The Naturalist

by Andrew Mayne

Overview

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?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781477824245
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	10/01/2017
Series:	Naturalist Series , #1
Pages:	380
Sales rank:	275,168
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

Editorial Reviews

07/03/2017
This smoothly written suspense novel from Thriller Award–finalist Mayne (Station Breaker) stars professor Theo Cray, who’s an expert in the field of computational biology (finding patterns in apparent chaos) but lacks the most basic skills at human interaction. When an ex-student of his, Juniper Parsons, turns up horribly mauled in the Montana woods, Cray becomes a suspect in her murder. The police eventually decide that a bear killed Parsons, but Cray believes that she was the victim of an eerily cunning serial killer. An analysis of the pattern of missing persons in the area over the past decade convinces Cray that there were many more victims, and he thinks he knows how to find them. But every time he digs up a body, the police suspect him of having put it there. The action builds to a predictable if nonetheless exciting confrontation between Cray and his foe, and scientific detail lends verisimilitude. Agent: Erica Spellman-Silverman, Trident Media Group. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

09/01/2017
Professor Theo Cray is a computational biologist who is well versed in observing nature patterns but not as skilled in human interactions. A field trip to Montana leads him to become entangled in an investigation into the mutilation death of former student Juniper Parsons. The authorities suspect a rogue grizzly bear or Cray himself of the murder. After analyzing missing person reports, Cray is convinced that a calculating serial killer may be at work and that there are more victims. As he uses his scientific insight to stay ahead of local police and close in on the murderer, Cray is in danger of becoming prey. Throughout, he balances the difficulties in decoding personal interactions with his professional strengths. VERDICT 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.—ACT

Library Journal

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