Mastermind: A Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood Thriller
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- Create Date：2021-07-22 11:31:48
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Andrew Mayne
- ISBN：1713570831
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
John
，
I received this book through "NetGalley"。This is the 1st book that I have read from this author and look forward to reading many more。 The story begins with Manhattan suffering a blackout from an unnamed source。 As a result， Jessica was called from her FBI Training assignment and put on a task force。 Her assignment was to locate Theo Cray。 Many of the task force team thought he might be involved。 Jessica tracked him down to Myanmar where he was being held。 She was able to get him free。 Jessica q I received this book through "NetGalley"。This is the 1st book that I have read from this author and look forward to reading many more。 The story begins with Manhattan suffering a blackout from an unnamed source。 As a result， Jessica was called from her FBI Training assignment and put on a task force。 Her assignment was to locate Theo Cray。 Many of the task force team thought he might be involved。 Jessica tracked him down to Myanmar where he was being held。 She was able to get him free。 Jessica questioned Theo because she wasn't convinced that Theo was not involved。 As she worked with him more， she finally began to believe him。 Jessica and Theo began the search and starting looking into an individual known as "The Warlock"。 Eventually they were able to locate him， but then Theo was arrested and Jessica was transported to a site where she was held。To discover whether Jessica and Theo regained freedom， what individual was responsible for Theo's arrest and what reasoning "The Warlock" had causing the blackouts， then you must read this book。 Once you start， it will be hard to be put down。 。。。more
Minx
，
I received a digital ARC of this novel courtesy of NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer in exchange for an honest and voluntary review。 Will post full review closer to publication date of September 07， 2021。
Julie
，
Thank you Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for allowing me to read this arc。 I don't know why this series was never on my radar before this， but now I have to read them all。 The book starts out with a bang！ Then the scene moves to jungles of Myanmar， and I was puzzled about what was going on。 I kept reading and it all started to make sense。 What a cat and mouse game！ The story was scary in a 'could this happen' kind of way。 The characters were great， and I'm so excited that Theo has his own series Thank you Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for allowing me to read this arc。 I don't know why this series was never on my radar before this， but now I have to read them all。 The book starts out with a bang！ Then the scene moves to jungles of Myanmar， and I was puzzled about what was going on。 I kept reading and it all started to make sense。 What a cat and mouse game！ The story was scary in a 'could this happen' kind of way。 The characters were great， and I'm so excited that Theo has his own series as well as the books with Jessica。 。。。more
Elisa
，
This book is so addictive that it’s not a good idea to pick it up if you have other things to do， like working or sleeping。 I’ve read all of the Theo Cray series to date， and I love it。 I’d never read the Jessica Blackwood but now I will。 Together， they’re unbeatable。 Theo’s knowledge of patterns and Jessica’s resourcefulness are so much fun to read about。 The plot is fast-paced and full of twists。 The chemistry between Theo and Jessica is intense and their dialogues are full of humor。 The rhyth This book is so addictive that it’s not a good idea to pick it up if you have other things to do， like working or sleeping。 I’ve read all of the Theo Cray series to date， and I love it。 I’d never read the Jessica Blackwood but now I will。 Together， they’re unbeatable。 Theo’s knowledge of patterns and Jessica’s resourcefulness are so much fun to read about。 The plot is fast-paced and full of twists。 The chemistry between Theo and Jessica is intense and their dialogues are full of humor。 The rhythm doesn’t let up， it was getting more and more intense and there was less and less to read and then…the ending blew me away。 I hope this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship because I want more。 This is fiction at its best。 I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased。 Thank you， NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer！ 。。。more
Terry
，
I was happy to snag an advance copy of Andrew Mayne’s “Mastermind” with thanks to Mr。 Mayne and Thomas & Mercer。I’ve read most of Mr。 Mayne’s novels and this one delivers on his trademark crazy stunts and practical science。 He has brought together Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood， stars of two other series， to catch the nasty serial killer known as the Warlock and save the world。It’s action， action and more action， with little room to breathe while our hero and heroine appear to build strong mutu I was happy to snag an advance copy of Andrew Mayne’s “Mastermind” with thanks to Mr。 Mayne and Thomas & Mercer。I’ve read most of Mr。 Mayne’s novels and this one delivers on his trademark crazy stunts and practical science。 He has brought together Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood， stars of two other series， to catch the nasty serial killer known as the Warlock and save the world。It’s action， action and more action， with little room to breathe while our hero and heroine appear to build strong mutual feelings。 They don’t sleep much either， as they jump from crisis to crisis around the world （with what must be highly efficient government transport included）。 I can mention that their adventures include hungry escaped monkeys， zombie sightings and disappearing cities。 。 。 without any risk of spoilers。For the rollicking good fun and their clever problem-solving， I bestow 5 stars。 But the resolution was overly rushed and left too many loose ends for my taste， so I have to round down to 4 stars。 But I will devour anything that Mr。 Mayne sees fit to publish， with gusto！ 。。。more
Gigi
，
I always know I'll be in for a mind-bending thrill ride when I pick up an Andrew Mayne novel， and MASTERMIND did not disappoint。 Mayne's Jessica Blackwood thrillers are some of my favorite novels of all time， and I've enjoyed his Theo Cray novels as well。 Together for the first time here， Jessica and Theo's brilliant minds complement each other。 It was a bit jarring at first to have each of them with first-person narratives， but once I got swept up in the story， it worked。 I hope there will be m I always know I'll be in for a mind-bending thrill ride when I pick up an Andrew Mayne novel， and MASTERMIND did not disappoint。 Mayne's Jessica Blackwood thrillers are some of my favorite novels of all time， and I've enjoyed his Theo Cray novels as well。 Together for the first time here， Jessica and Theo's brilliant minds complement each other。 It was a bit jarring at first to have each of them with first-person narratives， but once I got swept up in the story， it worked。 I hope there will be more to come of their adventures。Mayne's background as a magician comes through in his approach to presenting baffling mysteries that have satisfying resolutions。 Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Julie Gerbino-Horowski
，
4。5 stars。This book was exactly the type of book that I needed to read。 It is not one of those books that you can half pay attention to， you really need to devote your brain to it。 The plot sucked me in right away。 Manhattan goes dark。 All cell phones and electronics do not work anymore。 But why？ And what is going on while everyone else is blinded by the darkness？ That is what FBI agent Jessica Blackwood and scientist Dr。 Theo Cray are out to uncover。 （And just like any other review I write， I d 4。5 stars。This book was exactly the type of book that I needed to read。 It is not one of those books that you can half pay attention to， you really need to devote your brain to it。 The plot sucked me in right away。 Manhattan goes dark。 All cell phones and electronics do not work anymore。 But why？ And what is going on while everyone else is blinded by the darkness？ That is what FBI agent Jessica Blackwood and scientist Dr。 Theo Cray are out to uncover。 （And just like any other review I write， I don't like the give away anything in the book as I am a fan of going into the book with an open mind so that I can make my own assumptions only to be stunned when I am done with it）。 It almost reminds me of one of my favorite shows， '24' （it does not take place over the course of a day like the show does）。 Clear your head and pay close attention to the details。 Mastermind does not disappoint。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
AC
，
I seem to recall reading something that had Theo Cray in it， but clearly， I'm thinking of someone else， as the series featuring Cray is not something I've read。 Likewise， I have not read any books in the Jessica Blackwood series。That said， this books， labeled as Blackwood/Cray #1 seems to be a new series where thy will be together to investigate oddball things that may happen - like a mysterious blackout in NYC that appears to be swirling with electric energy and which also cut out power to almo I seem to recall reading something that had Theo Cray in it， but clearly， I'm thinking of someone else， as the series featuring Cray is not something I've read。 Likewise， I have not read any books in the Jessica Blackwood series。That said， this books， labeled as Blackwood/Cray #1 seems to be a new series where thy will be together to investigate oddball things that may happen - like a mysterious blackout in NYC that appears to be swirling with electric energy and which also cut out power to almost everyone in the bubble and caused electronic devices to stop working。We get a scene of Cray being liberated from a jail in a foreign land， and it appears Jessica Blackwood possesses skills ranging from hand o hand combat to forging paperwork。 It's the latter that allows her to get Cray out of the hellhole he's in。Of course， there's a catch to all this: the FBI， for whom Blackwood works， needs him and Blackwood to look into the phenomenon they've taken to calling The Void。 Blackwood believes it's the work of that typical fictional villain， Michael Heywood， AKA Warlock who seems to have the world at his fingertips and who managed to escape prison during a transfer。 What follows is a romp around the globe， with clues coming from the oddest places: a zoo where chimpanzees have been stolen。 A "research facility" in the Chernobyl zone， where the men are practically zombies， but ordinarily healthy otherwise， no matter what ailment（s） they may have had before。。Together， the no nonsense， hyperfocused Blackwood， and the talks before he thinks Theo Cray race around the globe， looking into odd incidents， thefts from datacenters， and two more Voids in Seoul and Singapore。 In their way: people paid off by Heywood， and eventually a face to face with Heywood， who demands Cray also be there， despite Cray not having any direct connection to Heywood， so Heywood can detail the ways the he is better than Cray。。As far as stories go， it isn't too bad。 There's enough suspense that then turns into a "the clock is ticking" story when the threat of yet another Void is hanging over their heads to keep things moving along。 I did like the banter between Blackwood and Cray， and there is the typical internecine fighting between federal agencies， both of which ring true。 The ending is a turn the tables type， and that works here in the universe of this book。 The writing is good， although some of the backstory drop-ins felt a little forced。 That does not really break the narrative， however， and while some of them were rather long - necessary for some of the technical stuff that most people don't know or with which they are not familiar - but I am not dinging it for this。A solid four stars。Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the review copy。 。。。more
OutlawPoet
，
The challenge in this book is the initial pacing。The book starts with a bang。 There’s so much going on and it’s really exciting。 You’re anxious to find out just what’s happening in the world and why。 But then， the book slows down to a rather glacial pace。 I admit。 I almost stopped reading。However， I kept going and I’m glad I did。 If you can get over that little hump， you get a truly exciting read and a plot of epic proportions – like possible end of the world as we know it proportions。 The actua The challenge in this book is the initial pacing。The book starts with a bang。 There’s so much going on and it’s really exciting。 You’re anxious to find out just what’s happening in the world and why。 But then， the book slows down to a rather glacial pace。 I admit。 I almost stopped reading。However， I kept going and I’m glad I did。 If you can get over that little hump， you get a truly exciting read and a plot of epic proportions – like possible end of the world as we know it proportions。 The actual reason behind everything is fascinating and unexpected。 I loved what the author gave us here。I ended up thinking this was a four star read。 Try to get past that slow patch – the surprises the author has in store for you are well worth it！*ARC provided via Net Galley 。。。more
Concha
，
Thank you to NetGalley。I love the novels of Andrew Mayne and this also brings together two of my favorite characters， Jessica Blackwood and Theo Cray， against the Warlock which makes it even more special。A strange storm and the escape of the Warlock set in motion the events of this novel。Without a doubt a must-have novel for those who love action and twists that keep you trapped from start to finish。
Darren Matthew
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I read an advanced copy if this book through netgalley。 I was so happy to read about both Jessica and Theo again， especially after the teaser with them together。 This story filled me with nostalgia for these characters and it was like seeing old friends once more， all be it ones who have changed a lot。 The plot is easy enough to follow and filled with Mayne's usual twists and turns。 I enjoyed Andrews latest story and feel like more is on the horizon！However ！！！！！！！！ SPOILERS ！！！！！！！！I really was I read an advanced copy if this book through netgalley。 I was so happy to read about both Jessica and Theo again， especially after the teaser with them together。 This story filled me with nostalgia for these characters and it was like seeing old friends once more， all be it ones who have changed a lot。 The plot is easy enough to follow and filled with Mayne's usual twists and turns。 I enjoyed Andrews latest story and feel like more is on the horizon！However ！！！！！！！！ SPOILERS ！！！！！！！！I really wasn't a fan of Jessica and Theo becoming romantic。 It felt a little predictable and forced。 。。。more
Barbara Schultz
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⭐⭐⭐。4 starsThis is first in the Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood thriller series。 FBI Agent Jessica Blackwood has had her own series but I hadn’t read any， I wasn’t sure if I should go back and read one。This story starts with a mysterious situation causing complete darkness in Manhattan。 Jessica teams up with scientist Dr。 Theo Cray and they suspect this was caused by a serial killer known as ‘The Warlock’。 The Warlock ~ aka Michael Heywood was introduced in a Jessica novel and now he has escaped ⭐⭐⭐。4 starsThis is first in the Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood thriller series。 FBI Agent Jessica Blackwood has had her own series but I hadn’t read any， I wasn’t sure if I should go back and read one。This story starts with a mysterious situation causing complete darkness in Manhattan。 Jessica teams up with scientist Dr。 Theo Cray and they suspect this was caused by a serial killer known as ‘The Warlock’。 The Warlock ~ aka Michael Heywood was introduced in a Jessica novel and now he has escaped。He is extremely clever as are Blackwood and Cray。 ‘Mastermind’ is the perfect name for this story。 It is truly a ‘mind’ game。 I believe I will have a fun and lively discussion about this with was 21 year old grandson。I enjoyed reading more about Andrew Mayne the author。 He is a magician who started as an illusionist when he was a teenager and worked behind the scenes for Penn & Teller， David Blaine， as well as David Copperfield。 He currently hosts the “Weird Things” podcast。Want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer。 This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for professional review purposes。 Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 14， 2021。 。。。more
I Brake For Books
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3。5/5 stars for me。 While I found this storyline intriguing enough to hold my interest， I found the overall story to be ant-climactic。 Parts of the book became a little too scientific for me and hard to follow so I skimmed some parts。 I did enjoy this book and I thank NetGalley， the author， and publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC。
Lisa
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My thanks， 'once again" to Thomas and Mercer， Andrew Maybe and Netgalley。This story just didn't work for me。 That's not to say that it wasn't brilliant。 O。K。 that's just a turned lie！The attraction between Theo and Jess is um。。。good！ I even felt the heat！ But， they are two separate beings who could never connect for too long！ So？ This was a fine and boring story。 I was not engaged， and I like Jessica just fine。 But， no apologies！ I'm here for Theo Cray！ I'm sure that Mayne has great books out th My thanks， 'once again" to Thomas and Mercer， Andrew Maybe and Netgalley。This story just didn't work for me。 That's not to say that it wasn't brilliant。 O。K。 that's just a turned lie！The attraction between Theo and Jess is um。。。good！ I even felt the heat！ But， they are two separate beings who could never connect for too long！ So？ This was a fine and boring story。 I was not engaged， and I like Jessica just fine。 But， no apologies！ I'm here for Theo Cray！ I'm sure that Mayne has great books out there。 I'm not interested。 Same reason that I don't watch any magic shows。 I hate lies and falsehoods。 I always search for a truth。 。。。more
Sibil
，
Thanks to NetGalley and to the Editor。 I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest reviewWow。 This book was wow。 After reading Ola’s review about a book by this author I went on NetGalley to see if the ARC was still there。 It wasn’t， but there was this one by the same author and so I decided to try this out。 And it was an amazing decision。 （And I am quite grateful that it was a read now book， too！）。I know that the book would come out in September， and so maybe it is a bit early to w Thanks to NetGalley and to the Editor。 I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest reviewWow。 This book was wow。 After reading Ola’s review about a book by this author I went on NetGalley to see if the ARC was still there。 It wasn’t， but there was this one by the same author and so I decided to try this out。 And it was an amazing decision。 （And I am quite grateful that it was a read now book， too！）。I know that the book would come out in September， and so maybe it is a bit early to write this review， and I thought quite a lot about just writing it now， and then wait some more to post it， but then I decided to just go with it， and then in September I would try and share it again because this book deserves some love and some hype！I also thought about the review itself， or at least I have tried， but I cannot promise anything here。 I would try to write things in a orderly fashion， and I would try to make sense， but… but I cannot guarantee it。 Be warned！Because this book is so big。 There is just so much in there， and I was creeped out by it， I was mesmerized by it and I couldn’t put it down。 At all。It is a riveting story， with some impressive characters， and a writing that flow so good that you would reach the end without noticing it。In this book the two main characters are the main characters of two different series by this author， FBI agent Jessica Blackwood， and Doctor Theo Cray， computation biologist。 This is my first book by this author， but now I have to go back and read both Blackwood and Cray’s series， because they are amazing characters。 And together they are over the top。 They are exceptional individuals， masterminds in their own right。 Both of them have their strengths and weaknesses and they completed each other， in some ways。 Both of them are strong， determined characters， with amazing minds and skills， and see them working together was a real pleasure。 Also， the story is always narrated in first person， but we alternate between Jessica and Theo’s POV， and sometimes it wasn’t immediately clear who was speaking。 And trying to guess who it was was a small pleasure too。I really loved them both， and I am looking forward to see them again。 I also hope that there would be more books of these two together， because I need them！ （And I need them now！）。Aside from the amazing characters， we have a complex plot， that would take you in some places that are better left alone。 Really， we get to see up and close how the mind of a sociopath with a god complex works， and it was scary。 But it was not scary because of the evil of it， or its being alien， but it was scary because of it realness， because of its possibility。 And the sad thing is that all that we get to see in this book it is true。 It is not so far-fetched （okay， it is not something that can so easily happen， but it could be。 ） and the reaction that it gets from the different characters， and government agencies it is， sadly， the most probable and real one。 With all the moral and ethical implications。 It was quite scary。 Really。But this aspect was also one of the strongest features of the book （aside from the amazing characters， I have mentioned them， right？）， because we have a catching thriller， with a mystery to solve， but we have also a lot of moral and ethical implications in there。 And if you just want to have a nice thrill out of it， you can do it， but if you want to take the time to follow its line of reasoning， you can also do it。 And it would take you to some scary places， that for sure。And， last but not least， this is an unputdownable book。 Really。 Between the characters， the plot， the really fast-pace， putting it down it is almost impossible。 It is the perfect book to read in one sit because you just need to read one more page， and one more page， and wait！ I need to know what would happen now。 And so on， and so on。 I couldn’t do it in just one sitting， because life is an harsh mistress and they tell me that I need to go to work in order to be paid （go figure！）， so I needed to stop the reading a couple of time， but I loved it from the first line to the last one。 And it is just so hard to put down！This was also the first book that I have read so far in which COVID is mentioned。 It is not a book centered on it， and it is not about plague and epidemic， even if they have a place in this story too， but it is a book that is set in the world after it happened。 And it was… strange。 In some ways。Anyway， my only complaint about this book is that I have read it now， but it won’t come out until September， so if there would be a sequel， the waiting would be just so so so long。 And this is just sad。 So so sad！ 。。。more
Linda
，
Parts of the book might have made a bit more sense if I'd read previous books in the Jessica Blackwood series， but I don't think they are necessary to enjoy the book。Near the end， I was a bit worried that the entire book was just a set up for one line that perhaps has just a bit too much to do with the current world situation， but thankfully it all came together and delivered a decent conclusion。Good book。 Parts of the book might have made a bit more sense if I'd read previous books in the Jessica Blackwood series， but I don't think they are necessary to enjoy the book。Near the end， I was a bit worried that the entire book was just a set up for one line that perhaps has just a bit too much to do with the current world situation， but thankfully it all came together and delivered a decent conclusion。Good book。 。。。more
Bookloverinhi
，
The best of both worlds for me – strong female， conspiracy thriller。 And Theo Cray， you’ve got to love that guy。 I totally enjoyed this book and can’t wait to get my hands on more by this author。Manhattan is hit with a weird electric storm， which creates black outs and all electronics no longer work。FBI special agent Jessica Blackwood is handpicked to work on this case – called the Void。 She’s partnered with Dr。 Theo Cray and together they try to solve the mystery behind the Void – how it was ca The best of both worlds for me – strong female， conspiracy thriller。 And Theo Cray， you’ve got to love that guy。 I totally enjoyed this book and can’t wait to get my hands on more by this author。Manhattan is hit with a weird electric storm， which creates black outs and all electronics no longer work。FBI special agent Jessica Blackwood is handpicked to work on this case – called the Void。 She’s partnered with Dr。 Theo Cray and together they try to solve the mystery behind the Void – how it was caused， who caused it and why it was caused。 Jessica thinks it’s her archnemesis， Heywood。It’s not stop action that will keep you teetering on the edge and you won’t be able to turn the pages fast enough。HIGHLY RECOMMEND 。。。more
RIchard Long
，
Mastermind by Andrew Mayne 2 StarsPublisher: Thomas & Mercer ISBN: 9781542020398 I enjoyed other books in the Jessica Blackwood series and was excited to be offered an advance copy of Mastermind。 I was very disappointed。The plot was comprised of a patchwork of events and characters from previous books， scientific theory， ideas for schemes to cause global chaos， government conspiracy， and human rights violation。 It was all thrown together in a stew。 The killer chimps and medically induced zombie Mastermind by Andrew Mayne 2 StarsPublisher: Thomas & Mercer ISBN: 9781542020398 I enjoyed other books in the Jessica Blackwood series and was excited to be offered an advance copy of Mastermind。 I was very disappointed。The plot was comprised of a patchwork of events and characters from previous books， scientific theory， ideas for schemes to cause global chaos， government conspiracy， and human rights violation。 It was all thrown together in a stew。 The killer chimps and medically induced zombies were interesting。 Other books that I have read by this author were really quite good。 I have not， however， read any with Theo Cray as a main character。 Mastermind was a let-down。 Reviewer: Nancy 。。。more
Cynde
，
Both these characters have been great in their separate series but put them together and the reading is fantastic。 In Mastermind Jessica Blackwood is certain who is behind the mysterious "voids" popping up around the world but she is not altogether sure that Theo Cray is not really the mastermind behind the scenes。 Once she is convinced （mostly ） that he is not and could not have been involved they must work together to solve who is the mastermind and what it is he wants。 They must accomplish th Both these characters have been great in their separate series but put them together and the reading is fantastic。 In Mastermind Jessica Blackwood is certain who is behind the mysterious "voids" popping up around the world but she is not altogether sure that Theo Cray is not really the mastermind behind the scenes。 Once she is convinced （mostly ） that he is not and could not have been involved they must work together to solve who is the mastermind and what it is he wants。 They must accomplish this while combating a mole in the FBI， possibly the CIA and a new branch of the FBI which seems particularly out for their blood。 This is action packed and thrilling ride around the world with some uncomfortable twists。 Really enjoyable reading！！！！ 。。。more
Brooke || FindingMyFavoriteBook
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This is my first read by Mayne and I am bummed that it was a 2 star for me。 I had higher hopes than that。This novel had all the elements to be great: major city “blackouts”， FBI involvement， human science experimentation， missing chimpanzees， and cyber security threats。。。。 Unfortunately the whole story was choppy and fell flat for me。。。 too much science fiction and less thriller。Thanks to NetGalley for the early copy。
Val
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"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。" Blurb: 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。My opinion: WOW！ I loved this book！！ As I read "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。" Blurb: 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。My opinion: WOW！ I loved this book！！ As I read Mastermind， more than once I found myself thinking the author has a brilliant mind！ What a plot！！ There was plenty of suspense and， yet， more than once I found myself smiling and chuckling。 I absolutely loved Jessica and Theo equally。 Together， they are unstoppable！My only suggestion to the author would be to have the character's name s on their chapters。BIG thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley for the ARC！ 。。。more
Adrian Dooley
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Bonkers。 Absolutely bonkers （but in a good way）I’ve read and enjoyed Andrew Mayne novels in the past but this is unfortunately my first with either Jessica Blackwood or Theo Cray in it。 I have some serious back reading to do from this author now。 I went in to this again blind， a recent common trait for me and picked it purely based on the author。 Think of it having a mad Bond like villain looking for world dominance but， much more sinister and grown up than Bond fair。 A story that takes you arou Bonkers。 Absolutely bonkers （but in a good way）I’ve read and enjoyed Andrew Mayne novels in the past but this is unfortunately my first with either Jessica Blackwood or Theo Cray in it。 I have some serious back reading to do from this author now。 I went in to this again blind， a recent common trait for me and picked it purely based on the author。 Think of it having a mad Bond like villain looking for world dominance but， much more sinister and grown up than Bond fair。 A story that takes you around the world， involves huge dark cloud that envelope cities， stolen chimpanzees， human experimentation， corruption， 21st century cyber espionage。 Sound bonkers enough for you？I had an absolute blast reading this。 The two main characters are fantastic。 The story is way out there。 After reading it I had to check my kitchen sink was still there such was the volume of ideas and scenarios thrown at this。 But it all worked beautifully to make a hugely enjoyable， at times very dark read。 Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC。 。。。more
Stacy
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Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review。 4。5 starsI am a big fan of Andrew Mayne and I was very excited when I got this ARC。 I realized I hadn't finished the Dr。 Theo Cray series so I read books 2， 3， and 4 back to back to get ready for Mastermind。 Maybe it was reading three Theo in a row but I was not enjoying Theo。 Books 2/3 he felt like Dexter and book 4 like Nick Cage in Leaving Las Vegas。 I am so happy he brought back Jessica Bla Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review。 4。5 starsI am a big fan of Andrew Mayne and I was very excited when I got this ARC。 I realized I hadn't finished the Dr。 Theo Cray series so I read books 2， 3， and 4 back to back to get ready for Mastermind。 Maybe it was reading three Theo in a row but I was not enjoying Theo。 Books 2/3 he felt like Dexter and book 4 like Nick Cage in Leaving Las Vegas。 I am so happy he brought back Jessica Blackwood。 She is great and Jessica’s view of Theo makes me like Theo better。 Excellent book and I hope there are more Theo/Jessica books to come。 。。。more
Deb
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Special thanks to NetGalley， Andrew Mayne and the publisher Thomas & Mercer for the advanced copy of Mastermind。 A blackout in Manhattan sets in motion a sequence of events。 A brilliant introspective scientist and a resourceful special agent team up to track down a nemesis with the intellect and power to shut down cities。 Mastermind is an action-packed techno suspense thriller， a page-turner from the first to the last with an unexpected twist。 Mastermind was my first encounter with author， Andre Special thanks to NetGalley， Andrew Mayne and the publisher Thomas & Mercer for the advanced copy of Mastermind。 A blackout in Manhattan sets in motion a sequence of events。 A brilliant introspective scientist and a resourceful special agent team up to track down a nemesis with the intellect and power to shut down cities。 Mastermind is an action-packed techno suspense thriller， a page-turner from the first to the last with an unexpected twist。 Mastermind was my first encounter with author， Andrew Mayne， most definitely not my last。 I will be reading the earlier books in the Jessica Blackwood and Dr。 Theo Cray series。 。。。more
Neville Townsend
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I received this book from the publishers via Netgalley for a review。 Well plotted fast paced techno thriller， could not put it down。
Roxanne Spencer
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Meh， I liked the parts with Jessica Blackwood much better than Theo Cray。 I hadn't really enjoyed the last couple of Cray books and that carried through here。 Hoping that there is more of Jessica （sans Cray） in the future。Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for access to a digital ARC via NetGalley。 Meh， I liked the parts with Jessica Blackwood much better than Theo Cray。 I hadn't really enjoyed the last couple of Cray books and that carried through here。 Hoping that there is more of Jessica （sans Cray） in the future。Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for access to a digital ARC via NetGalley。 。。。more
Rebecca Hollingsworth
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I received this book in advance by Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion， so here it is！！！！5 full stars for two of the most epic suspense characters I’ve had the pleasure to read。 In this book， they team up to battle against Jessica’s number 1 enemy to take down。。 There are so many times when I actually felt like screaming， is it possible for one person to have this amount of bad luck？！？ But thankfully by the end， I’m feeling like luck is back in the right corner！ This is the best book I’v I received this book in advance by Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion， so here it is！！！！5 full stars for two of the most epic suspense characters I’ve had the pleasure to read。 In this book， they team up to battle against Jessica’s number 1 enemy to take down。。 There are so many times when I actually felt like screaming， is it possible for one person to have this amount of bad luck？！？ But thankfully by the end， I’m feeling like luck is back in the right corner！ This is the best book I’ve read by this author as you get the best of two separate worlds in one。。 with that being said， I think you must be a fan of both Theo and his series and Jessica and her series to get the most from this book， but even someone with little to no knowledge of other books， would be able to appreciate and even enjoy the read！ 。。。more
Nataša
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