The Naturalist by Andrew Mayne

367 pages

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Blurb

Professor Theo Cray is trained to see patterns where others see chaos. So when mutilated bodies found deep in the Montana woods leave the cops searching blindly for clues, Theo sees something they missed. Something unnatural. Something only he can stop.

As a computational biologist, Theo is more familiar with digital code and microbes than the dark arts of forensic sleuthing. But a field trip to Montana suddenly lands him in the middle of an investigation into the bloody killing of one of his former students. As more details, and bodies, come to light, the local cops determine that the killer is either a grizzly gone rogue… or Theo himself. Racing to stay one step ahead of the police, Theo must use his scientific acumen to uncover the killer. Will he be able to become as cunning as the predator he hunts—before he becomes its prey?

Review

I got this book from the library because it came recommended, and I have to admit I had high expectations when I started reading. I’m sorry to say that now that I’ve finished the story, I’m not as impressed as I’d hoped to be. While this wasn’t a bad book or story, it wasn’t anywhere near as good as the blurb appeared to suggest.

For starters, the story is very heavy on science, especially in the opening chapters. And while I understand that Theo’s background and unique perspective needed to be explained, there was so much in those early chapters that went straight over my head, that the urge to skim was strong from the start.

Like I said, I did like the blurb and by extension, the premise of the book. It’s rather chilling but probably true that there are far more serial killers out there than we’re aware of. Unless patterns are recognized and the killers caught, we may be blissfully unaware that such a monster is operating in our vicinity. But, for me, the author pushed this premise so far. Because while I’m more than happy to accept that law enforcement might miss similar murders/disappearances as long as they are happening in different jurisdiction or with very long intervals between two cases, I refuse to believe they’d stubbornly continue to accept the possible truth when presented with overwhelming evidence that something sinister might be going on.

True, this thriller is not unique in this premise. Many books put an innocent protagonist up against ignorant law-enforcers and there is no doubt that such a storyline can lead to an engrossing read. However, in this book I feel the author pushed the idea well beyond credibility.

It didn’t help that I couldn’t really connect with Theo—although he did intrigue me— or with any of the other characters in this book. I never lost myself in the story but always felt like an outsider, observing from the outside. And for me, the joy of thrillers lies in being so engrossed in the developing story that I worry about the main characters to the point where I’m torn between needing to know what happens next and being afraid to turn to the next page. Not once did I get that feeling while reading this book.

My final regret about this book is that it was written in the first person, present tense, which resulted in it ending on what can only be described as a cliffhanger. I. Do. Not. Like. Cliffhangers.

But, having said all of that, there is no denying that this stories premise is very interesting and that there were more than a few scenes I did thoroughly enjoy. So while I can’t whole-heartedly recommend this book, I wouldn’t warn people away either. In fact, I may well end up the next book in this series, just to satisfy my curiosity and see whether or not those issues persist. Because one thing is for sure, Andrew Mayne knows how to write well and has created a thoroughly intriguing character in Theo Cray.

A Solitary Man by Aisling Mancy & Shira Anthony: Review

A Solitary Man by Aisling Mancy & Shira Anthony

Pages: 304

Date: January 9, 2016

Kindle / Own

The blurb:

“Sparks fly when Chance meets tall, sexy Xav at a Wilmington bar and they have the hottest one-nighter of their lives. But Chance doesn’t do repeats, Xav seems detached, and they go their separate ways without a word. Later, when closeted Assistant District Attorney C. Evan “Chance” Fairchild meets Dare's Landing’s newest deputy sheriff, Xavier “Xav” Constantine, Evan isn’t only wary. He’s irritated as hell.

Xavier is a former FBI agent turned deputy sheriff who is hot on the trail of a South American child prostitution ring. Evan is fighting to put an end to rampant cocaine trafficking and chafing under the thumb of an election-hungry boss. When someone tries to kill the eleven-year-old witness who holds the key to both their investigations, they’re forced to work together as they put their lives on the line to protect him. As Chance and Xav collide in the heat of a sweltering North Carolina summer, dodging bullets and chasing bad guys isn’t the only action going on.”

My thoughts:

WOW! 2016 is off to a very good start with A Solitary Man. As you can see from the blurb, this is a romantic thriller, or a thrilling romance (or maybe both? J). However you want to label it, A Solitary Man is an engrossing, very well written and fascinating story.

Xav and Chance are intriguing main characters. Both men struggle with personal feelings and issues for very good reasons, yet neither of them allows those private problems to stop them from doing what needs to be done. Within two minutes of starting the book my heart had broken with and for Xav. It doesn’t happen very often that the prologue of a story leaves me so gutted I have to walk away from the story for a little while, but it happened with this book. Once I resumed reading I was as invested in the case as Xav was though, so the set-up definitely worked for me.

I think I fell in love with Xav the moment he was first introduced. He isn’t perfect, he has his faults and makes mistakes but his heart is clearly in the right place, his motives are noble and the cause he fights for is more than worthy.

“Doing the right thing by Quinn and the other boys wouldn’t banish the past, but it might change the future.”

And that’s before I realised he is a ‘take-no-shit-from-anyone’ sorta man with a wicked sense of humour.

It took me a little bit longer to fall for Chance. He has the walls around his heart build up so high even the reader can’t see around, over or through them at first. As Chance opens up a bit and his background becomes clearer he swiftly moves from easy to like to impossible not to love. And the two men together are funny, sweet and at times incredibly hot.

A Solitary Man deals with difficult issues. The book would have been touching and at times heartbreaking if it had all been make-believe. However, it isn’t. The author’s note, at the start of the book, states: “The drug trafficking, child abuse, and child sex trafficking described in this work of fiction are based on real events.” These are important issues that don’t get enough attention; not in this story before Xav steps in, and not in the real world. I’m amazed at how well the authors managed to strike a balance between getting the message across and giving the reader a riveting and unputdownable thriller. The details we get about child and drug trafficking are hard to digest and yet, they never feel preachy; the information fits the context of the story perfectly. And thus the reader is given one of those rare but wonderful experiences; an engrossing read combined with an unforgettable and valuable learning experience.

To sum it all up, A Solitary Man is what I would like to describe as a total reading experience. It is a heart-stopping thriller while dealing with difficult but important issues; it is a wonderful and at times very sexy love story and it is so well written it is at times deceptively easy to read, despite the hard-hitting issues it deals with. I am delighted that the very first book I read this year is one I’ll be adding to my ‘extra-special’ collection.

SOLITARY MAN by Shira Anthony and Aisling Mancy: Cover Reveal and Excerpt

COVER REVEAL!

Authors Shira Anthony and Aisling Mancy have teamed up to write a red-hot action-packed thriller!

A Solitary Man coming from Dreamspinner Press November 6th!

Excerpt:                                                                                           

Evan pressed the button on his phone to connect. “Freddy? What did you find out?”

Fred laughed. “For this, I’m going to exact a price.”

“You mean the keg I sprang for at graduation doesn’t get me a freebie?” Evan shot back.

“We’ve been out of law school for how many years now? Eight?”

“Nine this year,” Evan corrected.

“Credit’s no good anymore,” Fred answered. “I’m thinking dinner at Ivy at the Shore next time you’re in LA. On you, of course. Including a bottle of Veuve Clicquot.”

“For that,” Evan said with a chuckle, “this had better be good.”

“It’s good. And it was hell to get.”

“Okay, okay. Dinner on me. Assuming you and Margie put me up for the night,” Evan replied. “I’m looking forward to seeing your McMansion.”

“Deal. Took a little digging. Seems your mystery man did some undercover work for the FBI.”

“And?”

“My buddy in the US Attorney’s office wouldn’t give details, but word is Constantine got fed up with the bullshit after a case went bad somewhere down in South America.”

“Drugs?” Evan asked.

“No. He dealt with human trafficking. Specifically, child sex trafficking. My friend says the guy’s good. He tried a few cases where Constantine was the government’s key witness. Knows his stuff. Works his ass off and gets into his work. I got the impression sometimes he gets a little too close.”

Now that was interesting. “Why?”

“Seems the guy’s rabid about protecting kids.”

“Any idea why?”

“Nothing anyone would tell me,” Fred replied.

Evan leaned back in his chair. At least Xav wasn’t a slacker, but it didn’t make Evan feel any better about the prospect of bumping into him at work. “Anything else?”

“Constantine grew up in LA, went to school in Boston.”

“Boston?” Even more interesting. So much for his initial assessment of Xav as a broceanographer.

“Yeah, you’ll love this.”

Evan could almost hear Freddy’s grin over the phone.

“He did undergrad at MIT. Mathematics major. Master’s in criminology from U Penn with an emphasis in cryptology. The FBI was probably falling all over itself to recruit him.”

No shit. This just got better and better. “What the hell’s a guy with that kind of background doing in North Carolina?”

“I could ask you the same question,” Fred shot back. “Of course, if you decide you want your own McMansion….”

“You couldn’t pay me enough to come to work for you,” Evan joked. Fred was serious—they’d had this discussion a half-dozen times before.

“Try me.” Fred paused for a moment and then asked, “This personal?”

Evan had no intention of telling Fred he’d slept with Xav. “Not personal.”

“’Cause word has it he’s gay,” Fred said. “Out but not advertising.” When Evan didn’t take the bait, Fred added, “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”

Evan shook his head and sighed theatrically. “Don’t even go there, Freddy. You know I don’t mix business and pleasure. I just want to know what I’m dealing with. That’s all.”

“You can’t bullshit a bullshitter, man.”

“Thanks for the help,” Evan said, foreclosing the topic. “I’ll let you know next time I’m out your way. Tell Margie she’s a brave woman.”

“Always do. Laters. And make sure you get your sorry ass out here soon.”

“Will do.” Evan disconnected the call and rubbed his mouth. Mathematics major at MIT and a master’s from U Penn? No wonder the FBI had recruited him. And he’d pegged Xav for a surfer! What the hell are you doing in Dare’s Landing, Xavier Constantine?

About A Solitary Man

Sparks fly when Chance meets tall, sexy Xav at a Wilmington bar and they have the hottest one-nighter of their lives. But Chance doesn’t do repeats, Xav seems detached, and they go their separate ways without a word. Two months later, when closeted Assistant District Attorney C. Evan “Chance” Fairchild meets Dare’s Landing’s newest deputy sheriff, Xavier “Xav” Constantine, Evan isn’t only wary. He’s irritated as hell.

Xavier is a former FBI agent turned deputy sheriff who is hot on the trail of a South American child prostitution ring. Evan is fighting to put an end to rampant cocaine trafficking and chafing under the thumb of an election-hungry boss. When someone tries to kill the thirteen-year-old witness who holds the key to both their investigations, they’re forced to work together as they put their lives on the line to protect him. As Chance and Xav collide in heat of a sweltering North Carolina summer, dodging bullets and chasing bad guys isn’t the only action going on.

Pre-order A Solitary Man from Dreamspinner Press!

About Shira Anthony

Shira loves a great happily-ever-after and never writes a story without one. She’s happy to write what her muse tells her, whether it’s fantasy, sci fi, paranormal, or contemporary romance. She particularly loves writing series, because she thinks of her characters as old friends and she wants to visit them even after their stories are told.

In real life, Shira sang professionally for 14 years, and she currently works as a public sector attorney advocating for children. She’s happy to have made writing her second full-time job, even if it means she rarely has time to watch TV or go to the movies.

Shira writes about the things she knows and loves, whether it’s music and musicians, the ocean, or the places she’s lived or traveled to. She spent her middle school years living in France, and tries to visit as often as she can.

Shira and her husband spend as many weekends as they can aboard their 36′ catamaran sailboat, “Lands Zen,” at the Carolina Coast. Not only has sailing inspired her to write about pirates and mermen, her sailboat is her favorite place to write. And although the only mermen she’s found to date are in her own imagination, she keeps a sharp lookout for them when she’s on the water.

Shira looks forward to meeting you at Gay Rom Lit!

Find Shira on blog, Twitter @WriterShira, Facebook, and Goodreads and

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About Aisling Mancy

Aisling is an author who lives, most of the time, on the West Coast of the United States. Aisling writes adult fantasy, adult LGBTQIA romance, and fiction for gay young adults (C. Kennedy).

Raised on the mean streets and back lots of Hollywood by a Yoda-look-alike grandfather, Aisling doesn’t conform, doesn’t fit in, is epic awkward, and lives to perfect a deep-seated oppositional defiance disorder. In a constant state of fascination with the trivial, Aisling contemplates such weighty questions as If time and space are curved, then where do all the straight people come from? When not writing, Aisling can be found taming waves on western shores, pondering the nutritional value of sunsets, appreciating the much maligned dandelion, unhooking guide ropes from stanchions, and marveling at all things ordinary.

Aisling looks forward to meeting you at Gay Rom Lit!

Find Aisling on blog, Twitter @AislingMancy, Facebook, Goodreads, and

Aisling does respond to emails because, after all, it is all about you, the reader