I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Murder Theory by Andrew Mayne Series: The Naturalist #3
Published by Thomas & Mercer on February 5 2019
Genres: Adult, Thriller
Pages: 296
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
The nitty-gritty: Mayne continues his series about computational scientist/serial murder catcher Dr. Theo Cray, with another stellar entry that will terrify readers with its “what if?” premise.
Well, Andrew Mayne has done it again. Damn these stories are so much fun! I decided on a whim to pick up Murder Theory over the weekend and raced through it in only two days. If you’re new to The Naturalist series, Dr. Theo Crane is one of the most complex, intelligent and maddening protagonists I’ve ever run across. Maddening because he’s almost too smart for his own good and has a way of getting himself into a heap of trouble, even as he’s trying to do the right thing. Theo has a habit of hunting down serial killers—by himself, since most of the time his theories are so out there that the police don’t believe him—and this is what makes Mayne’s stories so good.
Theo has his own government-funded lab now and has hired top people to help him run it. He’s been tasked by his boss General Figueroa to come up with technology that can determine someone who might have “terrorist genes,” but in reality Theo is concentrating on his own personal projects. When the story begins, Theo has just found out about a strange murder that’s been discovered at the site of the Toy Man murders, Theo’s last harrowing adventure from Looking Glass. Three lab techs were taking samples from the site and doing follow-up work, but now two of them are dead and one is missing. Theo is reluctant to revisit the site where he recently went through so much trauma, but he agrees to help out.
When the missing tech turns up, a man named Daniel Marcus, it’s clear to Theo that he killed the other two techs. But how to prove it? When the FBI interrogates Marcus, there’s something off about him, which puts Theo on a circuitous path to find out what made Marcus go crazy and turn on his friends. With the help of an FBI agent from D.C., Theo gets down to business, utilizing his unorthodox scientific methods to solve the crime. But as the clues are revealed, Theo realizes that they have an extremely intelligent killer on their hands, and in order to beat him, Theo is going to have to prove that he’s even smarter.
You really don’t need to read the other two books in the series to enjoy Murder Theory, as it stands alone quite nicely. However, Mayne does reference events and characters from those books, so new readers might stumble a bit. For example, in the first book, The Naturalist, Theo’s girlfriend Jillian plays a big part in the story, and while she does make an appearance or two in this book, she’s mostly in the background. New readers may wonder “who is Jillian?” because Mayne doesn’t rehash the past (thankfully!), but readers of the previous books will appreciate these brief scenes, which show Jillian’s snarky sense of humor and her ability to put up with such a wild card of a boyfriend.
Once again, Mayne adds lots of fascinating scientific details relating to the murders, and this time the plot revolves around viruses. Every time I read stories about viruses I’m reminded of how terrifying they are, and this book scared me to death! Mayne resorts to info-dumping at times in all his books, but it never bothers me because I learn so much. The reader follows his thought processes as he solves the mysteries of the murders, and trust me when I say that Theo’s mind is an intriguing place to visit.
But as smart as he is, Theo lacks the ability to stop himself from doing some crazy shit. There is one scene in this book that went WAY over the top from Theo’s behavior in the previous books, so much so that I almost started laughing. Ultimately it moved the story forward, but it was very hard to suspend my disbelief. Theo’s actions are becoming more and more risky as the books progress, so again, new readers might be shocked by his flagrant disregard for the law, especially since he’s such a high profile person now, famous in his own right for solving some “unsolvable” murders.
I also thought the ending wasn’t quite up to par with the first two books, in regards to the excitement and tension that I’ve come to expect from Mayne. That’s not to say that it wasn’t exciting, but for some reason it felt a bit flat to me. There is a WTF twist at the end, however, that made me wonder what Mayne will do in the next book. I guess time will tell!
Overall, I just love this series. Andrew Mayne continues to impress me with his near perfect pacing, vivid characterizations and the sheer amount of scientific detail that he smoothly inserts into an action-packed story.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
Yeah, I have to say that I think with Theo’s crazy behaviour in this book it would definitely be better to read the previous two books. He certainly went over the top a little with his actions this time didn’t he and it had a much darker feel.
What a fantastic series though and this one is definitely scary with that ‘what if’ feel.
Lynn 😀
It makes me wonder how Mayne will top Theo’s behavior in the next book? I’m assuming there will be another book, of course:-)
And here is another series I need to add to my ever-growing “wanted” list… 😉
Intriguing review, indeed: thanks for sharing!
Maddalena@Spaceandsorcery recently posted…Review: BEHIND HER EYES, by Sarah Pinborough
Yes, we all have those lists, don’t we? Seriously, this is a fun read for when you need something you know will grab you right away:-)
A great review Tammy – though once more you’ve left me with a sudden NEED to get hold of a series I’ve yet read. Your site should come with a health warning…:))
You should try the first book sometime, tons of fun and you’ll actually learn a lot:-)
You just reminded me how much I want to read this series. I have the first book and it got lost in all the others. Thanks for the great review!
Laura Thomas recently posted…Travel Diaries Of The Dead And Delusional ~ Blitz and Giveaway
Thanks Laura, I highly recommend starting this, and they are really quick reads!
I’m definitely intrigued by this series, Tammy, and your review is making me even more so. It sounds action-packed. Terrific review!
It’s just super fun, one of those stories you can’t take too seriously:-)
Yes, there were a few scenes that were so over the top even for Theo, I burst out laughing! But in the good way 🙂 And I agree with you on the ending – I loved it, but if I hadn’t know how close we were to the end, I would have thought it was a “pseudo-climax” and that the final showdown was still to come. Maybe that’s why I felt the book was too short, I would have been happy for it to go on for another hundred pages 😀
It did seem short, but I think it’s about the same length as the other books. I agree, I could keep reading about Theo forever!
Wow you’re enjoying this series so much. Glad to hear the books are staying strong!
I’m surprised I’ve read the whole series, I’m usually not that good at keeping up!
Sounds like a great thriller! Really glad you enjoyed this one so much. 🙂
I’m in awe of Andrew Mayne, he really has a way of combining so many interesting elements in his stories:-)
Ooo, this looks like a good series!
I got the first book now 🙂
I hope you enjoy it!
Seriously “terrorist genes” haha?
It sounds like a lot of fun, I’ll defnitely give the first book a try if I feel a reading slump coming!
Maryam recently posted…2018 BSFA Awards Finalists aka what I’ll be reading next
Yes, perfect for getting you out of a slump!
You have me wanting to get to know Theo now. He sounds like such a great character!
Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Fabulous Books That Deserve More Love
He is, and I love that I’ve never met another character quite like him before:-)
Another series to put on the list! I at least want to try the first book. Thanks matey.
x The Captain
These books are just FUN. When you need a quick fun read, I highly recommend them.
Oh my, i love the sounds of this! I usually am eager to jump into a series at the book that is being reviewed but I do think i need to go back to the beginning of this series after reading this review@!
I would recommend starting from the beginning, simply because they are all so good:-)