanely wonderful. I could not put the book down at all, and I can't wait for the next one!

This book was so good! I want to see more from this author in the future!! I couldn't put this book down. What a page turner!!!