Sea Castle

A Thriller (Underwater Investigation Unit, Book 4)

By: Andrew Mayne

Narrated by: Susannah Jones

A Wall Street Journal bestselling series. A deep diving investigator is pulled into the depths of a string of unsolved serial murders in a riveting thriller by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Sea Storm.

When a young woman washes ashore on a Fort Lauderdale beach, Sloan McPherson of the Underwater Investigation Unit is called in to consult. Sloan’s instinct says murder, but even then, there are too many questions.

For answers she reaches out to Gwen Wylder. The Miami homicide detective is notorious for being manipulative, bitter, a tyrant to her peers, and wicked smart. And she demands something in return from Sloan: fresh insight into seemingly unrelated cold-case murders and disappearances—and a possible serial killer trolling the Florida coast.

As loose ends of the old files begin to come together, another woman disappears. Sloan and Gwen are certain she’s the newest link in a deadly chain. They are determined to track her down before she dies, but they soon find themselves in uncharted waters. And the deeper Sloan and Gwen go, the stranger the case gets.

©2023 Andrew Mayne (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved

Critic reviews

“Narrator Susannah Jones skillfully conveys the intricacies of Mayne's complex plot, which chillingly delves into the psyche of a serial killer. Jones creates a variety of engaging character voices, keeping listeners wholly invested in the story. Thriller fans will be intrigued by this unique police procedural. Share with fans of Lisa Gardner, Michael Connelly, and Karin Slaughter.”—Library Journal

“The plot comes together like the proverbial puzzle, each juicy piece adding a bit to a disturbing big picture. A savvy police procedural that executes a familiar formula with panache.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Mayne combines a brilliant, innovative female lead with a plausibly twisty plot. Kinsey Millhone fans will love McPherson.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

It's a Great Ride

The Sloan McPherson character captivated me from the first book. She's.., different. She grew up on a treasure hunter's boat searching the seas for riches. Her father gained wealth and lost it with frequency, and her entire family is a bubble off plumb. At least. Adding to this, she has a teenage daughter with the man she dated in school, who she never married but co-habits and co-parents with.

If you haven't run yet, that's a good sign. If you can handle the fact that much of this novel is implausible, you'll most likely enjoy this story. It's fun, fast-paced, full of outrageous characters, and "holy cow" moments. It's also well-written, with surprising directional turns. I didn't figure out who the antagonist was until it basically broke in the storyline.

Sloan works with a new character throughout this book-- a cop named Gwen Wylder who is brash, opinionated, obstinate, overbearing, and just plain harsh. No one likes her, or even tolerates her. Sloan got the short straw on this one. But if anyone can stand up to a personality like that, it's Sloan with her own fiery, and obstinate traits. The problem comes as Sloan begins to learn what Wyler's true take on this crime is all about. She really sounds like a lunatic as she drags Sloan on a multi-state adventure that bears some hallmarks of a kidnapping.

Ultimately, this story was trippy good fun. The antagonist was as creepy, wiley, and evil as they come. Only a duo like Sloan and the truly-out-there Wylder could hope to untangle this mess.

If you're new to this series, you can dive right in here and enjoy the tale. But you won't really get a good grasp on Sloan and the other main characters unless you start at the beginning. This story actually has our seaborne heroine pretty land-locked. Her normal cases involve much more time on, or in, the waters of Florida. Whatever you choose, sit back, let the story unfold like an oversized vintage roadmap, and enjoy.

Great!

An enjoyable entry in the series. Looking forward to the next one too! Different than the others but entertaining!

Love this heroine!

This book will leave you guessing and turning pages. I can’t wait for the next one!

I liked the direction from the beginning

This was another great book in the series. I look forward to the next one!

You gotta love Sloan

I'm obsessed with this series. I love their investigative unit and the characters in the story. SJ delivers Sloan in a very fun way and loved her take on Gwen. Looking forward to book 5.