Sea Castle: A Thriller

Written 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Feb 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9781713673682

Andrew Mayne

Andrew Mayne started his first illusion tour while he was a teenager and was soon headlining in resorts and casinos around the world. He’s worked behind the scenes creatively for David Copperfield, Penn & Teller, and David Blaine. With the support of talk show host and amateur magician Johnny Carson, Andrew started a program to use magic to teach critical thinking skills in public schools for the James Randi Educational Foundation. Andrew’s “Wizard School” segments, teaching magic and science to children, aired nationwide on public television. He also starred in the reality show Don’t Trust Andrew Mayne.

Reviews for Sea Castle

[spencer28-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A corpse washing ashore proves to be just the beginning. The discovery of a dead girl with a rope around her neck on a Fort Lauderdale, Florida beach triggers a call to detective Sloan McPherson of the Underwater Investigation Unit. Medical examiner concludes that Nicole Donnelly was strangled, but by hand, not by a rope. This is the first of several inconsistencies that make Sloan suspect that the case will be complex, a hunch that’s confirmed with every new twist in her investigation. Mayne’s fourth thriller reads like a long-running, forensic crime TV series, with a huge cast of smart witnesses and lots of regulars who make short appearances over several chapters. Although Scott Hughes, Sloan’s partner in previous installments, is away in training, she finds welcome support from veteran detective Gwen Wylder, the perfect partner for a case focused on women at risk. Clues emerge at a truck station that may be the scene of more unsavory sexual activity; in the ocean, courtesy of an Underwater Robotic Vehicle; and through a trio of less than desirables that Sloan identifies by the names he's associated with them, "Silver Teeth", "Brio", and "Half Face"...and a charismatic cult leader. The plot comes together like the proverbial jig-saw puzzle, each piece added a little more to the very disturbing big picture that was forming. I enjoyed the mystery and the characters but wished there had been a bit more taking place in the water, but Andrew Mayne as written an excellent mystery.

[dokfintong · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

MUCH better than the last oneUIU has been shelved for being too effective, although of course that's not the official reason. The team is off doing their own building skills and relationships in hopes that they will shortly be reunited.Sloan has been seconded to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement where she sits trying not to annoy her boss, a task that is hard to accomplish because law enforcement agencies across southern Florida keep calling and asking Sloan to come take a look at their case. Sloan's lucky intuition would be hard for any desk jockey boss to swallow.Finally Sloan is paired with curmudgeon Gwen Wylder, a very senior detective who was exiled to the basement when her behavior got too erratic. People would like to can her but Gwen is nearing retirement and her notably high success rate gains her a lot of slack. So she is in the basement looking over cold cases.Somehow Gwen and Sloan form a working relationship and solve not one but three cases.No diving this time and no preposterous story lines. I read it almost straight through.I received a review copy of "Sea Castle" from Thomas & Mercer through NetGalley.com.

[celticlibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This 4th installment in the series is entertaining and thrilling.The UIU is on hiatus due to some political and jurisdictional problems, so Sloan McPherson is currently working for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement until all those issues are sorted. When she's called to the scene on a Fort Lauderdale beach, she becomes involved in what may be a serial killer case. She's paired with Gwen Wylder, an unpopular homicide detective from Miami, and they investigate various cold cases involving missing women and murder. This was very good and I really enjoy the character of Sloan McPherson. I like this author's writing style and the complicated and interesting plots. This was quite different to the previous books in the series, and that made it even better to show more dimensions of the main character. The narrative takes some unexpected turns and the conclusion was quite surprising. I definitely recommend this series and suggest it be read in order. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this e-book ARC to read and review. I look forward to the next book when the Underwater Investigation Unit might be back in action.

[cathyskye · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've been enjoying Andrew Mayne's Underwater Investigation Unit series immensely, and Sea Castle is the best one yet. Through police diver Sloan McPherson, Mayne has been instrumental in changing my rather antiquated view of mothers in dangerous professions, and once the scales were removed from my eyes, my enjoyment of these compelling stories grew-- especially when Sloan began tempering her tendency to leap into danger without thinking with some good, old-fashioned common sense. It's been a pleasure to watch Sloan grow as she gains experience. She's truly gifted in searching for clues and putting them together, and if you're in a life-or-death situation, she's the type of person you want on your side.With the Underwater Investigation Unit disbanded and its members working in other divisions, Sloan finds herself working for a boss who hates her. When she doesn't agree with everyone else that the young woman found on the beach died accidentally, her search for help leads her to one of the more interesting characters I've read in quite some time. Gwen Wylder is a gifted homicide detective whose talent and unstoppable determination have made her a pariah. No one wants to work with her, and spreading rumors about her level of sanity and her work ethic seems to be a favorite pastime of her fellow officers. After years of working in this toxic environment, it's no wonder that Gwen is extremely paranoid, bitter, and manipulative. Sloan herself has raised more than a few eyebrows (and doubts) in her short career, and she's used to being considered the crazy one. Pairing her with Gwen Wylder on the hunt for a serial killer really tests how much she's matured in her job. When someone says, "A lot of this is Gwentuition and Sloanology," I had to laugh. These two have their own ways of doing things, and it was a delight watching them learn to work together-- Sloan especially since, for the first time, she's the one reining in someone else instead of someone doing that to her. This fast-paced story kept me guessing, and the identity of the serial killer really surprised me-- something that doesn't happen very often. Although everything is tied up by book's end, it does end on a cliffhanger that makes me wish that the next book in this series were available now. Bring it on!(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)

[jetangen4571 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

underwater-investigations, murder-investigation, Ft-Lauderdale, law-enforcement, procedural, crime-fiction, thriller, suspense, unputdownable, cold-case, serial-murder, action-adventure, bureaucracy, friction, snarky, family, historical-places-events, historical-research*****Sloan McPherson of the dispersed Underwater Investigation Unit needs the help of Gwen Wylder who is a Miami homicide detective and notorious for being manipulative, bitter, a tyrant, and cop smart.Wylder dangles the opportunity to delve into seemingly unrelated cold-case murders and disappearances all along the intracoastal—and a possible serial killer trolling the Florida coast.Interspersed are lots of somewhat detailed references to known cases of serial killers as well as police practices that are more than a little universal. I loved it and plan to read more of the series as well as the author's others.Staties in Fla are known as FDLE (Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement).I requested and received a free EARC from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley. Thank you!