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

Another good one from Andrew Mayne. His books are entertaining, educational, and sure make you think. I enjoy the hero couple in this one, as I have before. This one gets deeper into science than I can follow at times, but you can sort it out.

I am looking forward to reading more from Mr. Mayne

The Final Equinox is book two of the Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood thrillers but you could read this one as a standalone. Theo’s expertise is requested on what is either the greatest scientific discovery ever or the world’s greatest hoax. But someone is raising the stakes and it’ll take all of Theo’s brains and Jessica’s special skills if they are going to find the truth and survive. I’ll admit to a little struggle with part one as the science got thick enough my eyes may have glazed over for a bit. But part two picked up with Jessica and I was drawn into the story. The story is a science driven thriller that will have you questioning the possibilities. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

I was excited to get this at first because i like some of the books that Andrew Mayne writes. I couldn't get into this one though. It wasn't thrilling enough for me. Im grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review

I am grateful to the author, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed the first book that featured Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood working together, and was thrilled to see their return. Now, they've developed a relationship that looks to be permanent.

Mr. Mayne has been consistent in creating bats**t crazy thrillers starring Theo based on science taken far past its logical conclusions, as well as a range of seemingly all-powerful evil genius bad-guys. Adding Jessica as the great de-bunker of illusions and scams adds some real spice.

I wish the science this time was more appealing to me. I just wasn't enthralled. The action was lacking in the over-the-top adrenaline that flowed so freely in the first story linking these two characters. The changes of venue were interesting but not compelling. The key mystery in this one sort of dropped off the horizon and stayed there. The "aha" moment where Theo figured everything out was not as elegant as I hoped, and I had to go back and find the first clues to the solution.

So, not as much fun as past stories, but I am a fan of Mr. Mayne's work and will happily wade into his next story with these characters.

3 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

4 stars

Dr. Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood are back figuring out if aliens have sent a message to earth. Who is trying to stop Theo and Jessica from discovering the truth? While I like Theo, I love Jessica and want to read more about her.

I’m always amazed by Andrew Mayne’s ability to write about so many different topics over all of his novels. I’m a fan and can’t wait for his next book.

This is a difficult review for me to write. Not because I do not know what to say, but because I hate to say it.

I love the books of Andrew Mayne. I get honestly excited when a new one comes out. I usually rip right through them in a day because they are so engrossing and fun... But in this case... sigh... I didn't love it. In fact, I barely liked it.

A signal is detected at the outer edge of the solar system. - is it truly contact from another planet/galaxy... The man at the center of this cosmic mystery is billionaire Thomas T. Theismann. He’s spent a lifetime—and a fortune—trying to find out if we’re alone in the universe. He hires a team to verify a signal that was received.

I loved the concept. I love the recurring characters. I found the information on space, and the search for other beings to be super interesting. But... I was bored. there was way too much detail, and not enough story. The details were so highly technical for so long that my head hurt. I had to stop and wonder what was going on. It almost felt as if the author wanted to spit out all of the knowledge about this (and it is vast) and then tried to build a story around it.

If you want a really good read - go back and read the authors others books. And start at the beginning so you get to know his characters. Then stop when you get to this one.. sigh..

3 stars because I just can't give him lower.. and I did finish it... And I don't honestly know if my disappointment is based on this book itself, or how far from my expectations this book was.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which obviously did not impact my review.

First off, thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I enjoyed this book so much that I will go back and read Andrew Mayne's other books in this series, where have I been? Under a rock? I have enjoyed 'The Naturalist' and "Under water Investigation" series so not sure how I missed this series. I read a lot. My genre of choice is mystery. I like 'different' not cookie cutter. Andrew Mayne thinks out side the box when he creates his characters, I have to like the characters, haven't 'met' one of his I didn't like. Former Magician FBI agent and computational biologist, yes please. Once I like the characters, I want to enjoy the ride of the mystery. What is out there in the world beyond? There is a signal that Theo and Jessica are trying to find the source to get to the bottom of the mystery. oh this book was right up my alley. Loved the science. On to the other books in the series!

Mystery/Thriller

Andrew Mayne crushes the Smart Thriller genre once again!

I fell in love with Theo Cray in The Naturalist series and I also love the character of Jessica Blackwood in her series, so bringing these two beloved characters together is genius. Theo is a computational biologist who made his name when he captured a few serial killers. He also gave all his money away and not only became a possible suspect in some of the murder mysteries he solved, but managed to piss off the government. Jessica is a former magician turned FBI agent who manages to solve some of the truly mysterious crimes the FBI gets asked to solve.

Theo gets hired to work on a super secret project. He isn't even allowed to know what it is until he goes through an interview process, signs and NDA and arrives onsite. When Jessica hears from Theo about what he has gotten involved in, she too, gets involved in the project. I don't want to reveal too much but the project is a doozy. Mayne clearly loves science and we are treated to some very intellectual problems - these things get explained so that a layman can understand, but some of these items are very abstract concepts. If you loved Andy Weir's The Martian then this a book for you!

What was missing for me was more of that human interaction between Jessica and Theo. In fact, I think there wasn't enough humanity in the book, period. Part of that is due to the subject matter, and part of that is because the book is told in dual POV's and Theo and Jessica are often working independently here.

Andrew Mayne is still a favorite author when I want a smart fast paced thriller. His books are simply fantastic, I just didn't love this one as much as some of the others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this novel.

This was a solid thriller that was hard to put down. Both main characters, Dr Theo Cray, a computational biologist with a somewhat sketchy history that is only alluded to in this book, and Jessica Blackwood, a super smart FBI agent, were very likeable and each brought their own strengths to the mystery-solving. I liked the mystery they were trying to solve - somewhat scientifically complex but kept it interesting enough for me. The book moved at a good pace, though the resolution happened pretty quickly and one of the main bad guys never actually made an appearance in the book. Overall, I enjoyed this book and it is great if you are looking for an action-packed thriller heavy on scientific mystery.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the copy of The Final Equinox. I love the Theo and Jessica books. I love the characters and the mixture of science and magician tricks is addictive. Of course the writing is as great as usual in these books. The story was intriguing even though the science was a little over my head. If you are more versed in programming you would love this, for me it was a little tough going but not enough to ruin the book. If you're looking for a book that will make you wonder about the possibility of alien life and communication and keep you on your toes to find out what happens next, go read this book! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Thank you to NetGalley for the privilege or reading this book in return for an honest review.

I read this as a stand alone book and have not had the privilege of reading the first book in the series. With that said, I really enjoyed this book! I loved the characters, especially Jessica Blackwood. The storyline, as well as the humor, kept me engaged. Once I started reading this book, I had a hard time putting it down. My only negative feedback is sometimes the science aspect was hard to follow, but I loved learning about it. Overall, I highly recommend!

Andrew Mayne is one of my favourite authors and this new novel has reaffirmed my opinion. As always Mayne gives us a fascinating read with his two iconic characters now united in the same series and although in this case the theme was not entirely to my liking, I am looking forward to the next one.

This was one of the more unexpected reads I've had this year. The duo of Theo and Jessica is always a treat and most of their adventures hold my interest. This was a good book but lots of different elements made it pretty compelling including the question of alien life.

Recommend for anyone who's a fan of Maybes books!

I really hope that the “final” in the title has nothing to do with this series because I love these characters with a passion. If Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood were awesome on their own, together they are unstoppable. What one lacks, the other brings, and this time their case is spectacular! Theo is invited to a secret compound to help prove - or discredit - a signal from outer space. The author is obviously very bright and Theo is a literal genius, so it’s fun to hear his position on extraterrestrial lifeforms and the possibility of first contact. Jessica not only humanizes him, but serves as an interpreter for readers without a PhD. There are a few spots that seemed a little too rushed and were not explained properly, but the plot is so entertaining that I didn’t mind. The dialogues are very funny and watching Theo and Jessica navigate a real, adult relationship, is very touching. Five stars (including any habitable planets surrounding them).
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Thomas & Mercer!

I will admit that some of the science got too dense for me. but as a platinum-certified Hot Dummy™, maybe I'M too dense for the material. In any case, I like these characters so much that I plowed on through, even if my only background in physics and such is reading like, Quantum Mechanics for Hot Dummies.

My thanks to Thomas and Mercer, as well as to NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of The Final Equinox.

When a signal is detected at the outer edge of the solar system, computational biologist Dr. Theo Cray and magician-turned-FBI-agent Jessica Blackwood are looking ... and listening.

I absolutely love Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood AND this series!! The humor in these books definitely keeps me hooked. Billionaire Thomas T. Theismann was certainly an interesting character. He’s spent a lifetime—and a fortune—trying to find out if we’re alone in the universe. I think we are all interested in that!

I'm taking one star off because some of the science went way over my head. (Quick! Where is my Science for Dummies book??) I still recommend The Final Equinox, though.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Thomas & Mercer and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

This one was a nice thriller but I didn’t find it as exciting as I do most thrillers and mystery.

I've read all the Theo Cray books and all of Jessica Blackwood books. So this was a real treat for me to have them together. I really like the way the stories develop piece by piece (and sneakily teach me things I didn't know before). I hope there will be plenty more Theo & Jessica books.

A good thriller but it lacks in some points. First of all, i think it's a good thriller because it fills what was proposed. But at the same time, the narrative promotes that something greater is going to happen and then, we stay there waiting for it but nothing comes.