Mastermind

A Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood Thriller (Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood, Book 1)

By: Andrew Mayne

Narrated by: Jennifer O'Donnell, Will Damron

Dr. Theo Cray and FBI agent Jessica Blackwood confront a cataclysmic conspiracy in a pulse-quickening thriller by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Naturalist.

A mysterious electrical storm plunges Manhattan into darkness. As a strange, smothering fog rolls in, all communication crashes. In the blink of an eye, the island seems to vanish into a void.

FBI special agent Jessica Blackwood and brilliant scientist Dr. Theo Cray know this isn’t a freak accident. It’s a sinister sleight of hand. Their greatest adversary, a serial killer and cultist known as the Warlock, has escaped during a prison transfer in New York. A depraved master of manipulation, he promised the end of days. He’s making good on it.

One by one, cities across the globe are erupting in chaos as they disappear into the same black holes. Even for two ingenious trackers like Jessica and Theo, there’s still so much to learn about the pattern to the Warlock’s madness. The voids are just a warm-up for something bigger. To discover it - to stop it - Jessica and Theo must descend into the darkest of shadows - and minds.

©2021 by Andrew Mayne. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“A passionate and thorough storyteller…Thriller fans will be well rewarded.”—Publishers Weekly

Love Jessica and Theo

Jessica is back! I love how her and Theo work together. Mastermind took me on a wild ride, and at one point I was really really worried that a character was going to die. Now to wait a year for the next one 😭

Wish I would've known to read other books first

I hate that I didn't know that two of this author's main characters from other series teamed up for this series. Now I won't be reading any of those other books because this one spoiled them all. Too bad because I think I liked these characters enough to continue with them. Another thing I disliked was feeling like I was always a step behind or not paying attention enough because I hadn't read the other stories. Please put some kind of notice somewhere about that so others don't make the same mistake I did. Even a disclaimer before the start of the book would work.

As an aside, the female narrator ruined this audiobook for me. Her cadence and tone were so obnoxious I wanted to DNF it. I'm not sure if it was the clipped way she read or said things or how somewhat nasal her voices were. I'm not sure I'll continue this series, but if I do, it won't be the audiobook version.

Good beginning but disappointing ending

The story started off great with the coming together of each protagonist towards a main story line, but then suddenly, the book ended. I think the author attempted to end the book with some witty, sleight of hand method, but to be honest, it fell flat. I honestly thought I missed a chapter or maybe the audible book accidentally skipped a few chapters towards the end. I finished the book wanting more and a way better ending.

Another Cliffhanger!

I’m enjoying all the books by this author. He sure knows how to get you to buy the next book! I’m just glad I don’t have to wait for it. It’s waiting for me in my library. Highly recommend this book

Very engaging and entertaining

Very engaging and entertaining . Characters are intriguing and you want them to win. The story is unique and thought out.