The Girl Beneath the Sea by Andrew Mayne Narrator: Susannah Jones
Series: Underwater Investigation Unit #1
Published by Brilliance Audio on May 1, 2020
Genres: Mystery
Length: 9 hours, 16 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm
Coming from scandalous Florida treasure hunters and drug smugglers, Sloan McPherson is forging her own path, for herself and for her daughter, out from under her family’s shadow. An auxiliary officer for Lauderdale Shores PD, she’s the go-to diver for evidence recovery. Then Sloan finds a fresh kill floating in a canal—a woman whose murky history collides with Sloan’s. Their troubling ties are making Sloan less a potential witness than a suspect. And her colleagues aren’t the only ones following every move she makes. So is the killer.
Stalked by an assassin, pitted against a ruthless cartel searching for a lost fortune, and under watch within her ranks, Sloan has only one ally: the legendary DEA agent who put Sloan’s uncle behind bars. He knows just how deep corruption runs—and the kind of danger Sloan is in. To stay alive, Sloan must stay one step ahead of her enemies—both known and unknown—and a growing conspiracy designed to pull her under.
I was looking at series we might listen to for #SeriesInAMonth, and after trying this first book, it is the series I will be reading. I had the ebook from Prime First Reads and somehow I bought the audio later for 29¢!!! The Underwater Investigation Unit series is a unique perspective. It is set in Florida and the main character Sloan is a diver.
Sloan is very good at her work. It didn’t feel so much like a police procedural because she is more a specialist loaned out to different departments so almost more like a CSI than a regular detective or officer. She hunts for guns, bodies, drugs or treasure in rivers, lakes or the ocean.
Sloan has a family history of diving and grew up on the water. Her dad is a treasure hunter; her uncle went to prison for smuggling drugs. She and her dad still live on boats. Sloan has a lot of personal growth in The Girl Beneath the Sea relating to her family, her own career choices and a DEA agent who arrested her uncle.
Sloan finds a body when she is out doing some dive work for an archeology professor and from there forward she is on the run from the people who killed that woman. It’s fast paced and the diving aspects are fascinating. There are too many agencies interested. Sloan has to figure out what is happening to protect herself and her daughter. So she does, but it is a wild journey. I’m really looking forward to more cases as I read the series.
Narration:
Susannah Jones is a talented narrator. I know Robin has listened to her many times. I found her voice comfortable and appropriate. She seemed a fit for the voice of Sloan, the main character. Her voices for other characters felt distinct and appropriate. Although Sloan’s daughter seemed more high pitched than necessary. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Andrew Mayne
Andrew is the founder of Interdimensional, an artificial intelligence service consultancy that helps companies deploy AI solutions. Prior to founding Interdimensional, Andrew was the Science Communicator for OpenAI and their first prompt engineer. At OpenAI he worked on GPT-4, ChatGPT and GPT-3, creating many of the original prompts and examples used today.
Alongside his AI contributions, Andrew writes mystery-thriller novels. His works have been nominated for the Edgar and Thriller Awards, with series featuring characters including Theo Cray, Sloan McPherson, Jessica Blackwood, and Trasker.
Andrew was also featured in the Discovery Channel Shark Week special Andrew Mayne: Ghost Diver where he used AI and stealth technology to swim next to great white sharks in the Isle of Jaws.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 24-COYER
Yea for finding a new series you enjoy. Sounds like Sloan is an interesting character!
Yes this series has some unique features and I’m excited to read more for #SIAM this month.
Ooh this sounds good! Andrew Mayne writes tense, fast paced books and I especially love the diving aspect of this. Thanks for sharing😁
yes I plan to go on with the series. I like the fast pace and unique underwater aspects.
I like the sound of this one and the diving sounds interesting. 29cents for the audio is a steal.
yes! I’ll get the rest in KU. That’s another win since I don’t use my membership enough.
Very nice review. Glad to hear you enjoyed. That’s cool you got such a great deal on the audio. Looking forward to your reviews on this series as you progress.
Thanks. It’s going to be fun. I like the fast pace and using my KU subscription.
Excellent review, Anne💜 I like the CSI aspect and have added this to my wishlist.
Thanks. I think you would enjoy it. Fast paced and new underwater aspects to learn.
Sounds like a good series! Hope you keep enjoying it!
Well I’ve started the next one and it’s just as interesting so far.
This sounds like it’s right up reading alley!
It’s good.
That’s an awesome audiobook deal! I’ll look up this series. It sounds like everything I’d love!
I’ve started the second one and I’m enjoying it also. There are 5 books in the series so far. I don’t know if there will be more or not. Somehow my impression is the total is five.
Interesting premise! 😀 Sounds like it went….swimmingly well for you 😉
lol I do have a history of swimming and boating but not scuba diving.