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Andrew Mayne

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The Naturalist Kindle Edition

by Andrew Mayne (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 48,307 ratings

Book 1 of 4: The Naturalist

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An Amazon Charts bestseller.

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?

Book 1 of 4

The Naturalist
Length

381
Pages
Language

EN
English
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Publisher

Thomas & Mercer
Publication date

2017
October 1
File size

4.3 MB
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The Naturalist4 book series

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Popular Highlights in this book

What are popular highlights?

It’s comforting to blame the misfortune of others on their own actions. It’s also wrong.
Highlighted by 1,366 Kindle readers
A mistake we make too often in science is thinking that having a name for something is the same as understanding it.
Highlighted by 1,311 Kindle readers
Systems can go laterally through space. Others move linearly through time.
Highlighted by 669 Kindle readers

Editorial Reviews

Review

A Liz and Lisa Best Book of the Month

“[A] smoothly written suspense novel from Thriller Award finalist Mayne…The action builds to [an]…exciting confrontation between Cray and his foe, and scientific detail lends verisimilitude.” —Publishers Weekly

“With a strong sense of place and palpable suspense that builds to a violent confrontation and resolution, Mayne’s (Angel Killer) series debut will satisfy devotees of outdoors mysteries and intriguing characters.” —Library Journal

“The Naturalist is a suspenseful, tense, and wholly entertaining story…Compliments to Andrew Mayne for the brilliant first entry in a fascinating new series.” —New York Journal of Books

“An engrossing mix of science, speculation, and suspense, The Naturalist will suck you in.” —Omnivoracious

“A tour de force of a thriller.” —Gumshoe Review

“Mayne is a natural storyteller, and once you start this one, you may find yourself staying up late to finish it…It employs everything that makes good thrillers really good…The creep factor is high, and the killer, once revealed, will make your skin crawl.” —Criminal Element

“If you enjoy the TV channel Investigation Discovery or shows like Forensic Files, then Andrew Mayne’s The Naturalist is the perfect read for you!” —The Suspense Is Thrilling Me

From the Publisher

This thriller laced with cutting-edge science sucked me in from page one, making my adrenaline surge in the same way the works of Michael Crichton and Dan Brown do. Theo Cray, a computational biologist and professor, is a brilliant yet flawed hero. Much more comfortable in his lab than with people, he is thrown into the role of amateur detective/forensic investigator when one of his former students is found dead—and he is the prime suspect.

Forced to step outside of his academic mind-set and deal with humans, Theo relies upon his scientific expertise and some genetic profiling to uncover the truth and preserve his own life. His ability to see unusual patterns where others see only random brutality is when Theo is at his most dazzling. Almost magical. This is not entirely surprising when you take into consideration author Andrew Mayne’s side job as a professional illusionist and magician.

As a nonscientist and magic enthusiast, I was spellbound by every page. And now I wait with bated breath for Theo Cray’s next adventure in Looking Glass, the second book of the series.

- Liz Pearsons, Editor

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01N1UN91W
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas & Mercer (October 1, 2017)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 1, 2017
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4362 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 381 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #9,771 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #84 in Amateur Sleuth Mysteries (Kindle Store)
- #161 in Amateur Sleuths
- #455 in Science Fiction (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.3 48,307 ratings

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Andrew Mayne

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Andrew Mayne is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author whose books include The Naturalist, a Thriller Award finalist and Black Fall an Edgar Award finalist Black Fall. He’s the star of the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week special Andrew Mayne: Ghost Diver, where he swam alongside great white sharks using an underwater invisibility suit he designed and also was the star of A&E’s Don’t Trust Andrew Mayne. He currently serves as the Science Communicator for OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT and GPT-4.

@AndrewMayne

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Megington

The ending!!!

Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2017

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This was an amazing thriller! Definitely the best I've read in a while.

Assuming you read the synopsis, I'll just add a few comments. We are following the perspective of Theo, who is a bit socially awkward and doesn't really possess any street smarts. He discovers that a former student of his was murdered, but his scientific brain doesn't accept the poorly explained circumstances indicating that the attacker was just a bear. He is the only person who thinks that the culprit is human, and his suspicions take him down a very interesting path.

This character seems stiff and detached at first, but as he experiences each new situation, his personality adjusts and he becomes a very entertaining person to follow. He is extremely intelligent, so at first I was worried that I would just be fed a jumble of scientific jargon, however the author brilliantly explains some of the surprisingly interesting details and theories through the story.

The plot is slow and steady at first, however it is immensly captivating, because what we know about this killer adds a folklore-type sense of mystery. The story does pick up as the main character unearths more bodies and discoveries. I love that the author added some chilling moments when Theo thinks he's being watched, and I'm always impressed by the addition of a strong female influence. We meet a woman named Jillian, who proves she can handle almost anything thrown her way. I read this all in one sitting and I was sweating from anxiety by the time I reached the ending!

On that note, the ending was spectacular! I'm so happy that Mayne pays attention to detail, because he does an expert job of laying out the sequences of events during this thrilling and terrifying ending in a clear and easy to follow manner. I've read many thrillers that neglect to account for some piece of information that makes me trip up and question what I'm picturing.

I'm trying to think about other things that I ask about before reading suspense novels. I hope these aren't spoilers, but I'll say that there was some foul language, but not excessively throughout. Some mentions of drug and other adult centric themes, but there wasn't any graphic sexual content. There was some violence and detail of bloody injuries, but it wasn't overly grotesque or unbearable for the average reader. The ending was slightly open, enough to make you want more, but there definitely wasn't a cliffhanger.

Overall this book was outstanding, and I can't wait to read the next one!

665 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Bears or a serial killer?

Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2023

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That seemed to be the question for about 75% of this book. It had a great premise, but it took way to long to establish what was really going on. I had so many times where it just slowed down into too much into a gore filled mess. Granted, I loved the slow realization from the law enforcement and the fight for their lives. But, it just ended.... stopped. I wanted to give it a higher than 4, but it just wasn't .... A 3.8 out of 5 rating.

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one fascinating, intense, un-put-downable read. Mayne really knows how to tell a gripping story.

Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2017

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First Sentence: Red and blue police lights splash off the chipped chrome letters spelling ICE MACHINE.

Professor Theo Cray uses computational science and applies it to biology, including the study of DNA. On a field trip, staying in a small town in northern Montana, he is taken in for police questioning related to recent deaths of women. One set of photos stands out. A young woman, one of Theo’s former students, had been involved. Theo ends up with a vial of her blood that also contains a strand of hair, and even though the bear has been killed, something doesn’t seem right to Theo. That instinct ends up putting him in extreme danger.

We begin with a very good, creepy, scary, and ultimately deadly opening. Mayne is so good at setting the scene and making it dramatic. He then adds a bit of irony to it, while completely capturing our attention. He also provides an interesting assessment of grief—“The trouble is we expect the emote part of emotion. Humans are social primates, and our experiences have to be externalized to be acknowledged by others.”

There is nothing better than an author who entertains and makes one think. Mayne succeeds at both. He both makes the science, such as the two types of DNA, comprehensible and interesting but raises other questions that make one stop and consider; did Christians the story of creation from the Greeks?

Detective Glenn is an interesting character. The reversal of roles is nice, where Glenn is the understanding, sympathetic cop, and the woman Sheriff Tyson is the hard-nosed, just wants answers. But it’s Cray who is the focus; a somewhat stereotypical scientist who is brilliant at somethings and completely naïve about others. That said, one can’t help but enjoy the bits of humor—“I’m such an idiot.” “Not everyone can be a rocket scientist.” “CalTech’s program actually accepted me. But I turned it down to study biology at M.I.T.” Still, there is a very good transition, with the help of a friend, that make Cray—“I’m done being the crazy guy showing up in police stations with a wild story about a killer who makes crimes look like animal attacks.” All the characters are smart, capable, and strong in the best sense.

The story is well plotted. There are some good twists one should have seen coming but didn’t. Mayne builds the suspense to an almost unbearable pitch, ensuring that one won’t stop reading until the final page.

“The Naturalist” is one fascinating, intense, un-put-downable read. Mayne really knows how to tell a gripping story.

THE NATURALIST (Ama. Sleuth-Prof. Theo Cray-Montana-Contemp) – VG+
Mayne, Andrew – 1st in series
Thomas & Mercer (Oct 2017)

3 people found this helpful

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Douglas Sundseth

Not Mayne's Best Work

Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2023

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I wanted to like this book a lot. I like Mayne's other series and I like this character in the Blackwood/Cray series.

But in spite of the interesting main character and a mystery that could work well, the book never quite comes together. There are elements that break my suspension of disbelief (magic computer program and law enforcement portrayals that just don't ring quite true), that take this from very good to just OK.

Because of Mayne's other work, I'll be buying the sequel in hopes that it rises closer to the quality I expect.

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Top reviews from other countries

Chris.

The Naturalist

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 3, 2022

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A good read. Even if it does stretch the imagination more than a little.
I like a good mystery but enjoy them a bit more if I think it could actually happen.
First person narratives can sometimes put me off but I'm glad I stuck with it and I'll definitely give book 2 a go . Just not yet.

One person found this helpful

Rachel

Do Trust Andrew Mayne…For a Rollicking Good Time

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 17, 2020

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Two weeks ago I hadn’t heard of Andrew Mayne. I’m now six books into a burgeoning, all consuming addiction to his works.

What a brilliant time I’ve had, rip snorting through these thrilling, ingenious and intelligent stories. How is this man not being carried through towns, aloft on a velvet litter with adoring minions throwing gifts at his feet for the glorious, storytelling bounty he has placed before us?? I’m recommending these novels far and wide and truly believe they are some of the freshest and most engaging books I’ve read for a very long time.

My first Andrew Mayne book was The Girl Beneath the Sea and I really enjoyed it. Enough so that I bought ‘The Naturalist’ straight after. It was here, with the delightfully intrepid, borderline autistic Professor Theo Cray that my addiction was born.

A quirky, annoying yet brave and endearing computational biologist, Professor Cray is certain that his missing ex-grad student was not killed by a random bear attack but by a serial killer. One with sufficient situational and naturalistic awareness that he has been operating undetected for years. And Theo can prove it too- except no-one will listen and he is minimised and patronised by those who should be following his lead.

With a mind that makes connections simply impossible for others, like a modern day Sherlock Holmes but firmly rooted in fact and science, Theo is compelled to take action, convinced other lives are at risk.

And so begins a masterclass in adrenaline, with a plot that zooms along like a formula one race car, sleek and streamlined and careening round corners with dazzling skill; very occasionally skittering with one wheel off the track in its own delightful exuberance before screeching right back on solid ground to carry the reader, breathless to the finish line.

There are multiple dizzying plot twists and daring actions yet at no time does the impeccable logic and beautifully delineated prose waiver from both entertaining and also educating.

This novel (and the others in the Theo Cray series) are like someone taking the best bits of Thomas Harris and ‘Silence of the Lambs’ for creep factor and heart-in-the-mouth serial killer stalking; adding the race-against-time pizazz of Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon (minus the annoying religious symbolism but plus the intellect beats brawn geek-love) and then whizzing it in a blender with a garnish of Michael Connolly for investigative relentlessness and Zoe Sharp for believable action sequences. In short, a heady cocktail where the whole is more than the sum of the parts and something brilliantly unique and not even minimally derivative is born.

There are so many complex elements of differing genres here and yet never once did this superb novel falter. The characterisation is deep and sure. The complex plot and action sequences handled with skill. Morality, the law, intellectual vanity and the need to know and prove to others what you see and they don’t are exciting and rich themes in these novels. They’re clever and surprising and exciting. And how wonderful to have a neuroatypical hero at the heart of such a dazzling series.

The Naturalist was a supremely entertaining and intelligent read and I for one am utterly delighted to have found a wonderful and thankfully prolific new author. Andrew Mayne, I salute you.

4 people found this helpful

Glen A Phillips

So So

Reviewed in Canada on April 21, 2023

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OK but never tell your wife she looks OK - you can do better

Christine Hawkes

very good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2023

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Been sitting in my kindle since 2020 but now I read it. It’s very good. Nice short chapters so you don’t get put off reading on and falling asleep. The hero was not the type you expect. The whole book wasn’t what you would expect it was really good. As always I’m not spilling the plot but I will say it’s a really good read. Go ahead try it!

One person found this helpful

NickB

Solid story, interesting and engaging new character, what’s not to like??

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 4, 2017

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Yep - okay Mr Mayne - thoroughly enjoyed this story - no surprise there. The principal and new character is a strong combination of vulnerable science genius/geek, socially inept and (reluctantly) tenacious investigator who is in the wrong place at the wrong time illustrated brilliantly in the opening few pages. A compulsive puzzle solver who wouldn’t leave a burning building if he hadn’t put the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle in the right place. The science narrative - I strong suspect the author has thoroughly researched this - adds to the logic of the investigation and the underlying theme that the more his scientific approach reveals the more he seems to incriminate himself in a serial killing is well written - it feels like an evolving nightmare of being the only sane person in the asylum - where your deductive methods are so beyond the understanding of local law enforcement you constantly implicate yourself by your knowledge and find yourself driven to do the right thing even if it is self destructive and walking away and forgetting all about it makes more sense. The location of economically struggling small towns set within vast forests is well chosen and creates a sinister backdrop for the story which is completely believable. I have read nearly all of this author’s books and without fail have found them strong stories and getting better with each new book and I’ll certainly read the sequel. Whilst I enjoyed the new character I didn’t find him quite as developed or ‘rich’ as Jessica Blackwood (whose stories remain my favourites- and selfishly please Mr Mayne don’t neglect Jessica after the tension you left readers with at the end of her last book) - but I guess it is only book one of this series. If I have a (very) minor criticism all the author’s stories end quite abruptly - I get that - the story is over, the situation is satisfyingly resolved - don’t pad it out - but it left me feeling like a ‘business meeting’ just ended rather than a ‘rich goodbye’ to characters I have spent a couple of days walking alongside.

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