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Underwater Investigation Unit #2
Black Coral
9 hours, 13 minutes
For a police diver in Florida, solving a cold-case mystery brings a serial killer out of hiding...
Sloan McPherson and the Underwater Investigation Unit have discovered a van at the bottom of a murky Florida pond. Sealed inside the watery tomb are the bodies of four teenagers who disappeared thirty years ago after leaving a rock concert. To authorities, it looks like a tragic accident. To Sloan, it looks like murder. Every piece of evidence is starting to connect to a string of cold case vanishings throughout Florida. Clue by clue, Sloan navigates the warm, dark waters where natural predators feed, knowing that the most dangerous one is still above the surface - nesting and dormant.
But when a fresh young kill is found in the Everglades, Sloan fears that her investigation has reawakened a monster. How can she catch someone who’s a genius at hiding in plain sight? By acting as prey. The dangerous gambit is working - only too well. She’s being lured into a deception of the madman’s own design. Has Sloan set a trap for a serial killer? Or has he set one for her?
For a police diver in Florida, solving a cold-case mystery brings a serial killer out of hiding...
Sloan McPherson and the Underwater Investigation Unit have discovered a van at the bottom of a murky Florida pond. Sealed inside the watery tomb are the bodies of four teenagers who disappeared thirty years ago after leaving a rock concert. To authorities, it looks like a tragic accident. To Sloan, it looks like murder. Every piece of evidence is starting to connect to a string of cold case vanishings throughout Florida. Clue by clue, Sloan navigates the warm, dark waters where natural predators feed, knowing that the most dangerous one is still above the surface - nesting and dormant.
But when a fresh young kill is found in the Everglades, Sloan fears that her investigation has reawakened a monster. How can she catch someone who’s a genius at hiding in plain sight? By acting as prey. The dangerous gambit is working - only too well. She’s being lured into a deception of the madman’s own design. Has Sloan set a trap for a serial killer? Or has he set one for her?
317 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 16, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 899 reviews
January 2, 2021
If you’re looking for a fast paced, entertaining police procedural, this is it. Sloan McPherson is a detective and underwater diver for the Florida UIU. The book starts off with a bang as she attempts to retrieve a body from a submerged car while avoiding Big Bill, a 1000# alligator. While underwater, she spots a van nearby and her spidey sense is engaged. Turns out, there are four bodies in it.
This is the second in the series, but worked well as a standalone. But book one, The Girl Beneath the Sea, is equally entertaining if you haven’t read it.
Mayne does a good job of giving you those little extra details that help round out a story, like educating you on alligators.
Sloan is a well fleshed out main character and both George and Hughes are strong secondary characters.
A lot of times, the endings for these kinds of mysteries veer off into unbelievable. But this one seemed innately plausible. I look forward to book three in the series.
My thanks to netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of this book.
This is the second in the series, but worked well as a standalone. But book one, The Girl Beneath the Sea, is equally entertaining if you haven’t read it.
Mayne does a good job of giving you those little extra details that help round out a story, like educating you on alligators.
Sloan is a well fleshed out main character and both George and Hughes are strong secondary characters.
A lot of times, the endings for these kinds of mysteries veer off into unbelievable. But this one seemed innately plausible. I look forward to book three in the series.
My thanks to netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of this book.
August 26, 2022
Thrillers fill a particular ecological niche in my life. For me, they are literary fast food, perfect for when I need a tasty jolt to power me through a slump. But just like fast food, the majority follow a predictable formula, sometimes with adequate results and sometimes substandard ones. The challenge, then, is to find the one with the secret sauce author that fits the reader’s preference (and causes the least amount of damage while doing so?) Mayne has definitely made it onto my list of preferred thrillers.
Black Coral is a police procedural thriller told from the perspective of Sloan McPherson, an investigator with Florida’s Underwater Investigation Unit. She’s also finishing her PhD in archeology, specializing in underwater, naturally. Growing up in a family of somewhat bonkers treasure-hunters means she’s learned some of these skills from the time she could walk, so it’s an interesting perspective. I don’t always enjoy first person voices, but I did well with her normally calm and matter-of-fact tone, notable even when she’s diving into an alligator hole:
“I don’t feel like a brave knight as I swim into the burrow. I don’t know if it’s fear or anxiety. The two kind of blend for me. I usually define fear as the thing I feel when the unexpected happens. Anxiety is when I’m doing something that I already know is stupid.”
I generally liked her voice, which is both courageous and intuitive, but I did have a few moments where I paused. I never quite parsed out if it was character incongruity or if it was that same feeling I get when reading a female character by a man that doesn’t quite nail it. However, the pace was fast enough that I never got hung up for too long.
Which reminds me of the other angle that works so well for me: the underwater investigation. Not that I’d ever do that, mind you. And the body recovery would ruin lake swimming for me forever. Anyway, it’s not just diving, for those of you who are wondering if they’d be a little lost with talk about regulators and tanks and air mixes. There’s quite a bit about alligators in this one, along with the Everglades, and even yacht culture. Nothing requires suspension of disbelief, except perhaps Sloan’s risk-taking with alligators. Honestly, it’s a relief for the thriller genre.
Mayne weaves some nice backstory into his characters as it progresses. Family scenes help take a break from the emotional build in the investigation and with interagency politics, but sometimes the transition felt a little awkward.
The writing is straightforward. Not quite the eighth-grade feeling I got from late Spencer/Robert Parker books, but not up to Robert Crais either. It’s solid. There’s occasional wry commentary that made me smile, but thankfully, I don’t recall the outright quips that the genre is prone to:
“I need to find out what exactly he did in the Navy. I’d know if he was a SEAL, because he would have told me in the first two minutes.”
It turns out that this is book two in a series, but honestly, it stands alone just fine. I suppose I might have indirectly ‘spoiled’ one or two events in book one, if it contains some of the events Sloan references in this one, but I’m not too worried because I’m 100% positive I already forgot them. As a matter of fact, I had actually peeked at the ending of this one because it was getting late and I was far too involved. And I still went back and finished it. Clearly, a 4 star in the thriller world.
Many thanks to Ola who recommended it!
Black Coral is a police procedural thriller told from the perspective of Sloan McPherson, an investigator with Florida’s Underwater Investigation Unit. She’s also finishing her PhD in archeology, specializing in underwater, naturally. Growing up in a family of somewhat bonkers treasure-hunters means she’s learned some of these skills from the time she could walk, so it’s an interesting perspective. I don’t always enjoy first person voices, but I did well with her normally calm and matter-of-fact tone, notable even when she’s diving into an alligator hole:
“I don’t feel like a brave knight as I swim into the burrow. I don’t know if it’s fear or anxiety. The two kind of blend for me. I usually define fear as the thing I feel when the unexpected happens. Anxiety is when I’m doing something that I already know is stupid.”
I generally liked her voice, which is both courageous and intuitive, but I did have a few moments where I paused. I never quite parsed out if it was character incongruity or if it was that same feeling I get when reading a female character by a man that doesn’t quite nail it. However, the pace was fast enough that I never got hung up for too long.
Which reminds me of the other angle that works so well for me: the underwater investigation. Not that I’d ever do that, mind you. And the body recovery would ruin lake swimming for me forever. Anyway, it’s not just diving, for those of you who are wondering if they’d be a little lost with talk about regulators and tanks and air mixes. There’s quite a bit about alligators in this one, along with the Everglades, and even yacht culture. Nothing requires suspension of disbelief, except perhaps Sloan’s risk-taking with alligators. Honestly, it’s a relief for the thriller genre.
Mayne weaves some nice backstory into his characters as it progresses. Family scenes help take a break from the emotional build in the investigation and with interagency politics, but sometimes the transition felt a little awkward.
The writing is straightforward. Not quite the eighth-grade feeling I got from late Spencer/Robert Parker books, but not up to Robert Crais either. It’s solid. There’s occasional wry commentary that made me smile, but thankfully, I don’t recall the outright quips that the genre is prone to:
“I need to find out what exactly he did in the Navy. I’d know if he was a SEAL, because he would have told me in the first two minutes.”
It turns out that this is book two in a series, but honestly, it stands alone just fine. I suppose I might have indirectly ‘spoiled’ one or two events in book one, if it contains some of the events Sloan references in this one, but I’m not too worried because I’m 100% positive I already forgot them. As a matter of fact, I had actually peeked at the ending of this one because it was getting late and I was far too involved. And I still went back and finished it. Clearly, a 4 star in the thriller world.
Many thanks to Ola who recommended it!
December 19, 2020
Ya don't mess with Big Bill.......
Gotta respect the girth and the glamour of those 1,000 pounds and not to mention that size does matter when you're leaning close to the massive jaws of a 13-foot alligator.
Ol' Bill has set up housekeeping in Pond 65 in the Florida Everglades near Fort Lauderdale. Now Detective Sloan McPherson of the Underwater Investigation Unit (UIU) had no intention of rubbing elbows with the big guy after a car was spotted submerged near the guardrail.
As McPherson dives beneath the murky surface, the image of a white van appears. Upon closer inspection, there are four bodies inside. The team later finds out that these were the teenagers missing since they attended a rock concert in 1989. Shocking news for their parents who might have thought of them as runaways all these years.
UIU bickers with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement over just who has jurisdiction over this case. George Solar, Sloan's boss, fights tooth and nail to retain the case. He's allowed Sloan to be lead investigator. McPherson doesn't always play nice and follow the rules. This was a quirky talent she picked up from her father, Robert, who is a salvager and treasure hunter along the Intracoastal Waterway. And Mc Person knows her stuff as she's working on a doctoral in Archaeology. Hard-nosed and determined to see things through, we'll see her stamp on quite a bit as we hit the waves.
But something doesn't sit right with McPherson. She's seeing a bigger picture here with her findings in Pond 65. There's not just old tires and crushed beer cans beneath its surface. And you can always count on Andrew Mayne to kick up his novels to a higher level of action and intellect. If you've read his previous books, then you know we're in for one pressure cooker of a ride.
This is the second book in the series with The Girl Beneath the Sea being the first. Black Coral reads beautifully as a standalone due to the backstories filled in and stabilized by Mayne. I was quite impressed with the ending as well. That's the mark of a true craftsman. It's my hope that you check this one out and lift the hood of the first one as well. You'll do yourself quite the favor.
I received a copy of Black Coral through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to the talented Andrew Mayne for the opportunity.
Gotta respect the girth and the glamour of those 1,000 pounds and not to mention that size does matter when you're leaning close to the massive jaws of a 13-foot alligator.
Ol' Bill has set up housekeeping in Pond 65 in the Florida Everglades near Fort Lauderdale. Now Detective Sloan McPherson of the Underwater Investigation Unit (UIU) had no intention of rubbing elbows with the big guy after a car was spotted submerged near the guardrail.
As McPherson dives beneath the murky surface, the image of a white van appears. Upon closer inspection, there are four bodies inside. The team later finds out that these were the teenagers missing since they attended a rock concert in 1989. Shocking news for their parents who might have thought of them as runaways all these years.
UIU bickers with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement over just who has jurisdiction over this case. George Solar, Sloan's boss, fights tooth and nail to retain the case. He's allowed Sloan to be lead investigator. McPherson doesn't always play nice and follow the rules. This was a quirky talent she picked up from her father, Robert, who is a salvager and treasure hunter along the Intracoastal Waterway. And Mc Person knows her stuff as she's working on a doctoral in Archaeology. Hard-nosed and determined to see things through, we'll see her stamp on quite a bit as we hit the waves.
But something doesn't sit right with McPherson. She's seeing a bigger picture here with her findings in Pond 65. There's not just old tires and crushed beer cans beneath its surface. And you can always count on Andrew Mayne to kick up his novels to a higher level of action and intellect. If you've read his previous books, then you know we're in for one pressure cooker of a ride.
This is the second book in the series with The Girl Beneath the Sea being the first. Black Coral reads beautifully as a standalone due to the backstories filled in and stabilized by Mayne. I was quite impressed with the ending as well. That's the mark of a true craftsman. It's my hope that you check this one out and lift the hood of the first one as well. You'll do yourself quite the favor.
I received a copy of Black Coral through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to the talented Andrew Mayne for the opportunity.
February 4, 2021
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Andrew Mayne, and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
Andrew Mayne is back with another police procedural that will have the reader thinking outside the box (as well as off land). With his Underwater Investigation Unit, Mayne utilises the world of police work under the water with Sloan McPherson as lead diver. In Black Coral, the discovery of four teens from decades ago opens old wounds about their trip to a concert and the potential trouble they encountered while partying one night. Mayne keeps things crisp and will have readers plunging in for more by the final pages. Recommended to those who like unique takes on crime fighting down in Southern Florida.
Sloan McPherson quite enjoys her work in Southern Florida with the Underwater Investigation Unit (UIU), a group slapped together with the governor’s blessing a while back. She trolls under the surface of the water when the police cannot properly do the work on land. While diving down to help remove victims from a car that flew into the water, McPherson comes across a van that no one knew existed. She helps extricate it and bring it to the surface, but must be wary of the countless alligators that flock to the area, basking in the warmer waters and ready to feast on flesh of any sort.
Once some of the preliminary forensics are complete, the UIU learns that the occupants of the van were four teens who went missing over thirty years before. All were presumed to have run away, though their families had come to terms with their likely deaths. Analysis of the two girls in the van shows that they were dressed with their underwear inside out, leaving some to believe that there may have been some sexual assaults that occurred before the van flew into the water.
While McPherson and her new partner try to work through what they know, they are saddled with a new and more glitzy case. It would seem that someone is targeting some of the larger yachts in the marina and stealing from their when the owners are asleep or otherwise engaged. McPherson calls this a silly ‘rich crime’ and wants to focus her attention on the grittier one that includes the dead kids. However, she will have to learn how to manage both, at least for the time being.
After some sleuthing leads to the discovery of a recent couple going missing, the case takes a significant turn. Further probing leads to the discovering of a large cage full of bones, surely bodies that were left deep in the water after a slew of killings. It’s a serial murder investigation and the UIU is elbowed out of the way. However, Sloan McPherson is not one to let things go too easily. Her independent explorations into what they know opens new and disturbing pathways that might explain a horrible new angle and a specific penchant that the ‘Swamp Killer’ may have. This case will chill anyone to the bone!
While my knowledge of Andrew Mayne’s work rests solely with the debut in the UIU series, I was hooked from the opening pages. I am always on the look out for new and interesting perspectives when it comes to police procedurals, Mayne uses this angle effectively and keeps his readers hooked on the case throughout, offering them one tidbits of action both above and below the waterline.
Sloan McPherson emerges as a strong protagonist again, keeping herself busy with work while also trying to remain a member of her family. The mother of a tween girl, Sloan has come to realise that her daughter is not so little anymore and the lure of boys will soon be a worry that must be addressed. Professionally, she is gritty and wants to be in the driver’s seat at all times. Her fearlessness shows repeatedly, both when chasing down leads and interaction with the reptile population while diving for clues. She’s got lots going for her and I quite enjoy how Mayne has crafted her up to this point.
A cast of strong supporting characters keeps the story moving well and does not distract from the plot. Mayne uses his characters to push the narrative along and allows the reader to choose a few people to follow throughout the story. Delving into the dark world of serial killers and paedophiles, Mayne must craft his characters well as he ensures the reader feels the full impact of what is going on.
As with the series debut, this book moved along well and never lost its momentum. With a great plot and strong narrative, Mayne is able to pull the reader in from the opening pages and never lets up. He develops the plot well, with his strong dialogue and uses shorter chapters to keep the flow throughout. While I know little about diving, Mayne bridged that gap effectively for me and kept things easy to comprehend for the layperson. I am eager to see what is to come, as the third novel in the series was just announced. It’s sure to be just as captivating as this one!
Kudos, Mr. Mayne, for another winner. I will have to check out some of your other series to get a full feel for your work. You have a fan in me, and a curious one at that.
Be sure to check for my review, first posted on Mystery and Suspense, as well as a number of other insightful comments by other reviewers.
https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/bl...
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Andrew Mayne is back with another police procedural that will have the reader thinking outside the box (as well as off land). With his Underwater Investigation Unit, Mayne utilises the world of police work under the water with Sloan McPherson as lead diver. In Black Coral, the discovery of four teens from decades ago opens old wounds about their trip to a concert and the potential trouble they encountered while partying one night. Mayne keeps things crisp and will have readers plunging in for more by the final pages. Recommended to those who like unique takes on crime fighting down in Southern Florida.
Sloan McPherson quite enjoys her work in Southern Florida with the Underwater Investigation Unit (UIU), a group slapped together with the governor’s blessing a while back. She trolls under the surface of the water when the police cannot properly do the work on land. While diving down to help remove victims from a car that flew into the water, McPherson comes across a van that no one knew existed. She helps extricate it and bring it to the surface, but must be wary of the countless alligators that flock to the area, basking in the warmer waters and ready to feast on flesh of any sort.
Once some of the preliminary forensics are complete, the UIU learns that the occupants of the van were four teens who went missing over thirty years before. All were presumed to have run away, though their families had come to terms with their likely deaths. Analysis of the two girls in the van shows that they were dressed with their underwear inside out, leaving some to believe that there may have been some sexual assaults that occurred before the van flew into the water.
While McPherson and her new partner try to work through what they know, they are saddled with a new and more glitzy case. It would seem that someone is targeting some of the larger yachts in the marina and stealing from their when the owners are asleep or otherwise engaged. McPherson calls this a silly ‘rich crime’ and wants to focus her attention on the grittier one that includes the dead kids. However, she will have to learn how to manage both, at least for the time being.
After some sleuthing leads to the discovery of a recent couple going missing, the case takes a significant turn. Further probing leads to the discovering of a large cage full of bones, surely bodies that were left deep in the water after a slew of killings. It’s a serial murder investigation and the UIU is elbowed out of the way. However, Sloan McPherson is not one to let things go too easily. Her independent explorations into what they know opens new and disturbing pathways that might explain a horrible new angle and a specific penchant that the ‘Swamp Killer’ may have. This case will chill anyone to the bone!
While my knowledge of Andrew Mayne’s work rests solely with the debut in the UIU series, I was hooked from the opening pages. I am always on the look out for new and interesting perspectives when it comes to police procedurals, Mayne uses this angle effectively and keeps his readers hooked on the case throughout, offering them one tidbits of action both above and below the waterline.
Sloan McPherson emerges as a strong protagonist again, keeping herself busy with work while also trying to remain a member of her family. The mother of a tween girl, Sloan has come to realise that her daughter is not so little anymore and the lure of boys will soon be a worry that must be addressed. Professionally, she is gritty and wants to be in the driver’s seat at all times. Her fearlessness shows repeatedly, both when chasing down leads and interaction with the reptile population while diving for clues. She’s got lots going for her and I quite enjoy how Mayne has crafted her up to this point.
A cast of strong supporting characters keeps the story moving well and does not distract from the plot. Mayne uses his characters to push the narrative along and allows the reader to choose a few people to follow throughout the story. Delving into the dark world of serial killers and paedophiles, Mayne must craft his characters well as he ensures the reader feels the full impact of what is going on.
As with the series debut, this book moved along well and never lost its momentum. With a great plot and strong narrative, Mayne is able to pull the reader in from the opening pages and never lets up. He develops the plot well, with his strong dialogue and uses shorter chapters to keep the flow throughout. While I know little about diving, Mayne bridged that gap effectively for me and kept things easy to comprehend for the layperson. I am eager to see what is to come, as the third novel in the series was just announced. It’s sure to be just as captivating as this one!
Kudos, Mr. Mayne, for another winner. I will have to check out some of your other series to get a full feel for your work. You have a fan in me, and a curious one at that.
Be sure to check for my review, first posted on Mystery and Suspense, as well as a number of other insightful comments by other reviewers.
https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/bl...
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
January 31, 2021
It’s my reading alter ego checking in with another crime thriller. This series involves underwater investigation, and I absolutely love that because I’m learning about how they procedurally do that type of investigation.
I also love the main character, Sloan. She’s complex and formidable with so much heart for her work.
This time the team is investigating a van found at the bottom of a pond. Unfortunately, there are victims inside, but what happened?
Andrew Mayne is a skilled and efficient writer. The plot flows with great tension. Fans of crime thrillers/procedurals should definitely check out this series.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
I also love the main character, Sloan. She’s complex and formidable with so much heart for her work.
This time the team is investigating a van found at the bottom of a pond. Unfortunately, there are victims inside, but what happened?
Andrew Mayne is a skilled and efficient writer. The plot flows with great tension. Fans of crime thrillers/procedurals should definitely check out this series.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
March 20, 2023
Check out all my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com
BLACK CORAL (Underwater Investigation Unit Book #2) by Andrew Mayne is an exciting second book in the UIU series. All the main characters are realistically imagined and Mr. Mayne hooks you with a story that is an intense, intricately plotted criminal investigation. I have added this series to my “must read immediately” list of books when published.
Sloan McPherson of the UIU is called in to retrieve a body from a submerged car. While avoiding one of Florida’s most infamous alligators, she discovers a van also in the pond. Many vehicles end up discarded in Florida’s waterways, but Sloan has a “feeling” about the van and wants to investigate it. Sealed inside are the remains of four teenagers, assumed runaways, thirty years previously. Law enforcement considers it a tragic accident, but Sloan is not satisfied.
A serial killer has been hunting and killing with impunity in southern Florida for over 30 years. Will Sloan be the next victim?
Absolutely fantastic read!
Sloan is a complex character and a strong protagonist. I liked that Mr. Mayne added Hughes to the UIU to add balance and a voice of reason/caution to some of Sloan’s more impulsive decisions, but he does not interfere with her determination and search for justice for the dead. All the characters, good and evil, add to the believability of the investigation and add depth to the overall story without detracting from the pace of the plot.
Mr. Mayne’s storytelling pulls you in from page one and continues to weave all the dialogue and investigations into a tale that keeps the reader intrigued and turning the pages until the ultimate resolution.
I highly recommend this addition to the series, the entire series and this author!
BLACK CORAL (Underwater Investigation Unit Book #2) by Andrew Mayne is an exciting second book in the UIU series. All the main characters are realistically imagined and Mr. Mayne hooks you with a story that is an intense, intricately plotted criminal investigation. I have added this series to my “must read immediately” list of books when published.
Sloan McPherson of the UIU is called in to retrieve a body from a submerged car. While avoiding one of Florida’s most infamous alligators, she discovers a van also in the pond. Many vehicles end up discarded in Florida’s waterways, but Sloan has a “feeling” about the van and wants to investigate it. Sealed inside are the remains of four teenagers, assumed runaways, thirty years previously. Law enforcement considers it a tragic accident, but Sloan is not satisfied.
A serial killer has been hunting and killing with impunity in southern Florida for over 30 years. Will Sloan be the next victim?
Absolutely fantastic read!
Sloan is a complex character and a strong protagonist. I liked that Mr. Mayne added Hughes to the UIU to add balance and a voice of reason/caution to some of Sloan’s more impulsive decisions, but he does not interfere with her determination and search for justice for the dead. All the characters, good and evil, add to the believability of the investigation and add depth to the overall story without detracting from the pace of the plot.
Mr. Mayne’s storytelling pulls you in from page one and continues to weave all the dialogue and investigations into a tale that keeps the reader intrigued and turning the pages until the ultimate resolution.
I highly recommend this addition to the series, the entire series and this author!
January 12, 2021
I always enjoy an Andrew Mayne book. This is the second Sloan McPherson book. Her family are a bit on the wrong side of the law at times but Sloan is an expert diver and an archaeologist and is now working as an investigator for the Underwater Investigation Unit (UIU) set up by the Florida Governor and working hand in hand with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
While pulling a body out of a submerged car in Pond 65 she finds a submerged van and is very keen to investigate it. Her boss, George Solar, is sceptical but she gets her way and Sloan and new hire, ex Navy and law enforcement officer Calvin Hughes, dive to secure the van. Sloan’s dad, who does water related salvage has provided a crane to lift the van. When they get the doors open there is not one body, as expected, but four. Four teenagers who disappeared 30 years ago. Sloan is not happy with the forensic findings and posits that there was a fifth person in the van. One thing leads to another and soon every law enforcement agency in Florida is chasing a serial killer who has been active for 30 years!
This book was better than the first, especially if you have read that one although that is not necessary. The UIU is up and running and we are transported straight into an exciting case rather than having to introduce all the characters. Sloan is relentless in pursuing the bad guy or guys and has insights that set her apart from other investigators. I found it quite refreshing. The pace was crisp and Sloan had a number of close encounters with danger, including with a big, bad alligator. This book was a quick and very entertaining read and I can’t wait to see what Andrew Mayne comes up with next. There is no gratuitous violence, nor are any animals hurt, not even the alligator! Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and Andrew Mayne for providing me with a copy to review. My opinions are my own.
While pulling a body out of a submerged car in Pond 65 she finds a submerged van and is very keen to investigate it. Her boss, George Solar, is sceptical but she gets her way and Sloan and new hire, ex Navy and law enforcement officer Calvin Hughes, dive to secure the van. Sloan’s dad, who does water related salvage has provided a crane to lift the van. When they get the doors open there is not one body, as expected, but four. Four teenagers who disappeared 30 years ago. Sloan is not happy with the forensic findings and posits that there was a fifth person in the van. One thing leads to another and soon every law enforcement agency in Florida is chasing a serial killer who has been active for 30 years!
This book was better than the first, especially if you have read that one although that is not necessary. The UIU is up and running and we are transported straight into an exciting case rather than having to introduce all the characters. Sloan is relentless in pursuing the bad guy or guys and has insights that set her apart from other investigators. I found it quite refreshing. The pace was crisp and Sloan had a number of close encounters with danger, including with a big, bad alligator. This book was a quick and very entertaining read and I can’t wait to see what Andrew Mayne comes up with next. There is no gratuitous violence, nor are any animals hurt, not even the alligator! Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and Andrew Mayne for providing me with a copy to review. My opinions are my own.
October 13, 2020
Well that was something different and hugely enjoyable. 4.5 stars rounded down to 4(explained later and a minor gripe stopping it being a 5 star read)
Sloan McPherson is a police diver working in Florida. She works for the Underwater Investigative Unit and is assigned to a case of a car going off a bridge into a pond.
When she dives and discovers the car, she also discovers a van with four bodies inside nearby. It turns out they are the bodies of four young local people that went missing 30 years ago after returning from a rock concert. Everyone writes it off as an accident but Sloan, despite warnings to leave it alone, follows all the leads and believes they were murdered. When she links them to previous historical missing person cases, she is convinced she has stumbled across a serial killer from the past.
When a fresh female body is discovered shortly afterwards in the Everglades she knows the killer is still alive and, the news of his past may have awakened his dormant killing spree. Can she and her team catch the killer before he kills again or worse, catches up with Sloan?
This was a hugely enjoyable take on the thriller/police procedural/ serial killer genre. The whole underwater team thing sounded quite niche when I read about it in the blurb but it works perfectly and gives a nice fresh angle on the genre.
Sloan is a fantastic central character and carries the book extremely well, despite her youth, her flaws and her mistakes along the way.
The story is excellently put together and told. No fat on this one. Pacing too was excellent. Plenty of room for the story to breath but while at the same time always being a page turner.
I loved the ending too. I feared I may have been set up for a disappointment but it ended beautifully.
My only minor gripe with the book was, too often her superiors made stupid calls and decisions, the opposite of what she wanted to do and , while occasionally they were right and pointing out her lack of experience, mostly it felt forced and more a plot device than based in reality. It’s a very minor gripe though and only accounts for a tiny portion of the book.
I haven’t read the first I’m this series but will be definitely seeking it out.
If you enjoy this genre(which I do immensely) and are looking for something a little different then this one is definitely for you.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Andrew Mayne and Thomas and Mercer for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Sloan McPherson is a police diver working in Florida. She works for the Underwater Investigative Unit and is assigned to a case of a car going off a bridge into a pond.
When she dives and discovers the car, she also discovers a van with four bodies inside nearby. It turns out they are the bodies of four young local people that went missing 30 years ago after returning from a rock concert. Everyone writes it off as an accident but Sloan, despite warnings to leave it alone, follows all the leads and believes they were murdered. When she links them to previous historical missing person cases, she is convinced she has stumbled across a serial killer from the past.
When a fresh female body is discovered shortly afterwards in the Everglades she knows the killer is still alive and, the news of his past may have awakened his dormant killing spree. Can she and her team catch the killer before he kills again or worse, catches up with Sloan?
This was a hugely enjoyable take on the thriller/police procedural/ serial killer genre. The whole underwater team thing sounded quite niche when I read about it in the blurb but it works perfectly and gives a nice fresh angle on the genre.
Sloan is a fantastic central character and carries the book extremely well, despite her youth, her flaws and her mistakes along the way.
The story is excellently put together and told. No fat on this one. Pacing too was excellent. Plenty of room for the story to breath but while at the same time always being a page turner.
I loved the ending too. I feared I may have been set up for a disappointment but it ended beautifully.
My only minor gripe with the book was, too often her superiors made stupid calls and decisions, the opposite of what she wanted to do and , while occasionally they were right and pointing out her lack of experience, mostly it felt forced and more a plot device than based in reality. It’s a very minor gripe though and only accounts for a tiny portion of the book.
I haven’t read the first I’m this series but will be definitely seeking it out.
If you enjoy this genre(which I do immensely) and are looking for something a little different then this one is definitely for you.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Andrew Mayne and Thomas and Mercer for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 23, 2020
Another great book by Andrew Mayne. The second book in the series about Sloan McPherson and the Underwater Investigation Unit is as good as the first one. You can also read it as a stand-alone without too much trouble.
Mayne is great at building a complex and interesting storyline and combining it with lots of action. This story does not slow down for a moment, from the first scene where Sloan pulls one body out of the water, finds a suspicious van under the water, and meets a local celebrity, the alligator Big Bill, to the final scene that held me on the edge of my seat.
Sloan is still the same fascinating and complicated woman we met in the first book. This book is much less focused on her personal life than the previous one, but it worked out pretty well for me. Her commitment to solving the teen murder case absorbed me so much that I didn't really need any extra plot. Still, I appreciate the way the author weaves Sloan's personal life into her police work. This book also introduces the newest addition to the UIU, Hughes. I like how this guy completes the team and he is great at the dynamics of Sloan and George's work. It will be really nice to see him in the next book.
Florida and the Everglades are the unexpected additional characters of this book and the whole series. Not only because Sloan worked as a police diver, but also because the cases UIU is investigating are so closely tied to the place that the book couldn't be set anywhere else. The entire storyline is saturated with the atmosphere of the Everglades swamps, their unusual fauna and flora and eccentric human inhabitants. This makes this book truly unique.
I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Mayne is great at building a complex and interesting storyline and combining it with lots of action. This story does not slow down for a moment, from the first scene where Sloan pulls one body out of the water, finds a suspicious van under the water, and meets a local celebrity, the alligator Big Bill, to the final scene that held me on the edge of my seat.
Sloan is still the same fascinating and complicated woman we met in the first book. This book is much less focused on her personal life than the previous one, but it worked out pretty well for me. Her commitment to solving the teen murder case absorbed me so much that I didn't really need any extra plot. Still, I appreciate the way the author weaves Sloan's personal life into her police work. This book also introduces the newest addition to the UIU, Hughes. I like how this guy completes the team and he is great at the dynamics of Sloan and George's work. It will be really nice to see him in the next book.
Florida and the Everglades are the unexpected additional characters of this book and the whole series. Not only because Sloan worked as a police diver, but also because the cases UIU is investigating are so closely tied to the place that the book couldn't be set anywhere else. The entire storyline is saturated with the atmosphere of the Everglades swamps, their unusual fauna and flora and eccentric human inhabitants. This makes this book truly unique.
I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 14, 2021
Black Coral is the second book in the Underwater Investigation Unit and can definitely be read as a stand alone. I actually prefered the second book so much more.
This was a fast paced, entertaining police procedural. Our main character Sloan McPherson discovers a van at the bottom of an alligator infested pond while on a dive for another investigation. A van with four teenage victims inside. Teenagers that disappeared thirty years earlier. According to the authorities all signs point to an accident but that doesn't sit well with Sloan. As she and the Underwater Investigation Unit sift through evidence they discover a string of cold case vanishings throughout Florida...
This book had such a good flow to it. Entertaining, well written and great storyline. I recommend to those who enjoy police procedurals and crime thrillers.
Huge thank you to MBC Books and Thomas & Mercer for my review copy!
This was a fast paced, entertaining police procedural. Our main character Sloan McPherson discovers a van at the bottom of an alligator infested pond while on a dive for another investigation. A van with four teenage victims inside. Teenagers that disappeared thirty years earlier. According to the authorities all signs point to an accident but that doesn't sit well with Sloan. As she and the Underwater Investigation Unit sift through evidence they discover a string of cold case vanishings throughout Florida...
This book had such a good flow to it. Entertaining, well written and great storyline. I recommend to those who enjoy police procedurals and crime thrillers.
Huge thank you to MBC Books and Thomas & Mercer for my review copy!
July 3, 2022
3.5 Stars
The second book in the Underwater Investigation Unit series opens with Sloan McPherson having been called in to retrieve a body from a submerged car. If you haven't met Sloan in The Girl Beneath the Sea she is a diver who assists the local police departments when underwater expertise (e.g. a diver) is needed. On this callout while retrieving the body from the car she finds a van. Literally swims into it. When the van is pulled from the lake four bodies are found in it. Four teens who disappeared thirty years ago after leaving a rock concert.
The authorities are ready to close this cold case. A tragic accident. The teens were lost and high and drove into the lake. But Sloan isnt't sure it was an accident. There is evidence that would seem to indicate otherwise. And links to other vanishings throughout Florida. Then a woman is found dead in the Everglades. Evidence seems to show a link between that murder and the cold case vanishings.
In this story we meet Scott Hughes, UIU's new hire and Sloan's partner. The UIU can use the help but maybe Sloan's boss, George Solar, feels she needs someone. Sloan is fearless. She can also be reckless. Hopefully Hughes can help her to think before she acts. When solo sometimes she acts first and then thinks about it. She comes from a long line of pirates, treasure hunters, and drug smugglers. Family get togethers are interesting.
This was a fun read ... especially if you like strong female protagonists such as Linda Castillo's Kate Burkholder, Robert Dugoni's Tracy Crosswhite, Angela Marsons's Kim Stone, etc. The book can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading The Girl Beneath the Sea too!
The second book in the Underwater Investigation Unit series opens with Sloan McPherson having been called in to retrieve a body from a submerged car. If you haven't met Sloan in The Girl Beneath the Sea she is a diver who assists the local police departments when underwater expertise (e.g. a diver) is needed. On this callout while retrieving the body from the car she finds a van. Literally swims into it. When the van is pulled from the lake four bodies are found in it. Four teens who disappeared thirty years ago after leaving a rock concert.
The authorities are ready to close this cold case. A tragic accident. The teens were lost and high and drove into the lake. But Sloan isnt't sure it was an accident. There is evidence that would seem to indicate otherwise. And links to other vanishings throughout Florida. Then a woman is found dead in the Everglades. Evidence seems to show a link between that murder and the cold case vanishings.
In this story we meet Scott Hughes, UIU's new hire and Sloan's partner. The UIU can use the help but maybe Sloan's boss, George Solar, feels she needs someone. Sloan is fearless. She can also be reckless. Hopefully Hughes can help her to think before she acts. When solo sometimes she acts first and then thinks about it. She comes from a long line of pirates, treasure hunters, and drug smugglers. Family get togethers are interesting.
This was a fun read ... especially if you like strong female protagonists such as Linda Castillo's Kate Burkholder, Robert Dugoni's Tracy Crosswhite, Angela Marsons's Kim Stone, etc. The book can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading The Girl Beneath the Sea too!
December 4, 2024
For a police procesural with “bite” it’s hard to go past Andrew Mayne’s thrillers, featuring the Underwater Investigation Unit, with female protangonist Sloan McPherson, from a colourful background. In the opening scenes Sloan is called in by Fish and Wildlife to retrieve a body from a vehicle that has plunged into a pond. This being Southern Florida, and the pond close to a power station outlet, the warm water attracts a number of alligators, including “Big Bill”. While effecting a recovery Sloan discovers more than one vehicle down there in the murk.
Which introduces the main plot: a serial killer at large for a number of years. As a subplot, a team of thieves is targeting millionaire yachts to steal expensive navigational and other equipment for the black market. A multi-agency law enforcement operation ensues, lots of shifty characters and sex offenders to be rounded up and investigated - and that’s before we get to the Everglades with a Micoosukee tracker. Plenty of twists and turns, with Sloan discovering the greatest predator of man is man himself.
Aside from writing thrillers, author Andrew Mayne is a magician, and certainly held me spellbound.
Which introduces the main plot: a serial killer at large for a number of years. As a subplot, a team of thieves is targeting millionaire yachts to steal expensive navigational and other equipment for the black market. A multi-agency law enforcement operation ensues, lots of shifty characters and sex offenders to be rounded up and investigated - and that’s before we get to the Everglades with a Micoosukee tracker. Plenty of twists and turns, with Sloan discovering the greatest predator of man is man himself.
Aside from writing thrillers, author Andrew Mayne is a magician, and certainly held me spellbound.
August 15, 2020
Black Coral is a murder mystery where no one believes a crime has been committed until bodies abound. Sloan McPherson is a young tough detective and diver who can’t help but act before she thinks. Black Coral is the second book in the Underwater Investigation Unit series by the prolific author Andrew Mayne.
Sloan McPherson literally bumps into a van containing 4 bodies during a dive to retrieve another submerged car. Everyone, except Sloan, assumes the van was lost in an accident. In spite of repeated warnings to leave the van alone, Sloan follows a series of leads and finds that the van was one of the first crimes in a series of murders that occurred over many years. The detectives must now find out who committed all these crimes and how they are done without being detected.
The character development of Sloan is excellent. As she repeatedly strikes out on her own, we find out a lot of what makes her tick. Many of the other characters are secondary, however, and are not as fully developed. Most of them are first introduced in Mayne’s first novel “The Girl Underneath the Sea”. For this reason, I believe one has to read both novels to get the full picture.
The novel is fast paced and interesting throughout. In my opinion, Mayne’s writing is better in this second instalment of the series. The ending does not have a twist, but the reveal is different enough that the reader has to stay engaged to understand how the murders actually happened.
I recommend this book to all people who love good murder mysteries. I give it a 4 on 5. I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for providing me with a digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Sloan McPherson literally bumps into a van containing 4 bodies during a dive to retrieve another submerged car. Everyone, except Sloan, assumes the van was lost in an accident. In spite of repeated warnings to leave the van alone, Sloan follows a series of leads and finds that the van was one of the first crimes in a series of murders that occurred over many years. The detectives must now find out who committed all these crimes and how they are done without being detected.
The character development of Sloan is excellent. As she repeatedly strikes out on her own, we find out a lot of what makes her tick. Many of the other characters are secondary, however, and are not as fully developed. Most of them are first introduced in Mayne’s first novel “The Girl Underneath the Sea”. For this reason, I believe one has to read both novels to get the full picture.
The novel is fast paced and interesting throughout. In my opinion, Mayne’s writing is better in this second instalment of the series. The ending does not have a twist, but the reveal is different enough that the reader has to stay engaged to understand how the murders actually happened.
I recommend this book to all people who love good murder mysteries. I give it a 4 on 5. I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for providing me with a digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
March 9, 2021
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2021/03/08/...
Coming to this from Andrew Mayne’s The Naturalist series, Underwater Investigation Unit is definitely his tamer and more traditional police procedural crime thriller, though of course with the added hook of solving water-related mysteries and diving for evidence recovery in submerged crime scenes.
Black Coral is the second novel in the sequence, but can easily be enjoyed as a standalone. Once more we follow protagonist Sloan McPherson into the murky depths of South Florida’s water system as the newly minted Underwater Investigation Unit is called out to salvage a car wreck at the bottom of a pond. While diving near the accident site, however, Sloan inadvertently stumbles upon a second vehicle, this one much older. After hauling it out of the water, authorities determine it to be a van belonging to four teenagers who disappeared thirty years ago following a rock concert. Friends and family had wanted to believe the kids simply ran away, but from the waterlogged van’s contents emerges the tragic truth: all this time, the four teens had been dead inside, victims of an apparent accident.
But to Sloan, the evidence just doesn’t add up. Found among the van’s remains are suspicious items that make her question how its passengers really died. Every instinct is telling her there had been a fifth person there, whose identity and whereabouts are currently unknown. As the pieces start falling into place, Sloan realizes with a dawning horror that her investigations may be pointing to a possible serial killer still on the loose, whose activities have thus far remained undetected for the past three decades or more. Convincing others of her theory will take some work, though. So far, the only support she has is from her colleague Hughes and their boss George Solar, and with the UIU still in its fledgling state, this mystery might prove too much for them to handle.
Over the past few years, Andrew Mayne has become my go-to author for a guaranteed good read when it comes to the mystery and thriller genres. While I won’t lie, I’d been hoping for more of his attention to go to his Theo Cray series, Sloan McPherson has nonetheless been establishing herself as a worthy contender for new fan favorite. She’s an awesome character who is a diamond in the rough, flawed but easily relatable. Never one to back down from a challenge or to allow anyone to make her feel ashamed of where she came from, she knows her family is messed up but she’s also fiercely loyal to them and will do anything to be a good parent and a role model to her adolescent daughter. As for her position with the UIU, Sloan takes pride in her work and loves her job, vowing to seek justice for the victims and to never stop doing the right thing.
For what it’s worth, compared to some of the other works I’ve read by the author, this series also feels relatively more self-restrained and down-to-earth. That said, it’s important to note that we sacrifice none of the action and suspense for the heavier police procedural elements. The pacing definitely comes across as more methodical and slower to build, though the energy remains strong throughout, helped along by the numerous unexpected plot twists and red herrings. Personally, I also enjoy crime thrillers revolving around cold cases and catching serial killers, so for me Black Coral was a compulsive read even without the fascinating underwater and diving angle. Plus, from a giant alligator named Big Bill to hunting for bodies in the Everglades, the cultural and geographical characteristics of the south Florida setting had a huge role in making this one a memorable experience.
Bottom line, in Black Coral we have another winning mystery thriller from Andrew Mayne. I have yet to read a book by him I dislike, and fans of the author and the genre should take care not to miss the Underwater Investigation Unit books for a unique and compelling take on detective work and crime solving.
Audiobook Comments: Susannah Jones reprises her role as narrator for this sequel, and again she delivers a fantastic performance as the voice of Sloan McPherson. She most definitely has the ideal voice for a strong lead. These audiobooks are highly recommended.
Coming to this from Andrew Mayne’s The Naturalist series, Underwater Investigation Unit is definitely his tamer and more traditional police procedural crime thriller, though of course with the added hook of solving water-related mysteries and diving for evidence recovery in submerged crime scenes.
Black Coral is the second novel in the sequence, but can easily be enjoyed as a standalone. Once more we follow protagonist Sloan McPherson into the murky depths of South Florida’s water system as the newly minted Underwater Investigation Unit is called out to salvage a car wreck at the bottom of a pond. While diving near the accident site, however, Sloan inadvertently stumbles upon a second vehicle, this one much older. After hauling it out of the water, authorities determine it to be a van belonging to four teenagers who disappeared thirty years ago following a rock concert. Friends and family had wanted to believe the kids simply ran away, but from the waterlogged van’s contents emerges the tragic truth: all this time, the four teens had been dead inside, victims of an apparent accident.
But to Sloan, the evidence just doesn’t add up. Found among the van’s remains are suspicious items that make her question how its passengers really died. Every instinct is telling her there had been a fifth person there, whose identity and whereabouts are currently unknown. As the pieces start falling into place, Sloan realizes with a dawning horror that her investigations may be pointing to a possible serial killer still on the loose, whose activities have thus far remained undetected for the past three decades or more. Convincing others of her theory will take some work, though. So far, the only support she has is from her colleague Hughes and their boss George Solar, and with the UIU still in its fledgling state, this mystery might prove too much for them to handle.
Over the past few years, Andrew Mayne has become my go-to author for a guaranteed good read when it comes to the mystery and thriller genres. While I won’t lie, I’d been hoping for more of his attention to go to his Theo Cray series, Sloan McPherson has nonetheless been establishing herself as a worthy contender for new fan favorite. She’s an awesome character who is a diamond in the rough, flawed but easily relatable. Never one to back down from a challenge or to allow anyone to make her feel ashamed of where she came from, she knows her family is messed up but she’s also fiercely loyal to them and will do anything to be a good parent and a role model to her adolescent daughter. As for her position with the UIU, Sloan takes pride in her work and loves her job, vowing to seek justice for the victims and to never stop doing the right thing.
For what it’s worth, compared to some of the other works I’ve read by the author, this series also feels relatively more self-restrained and down-to-earth. That said, it’s important to note that we sacrifice none of the action and suspense for the heavier police procedural elements. The pacing definitely comes across as more methodical and slower to build, though the energy remains strong throughout, helped along by the numerous unexpected plot twists and red herrings. Personally, I also enjoy crime thrillers revolving around cold cases and catching serial killers, so for me Black Coral was a compulsive read even without the fascinating underwater and diving angle. Plus, from a giant alligator named Big Bill to hunting for bodies in the Everglades, the cultural and geographical characteristics of the south Florida setting had a huge role in making this one a memorable experience.
Bottom line, in Black Coral we have another winning mystery thriller from Andrew Mayne. I have yet to read a book by him I dislike, and fans of the author and the genre should take care not to miss the Underwater Investigation Unit books for a unique and compelling take on detective work and crime solving.
Audiobook Comments: Susannah Jones reprises her role as narrator for this sequel, and again she delivers a fantastic performance as the voice of Sloan McPherson. She most definitely has the ideal voice for a strong lead. These audiobooks are highly recommended.
February 16, 2021
Black Coral is the second instalment in the Underwater Investigation Unit (UIU) series, set in Florida. Detective Sloan McPherson, a diver for the Florida UIU, is called in to retrieve a corpse from the 'gator-infested Pond 65 after a car ended up submerged having run off the road; of the two individuals in the car one had survived and one was not so lucky. As the task is in progress, however, Sloan stumbles upon a sunken van containing four bodies requiring a second more extensive search, which is not a task she particularly enjoys due to the notorious Big Bill, a rather sizeable alligator who was known to roam these parts. Thankfully she emerges unharmed, but after looking into the van she discovers it was last seen when four teenagers disappeared thirty years ago never to be seen again. It would've been bad enough had they met their end through reckless driving or being in charge of a vehicle while under the influence but Sloan realises the circumstances are much more sinister than that. By looking into each of the high-schoolers' identities she comes to believe that they met with foul play at the hands of a ruthless serial killer. Despite being a decades-old cold case, Sloan hope to find out the truth and bring closure to the families, but when they are informed of what likely happened to their offspring by her superior, UIU head George Solar, the parents respond by taking their pent-up anger and endless grief out on one another by shouting and placing blame. She interviews as many of those from the victims' past as she can locate until she comes upon some lucrative information.
School friend of all four victims — Ethan Rafferty — implicates Sleazy Steve as a possible perpetrator and who he claims was possessed by a demon the mates were obsessed about at the time. Soon more bodies become tied to the case and a similar but fresh murder takes place in the Everglades notifying all local law enforcement (LE) of the case Sloan and newly-appointed UIU member Scott Hughes had been quietly looking into. A manhunt ensues and Sloan finds herself fighting other LE agencies, who want to get a piece of the action, to keep control of the case. It culminates in Sloan being kicked off the task force for a snarky but understandable response to a patronising Broward County detective before being placed on temporary administrative leave. Can she somehow continue her investigation on the down-low and help bring a ruthless serial murderer to justice? This is a riveting, compelling and refreshingly original police procedural with a multifaceted plot and plenty going on to sink your teeth into. There's never a dull moment and the amalgamation of the different parts that make up the thoroughly engrossing and compulsive plot had me hanging on Mayne's every word — the descriptive portrayal of the Everglades ecosystem and its varied and often dangerous inhabitants, the thrilling action of the serial killer manhunt, the office politics and the personal development, trials and tribulations of Sloan, a young woman at a crossroads in her life who must work out exactly who and what she wants to be, all make for nail-biting suspense. Highly recommended.
School friend of all four victims — Ethan Rafferty — implicates Sleazy Steve as a possible perpetrator and who he claims was possessed by a demon the mates were obsessed about at the time. Soon more bodies become tied to the case and a similar but fresh murder takes place in the Everglades notifying all local law enforcement (LE) of the case Sloan and newly-appointed UIU member Scott Hughes had been quietly looking into. A manhunt ensues and Sloan finds herself fighting other LE agencies, who want to get a piece of the action, to keep control of the case. It culminates in Sloan being kicked off the task force for a snarky but understandable response to a patronising Broward County detective before being placed on temporary administrative leave. Can she somehow continue her investigation on the down-low and help bring a ruthless serial murderer to justice? This is a riveting, compelling and refreshingly original police procedural with a multifaceted plot and plenty going on to sink your teeth into. There's never a dull moment and the amalgamation of the different parts that make up the thoroughly engrossing and compulsive plot had me hanging on Mayne's every word — the descriptive portrayal of the Everglades ecosystem and its varied and often dangerous inhabitants, the thrilling action of the serial killer manhunt, the office politics and the personal development, trials and tribulations of Sloan, a young woman at a crossroads in her life who must work out exactly who and what she wants to be, all make for nail-biting suspense. Highly recommended.
July 10, 2020
tl;dr: The second book in the Underwater Investigation Unit series completely blows the first book out of the water (forgive me). More grounded cases make this book far easier to buy into and the introduction of a new character helps add some more personality to the book. There are regular twists and turns throughout the novel and the weaving together of two cases helps keep the book interesting throughout. I blew through this in one day and I now rank it among my favourite thrillers.
Summary: Sloan McPherson, lead diver/investigator for the new Underwater Investigation Unit, is called in to help recover a body from a car that flew off of a bridge. After recovering the body, Sloan finds a van under the water and insists that it's brought up, something's not right about it. With the case of the van rapidly growing larger than UIU could have imagined, they're also trying to catch a group of thieves who steal expensive equipment from yachts in the area.
Thoughts: I loved this book. I wish that the first book had been more like this one. The main case involving the van is fascinating and regularly takes unexpected twists and turns, with even a few red herrings thrown into the mix. The side-case of the yacht thieves adds some nice variety into the novel and helps increase the suspense as the chapters regarding this case often occur right after a development in the other one. Both cases were very believable, certainly more so than the one in the first novel, so it was really easy to get invested in both of them.
The new character introduced, Hughes, is a former navy diver and compliments Sloan and George's characters well. He adds a nice new dynamic to the group and while his character isn't super-fleshed out, there's enough backstory to get a good picture of who he is.
There's less involvement of Sloan's family in this one, though her relationship with her daughter does get a good amount of focus and development. The only thing I really took issue with was that there wasn't really any development in her relationship with her daughter's father, it doesn't matter too much and I'm sure a lot of people won't care, but Sloan's family is an important part of her character and I would have liked to have seen more in that regard.
All in all, this is an incredibly compelling thriller that I'd certainly recommend to fans of the genre, I would say you could probably skip the first one if you wanted to but it is worth reading (and this book doesn't come out for a while anyway).
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy of the book.
Find me on Instagram: @wellredbookreview
Summary: Sloan McPherson, lead diver/investigator for the new Underwater Investigation Unit, is called in to help recover a body from a car that flew off of a bridge. After recovering the body, Sloan finds a van under the water and insists that it's brought up, something's not right about it. With the case of the van rapidly growing larger than UIU could have imagined, they're also trying to catch a group of thieves who steal expensive equipment from yachts in the area.
Thoughts: I loved this book. I wish that the first book had been more like this one. The main case involving the van is fascinating and regularly takes unexpected twists and turns, with even a few red herrings thrown into the mix. The side-case of the yacht thieves adds some nice variety into the novel and helps increase the suspense as the chapters regarding this case often occur right after a development in the other one. Both cases were very believable, certainly more so than the one in the first novel, so it was really easy to get invested in both of them.
The new character introduced, Hughes, is a former navy diver and compliments Sloan and George's characters well. He adds a nice new dynamic to the group and while his character isn't super-fleshed out, there's enough backstory to get a good picture of who he is.
There's less involvement of Sloan's family in this one, though her relationship with her daughter does get a good amount of focus and development. The only thing I really took issue with was that there wasn't really any development in her relationship with her daughter's father, it doesn't matter too much and I'm sure a lot of people won't care, but Sloan's family is an important part of her character and I would have liked to have seen more in that regard.
All in all, this is an incredibly compelling thriller that I'd certainly recommend to fans of the genre, I would say you could probably skip the first one if you wanted to but it is worth reading (and this book doesn't come out for a while anyway).
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy of the book.
Find me on Instagram: @wellredbookreview
May 30, 2021
Black Coral is the second book in the mystery series Underwater Investigation Unit. I enjoyed the first book, The Girl Beneath the Sea, so I was looking forward to reading the latest addition to the series. This continues to be a great series. Black Coral can be read as a standalone, but I recommend starting with the first book.
In Black Coral, the Underwater Investigation Unit is called to the scene of a van at the bottom of a pond. This discovery leads to a suspenseful hunt for a serial killer. A well written story with interesting characters. I especially enjoy Sloan, as she continues to be a strong and complex character.
Exciting and intriguing mystery. A great read for fans of crime thrillers.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
In Black Coral, the Underwater Investigation Unit is called to the scene of a van at the bottom of a pond. This discovery leads to a suspenseful hunt for a serial killer. A well written story with interesting characters. I especially enjoy Sloan, as she continues to be a strong and complex character.
Exciting and intriguing mystery. A great read for fans of crime thrillers.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 7, 2022
The second UIU novel by Andrew Mayne may be his best yet. Slightly more accessible than his Theo Cray novels, but genuinely exciting with characters you can believe in and enough techie stuff to feel as though he's really researched all aspects of his subject. I'm looking forward to the next one.
July 11, 2020
So glad to have the opportunity to read this second installment so soon after reading the first, and Mayne doesn't disappoint. Sloan McPherson possesses unique skills as a member of a Florida police unit in that she is an intrepid diver, who sometimes goes rogue and takes chances that jeopardize an investigation. While working another case in the murky waters of an alligator's playground known as Pond 35, she discovers a submerged van that answers a 30 year old riddle and opens a heartbreaking cold case. And we're off and running. A quality of Mayne's work is his intense curiosity about a subject which can lead to information buried in one of his narratives. Here, in addition to a crackling good mystery or two, we learn a lot about the behavior of alligators. Sinice Mayne is so prolific, I hope we don't have to wait long before installment #3.
November 8, 2021
My thanks to Thomas & Mercer, Andrew Mayne and Netgalley. In my opinion, Mr. Mayne can do no wrong! It's just a truth. I've read one book that I found underwhelming. That turned out to be his first book! I loved McPherson! Not just her, but her workmates at iui? Uiu? Crikey! Underwater Investigative Unit! McPherson is fearless! Just wait to see her diving skills! Listen, I loved this book enough to buy the first book of the series! That's a rarity, lately! Mayne is intelligent. That means his characters are too. Also, they do tend to have my messed up sense of humor! That's true love right there!
February 26, 2021
From revolutionary fun to common mass market, it’s a damn shame.
Look, this was still ok but, if you’ve read one hunt for a woman-killing-serial-killer book you’ve read them all. The side cases of the New River Bandits were more entertaining.
What’s still fresh is Sloan’s perspective as an archeologist and master diver. If this series can get back into the water it will be smooth sailing.
Look, this was still ok but, if you’ve read one hunt for a woman-killing-serial-killer book you’ve read them all. The side cases of the New River Bandits were more entertaining.
What’s still fresh is Sloan’s perspective as an archeologist and master diver. If this series can get back into the water it will be smooth sailing.
June 4, 2021
4.5 Stars!
Black Coral is the second installment of the UIU Series which I liked more than the first one!
Now that UIU is not dissolved, McPherson and Solar take some other cases. Also, they have their third hire, Scott Hughes. I loved him! He is a perfect comrade.
When they trio were working on the New River Bandits Case, McPherson runs into a drowned van in the Pond 65. The van has the bodies of four teenagers that had disappeared three decades ago! But her gut is telling her is something more than a mere case of drowning. And what is unravels is a work of serial killer!!
This is part, Solar was kept low-key, while McPherson and Hughes were brought into limelight. They till had to undergo with inter-agencies drama, fighting the underwater wildlife - the Big Bill, questioning people with shady lives and assholes who file lawsuits, also of course catching the serial killer! In the same time, McPherson's relationship with her daughter, Jackie, was also highlighted. It felt so good to see empathy in the innocent eyes of Jackie.
There’s this thing that’s been happening to me lately when I talk to bad guys: I see two different men in front of me. One is the monster. The other is the victim.
Later, when he confessed, he told them that he wasn’t crying because he got caught.
He was crying because it took us so long.
I don’t know if he was simply trying to manipulate us, but I do believe that even monsters hate monsters.
See that thing? I know we always condemn the serial killers and the bad guys. But, this approach here... it emphasizes of the fact that before becoming monsters, they were humans too. And it is certainly something too think about.
There were no flaws in the book - the plot, the characters and the writing - it all worked stupendously to create this masterpiece! I would definitely recommend you to read this one! :)
P.S. I know it is not a entirely a big thing, but the chapters therein have titles! It needs meticulous planning to scheme every chapter and give a proper title to each one accordingly. So a big shoutout to the author for such a brilliant work!!
Black Coral is the second installment of the UIU Series which I liked more than the first one!
Now that UIU is not dissolved, McPherson and Solar take some other cases. Also, they have their third hire, Scott Hughes. I loved him! He is a perfect comrade.
When they trio were working on the New River Bandits Case, McPherson runs into a drowned van in the Pond 65. The van has the bodies of four teenagers that had disappeared three decades ago! But her gut is telling her is something more than a mere case of drowning. And what is unravels is a work of serial killer!!
This is part, Solar was kept low-key, while McPherson and Hughes were brought into limelight. They till had to undergo with inter-agencies drama, fighting the underwater wildlife - the Big Bill, questioning people with shady lives and assholes who file lawsuits, also of course catching the serial killer! In the same time, McPherson's relationship with her daughter, Jackie, was also highlighted. It felt so good to see empathy in the innocent eyes of Jackie.
There’s this thing that’s been happening to me lately when I talk to bad guys: I see two different men in front of me. One is the monster. The other is the victim.
Later, when he confessed, he told them that he wasn’t crying because he got caught.
He was crying because it took us so long.
I don’t know if he was simply trying to manipulate us, but I do believe that even monsters hate monsters.
See that thing? I know we always condemn the serial killers and the bad guys. But, this approach here... it emphasizes of the fact that before becoming monsters, they were humans too. And it is certainly something too think about.
There were no flaws in the book - the plot, the characters and the writing - it all worked stupendously to create this masterpiece! I would definitely recommend you to read this one! :)
P.S. I know it is not a entirely a big thing, but the chapters therein have titles! It needs meticulous planning to scheme every chapter and give a proper title to each one accordingly. So a big shoutout to the author for such a brilliant work!!
January 5, 2021
Five fabulous stars! Black Coral is a book like no other & I'm so glad I was introduced to Andrew Mayne's books. I'm in love with the UIU series & all its characters. I'm amazed by the writing powress by both books in this series. One minute I have my hairs on the neck standing & the next chapter I'm laughing at the dialogues! The best parts of this book involved Big Bill & the hunt for The swamp killer. The plot is unique & something I've never read before. Naturally this had me hooked from the get-go. Sloan McPherson has a lot of guts, is talented even though she has a lot of self-doubt & an incredibly intelligent & passionate officer of the law. Her monologues with herself and occasionally with Solar leave me in absolute splits. I find the relationship they share to be the best & am very curious to see that bond develop in future cases. This is one book with an unsettling weirdo & the plot & delivery ticked every point in the list & then some for me. I cannot rave enough about this book and I've been encouraging the suspense/ thriller readers of family & friends to give this series especially this book a read. Thriller/Suspense fans, you will love this one! I seriously cannot wait to see what comes next for the UIU.
Thank you, NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer & Andrew Mayne for an arc!
Thank you, NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer & Andrew Mayne for an arc!
March 14, 2021
I am really enjoying this series. It did not take long for me to once again get sucked back in. The book read like a really good prime time CSI type drama. The heroine Sloane is such a badass and I love her. Sloane works for a still unrecognized and new offshoot department connected to the police force in Florida called the underwater investigation unit. Most of her colleagues think the program is pointless and shouldn’t exist thus they have a lot of pushback and confrontation from within. Without Sloane the police would never have uncovered a serial killer nor would they have found the guilty party. More often than not they wanted to write off the circumstantial evidence and close the case without looking any further. Sloane who is studying archaeology mind you is smarter than all the police and fbi included. She looks behind the obvious and questions it all, really she deserves a huge thank you if you ask me. I didn’t think there was as much underwater activity in this one as there was book one sadly, but damn if every time she did go in the water she didn’t impress the hell out of me once again. We’re talking about someone who knowingly and willingly gets into murky water with a number of predators including the Florida famous XL alligator Big Bill whose size is almost unheard of. I really enjoyed Sloane's tenacity and bravery, she went outside the box more often than not but came out the winner regardless. Can’t wait to see where she and the series go next!
April 6, 2022
Diving adventures and a serial killer
Sloan McPherson is back in the second adventure featuring the Underwater Investigation Unit. Joining her are her boss, ex-DEA agent George Sonar and new hire Scott "Hughes," a former navy diver.
Sloan dives down to salvage a car and body that went off the road in the Everglades and in the process finds a van with four additional bodies that's been down there for years.
This discovery puts her unit and the FBI on the trail of a serial killer that's been operating out of this same area for years.
I enjoyed this second book in this series even more than the first - and I liked that one a lot. I like Sloan, her co-workers, her family, the setting, and, oh, Big Bill.
I highly recommend this series. I am now off to read the third book in the series SEA STORM.
I received this book from Thomas & Mercer through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
Sloan McPherson is back in the second adventure featuring the Underwater Investigation Unit. Joining her are her boss, ex-DEA agent George Sonar and new hire Scott "Hughes," a former navy diver.
Sloan dives down to salvage a car and body that went off the road in the Everglades and in the process finds a van with four additional bodies that's been down there for years.
This discovery puts her unit and the FBI on the trail of a serial killer that's been operating out of this same area for years.
I enjoyed this second book in this series even more than the first - and I liked that one a lot. I like Sloan, her co-workers, her family, the setting, and, oh, Big Bill.
I highly recommend this series. I am now off to read the third book in the series SEA STORM.
I received this book from Thomas & Mercer through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
November 9, 2020
Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for sharing the advanced copy of the second book in the Underwater Investigations series. I enjoyed this installment although perhaps not as much as the first one, because some of the novelty of the diving aspect has dropped off, and the underwater part of the detective story was greatly lessened. But overall, what I’m not enjoying is that I don’t think the main character is evolving at all. She talks and acts like a very young inexperienced adult vs the 30-something mom that she is. I think her naïveté is not that plausible at her age. The mystery was still interesting although perhaps too abruptly concluded. I would still continue to read more in the series.
February 15, 2021
Thank you MB Communcations for the gifted copy.
This is the second book in Andrew Mayne's Underwater Investigation Unit series and I am absolutely loving it! I first became a fan of this author when I read his Jessica Blackwood series and now this latest series is proving to be just as fun and captivating.
It's no secret that I love police procedurals but when you add in underwater diving, it just ups the ante. There's such added layer of tension because of the danger associated with it. I personally don't dive but my husband does, and I know how dangerous it can be but also how exhilarating it can be, too. I love that I feel like I am right there with Sloan when she is underwater - that's such a cool feeling, though at times a bit scary, especially when you come face to face with a rather large alligator!
This book really keeps things moving. After discovering an abandoned van underwater with four bodies inside that had been missing for thirty years, Sloan knows in her gut that the police are off their mark in saying it's just a crazy drug-induced night gone wrong. When more bodies turn up, Sloan knows there is something more to this...possibly a serial killer and it appears the killer has decades of experience hiding in plain sight. Can Sloan and the team figure out a way to lure the killer out before they kill again?
Sloan McPherson is such a fascinating character. She is complicated and an utter force to be reckoned with! She's stubborn and willing to think outside the box, which works to her advantage in this case. I love her willingness to follow her instincts, even when it means sometimes going up against her superiors. In this second book, we find out more of what makes her tick, what makes her who she is. I love that she has such a hard time thinking before acting...but this is definitely something we see her working on...or at least trying.
This book, the second in the series, does stand on it's own, but of course, I would highly recommend reading the prior book, The Girl Beneath the Sea, first. By doing so, you will understand not only the character dynamics but also a bit more about the Underwater Investigative Unit itself and why it's in the situation it is in right now. Of course, you can always read this one first and then go back.
This is such a fun, thrilling series and I do so hope there is another book to come. This latest one starts with a bang and never lets up...those are always my favorite kind of crime thrillers.
You can see all my reviews at: https://alwayswithabook.blogspot.com/
This is the second book in Andrew Mayne's Underwater Investigation Unit series and I am absolutely loving it! I first became a fan of this author when I read his Jessica Blackwood series and now this latest series is proving to be just as fun and captivating.
It's no secret that I love police procedurals but when you add in underwater diving, it just ups the ante. There's such added layer of tension because of the danger associated with it. I personally don't dive but my husband does, and I know how dangerous it can be but also how exhilarating it can be, too. I love that I feel like I am right there with Sloan when she is underwater - that's such a cool feeling, though at times a bit scary, especially when you come face to face with a rather large alligator!
This book really keeps things moving. After discovering an abandoned van underwater with four bodies inside that had been missing for thirty years, Sloan knows in her gut that the police are off their mark in saying it's just a crazy drug-induced night gone wrong. When more bodies turn up, Sloan knows there is something more to this...possibly a serial killer and it appears the killer has decades of experience hiding in plain sight. Can Sloan and the team figure out a way to lure the killer out before they kill again?
Sloan McPherson is such a fascinating character. She is complicated and an utter force to be reckoned with! She's stubborn and willing to think outside the box, which works to her advantage in this case. I love her willingness to follow her instincts, even when it means sometimes going up against her superiors. In this second book, we find out more of what makes her tick, what makes her who she is. I love that she has such a hard time thinking before acting...but this is definitely something we see her working on...or at least trying.
This book, the second in the series, does stand on it's own, but of course, I would highly recommend reading the prior book, The Girl Beneath the Sea, first. By doing so, you will understand not only the character dynamics but also a bit more about the Underwater Investigative Unit itself and why it's in the situation it is in right now. Of course, you can always read this one first and then go back.
This is such a fun, thrilling series and I do so hope there is another book to come. This latest one starts with a bang and never lets up...those are always my favorite kind of crime thrillers.
You can see all my reviews at: https://alwayswithabook.blogspot.com/
February 27, 2021
“You’re an idiot, McPherson.”
“I know. It was just a joke.”
“No. I mean the other kind of idiot. The kind that’s actually smart but thinks she’s dumb.”
— the encouraging words of George Solar to his underling, investigator and diver Sloan McPherson
Now part of the newly formed UIU, McPherson finds herself embroiled in another high stakes investigation while having to prove her unit’s worth to peers who think them superfluous.
Along with Hughes and their boss George Solar, the UIU fights to prove their worth by solving cases while staying alive, as many wish to see them buried, figuratively and literally.
Highly entertaining read I enjoyed. This one just released and I’m already looking forward to the next book ;)
“I know. It was just a joke.”
“No. I mean the other kind of idiot. The kind that’s actually smart but thinks she’s dumb.”
— the encouraging words of George Solar to his underling, investigator and diver Sloan McPherson
Now part of the newly formed UIU, McPherson finds herself embroiled in another high stakes investigation while having to prove her unit’s worth to peers who think them superfluous.
Along with Hughes and their boss George Solar, the UIU fights to prove their worth by solving cases while staying alive, as many wish to see them buried, figuratively and literally.
Highly entertaining read I enjoyed. This one just released and I’m already looking forward to the next book ;)
February 28, 2022
3.5 stars maybe because the plot and narrative are great and very fast paced (easily worth 4 stars) but Mayne writes women and characters in general so terribly I want to give him just no rating for that. Not even one star.
October 26, 2020
Finished reading: October 24th 2020
"My point is that we like to shove things into convenient boxes, even when we know they won't fit."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
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