Dark Dive

A Thriller (Underwater Investigation Unit, Book 5)

By: Andrew Mayne

Narrated by: Susannah Jones

Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

A Wall Street Journal bestselling series.

Searching for a missing diver takes a Florida detective on a deep-diving adventure in a gripping thriller by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Sea Castle.

After the Underwater Investigation Unit’s disbandment, public outcry ushers Sloan McPherson and her partner, former navy diver Scott Hughes, back into the depths of crime solving. But Sloan’s return comes with a personal case.

Longtime family friend Fred Stafford has disappeared. Left behind: his abandoned truck in the vicinity of an unmarked sinkhole and new findings that have Sloan second-guessing everything she thought she knew about the man. There are his gambling debts, his association with a treasure-hunting band of underwater cavern junkies called the Dive Rats, and most alarming of all, a discovery in Stafford’s storage shed that raises the stakes even higher and plunges Sloan into an unfathomable mystery.

As Sloan’s investigation unfolds, a tragic Florida cold case, local superstitions, and a shocking conspiracy collide. For Sloan, finding Stafford and uncovering the buried secrets of the past soon drag her deeper into the dark unknown than she feared.

©2024 by Andrew Mayne. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“A solid mystery with an underwater backdrop.”—Kirkus Reviews

Another great book

I've enjoyed all of Mayne's books. I love the intelligence of his characters and how he includes scientific and archeological explanations that back up parts of his stories.

Great book!

Love these characters and cannot wait until the next book comes out! Each book is better than the one before.

Doesn't Disappoint

The tails of the UIU never disappoint me. I knew Andrew Mayne had experience working on OpenAI so I wasn't surprised to hear a ChatGPT reference early on in the book. Ultimately I absolutely love how Mayne weaves in his experience and expertise into the narrative. One of the reasons I keep coming back to these books is that I can vicariously pretend I know how to scuba dive. Mayne's analogies of oceanic creature behavior with human behavior are captivating and educational, sometimes even thought provoking.
There is a mention of sexual abuse within this book, but Andrew Mayne is perhaps the only author I've come across who can handle this topic delicately enough so that it's not emotionally overwhelming or triggering.
I love the Audible versions of the UIU series because I love the narrative skills of Susannah Jones. I love how she brings the characters to life without making the males sound too macho and gruff. I think she's a talented narrator I could (and have!) listen to for hours.
When this book was done, I zipped back to the beginning and started all over. The mystery was intriguing without feeling overly complicated or constructed. I look forward to the next UIU adventure, and will probably explore other Andrew Mayne books in the meantime.

Great story

I listened to the first five books and this is my favorite. Maybe because of the archaeological finds.

Always a Thrill Ride

I love this series. As if the unique and tightly woven storylines weren't enough, the quirky characters provide a touch of excellence. Sloan is a truly unusual individual. She has a distinct way of looking at life, having grown up in and around the waters of South Florida with a treasure hunter for a father. Her long-time relationship with her boyfriend/teenager's father is warm, close, and distinctly charming. Speaking of charming, that man of hers is a complete keeper, being one of the few people who truly understands her and allows her to be who and what she is.

While all the tales in this series have been incredibly interesting, this one took several unexpected curves as it focused just a bit on Florida's pre-history while still introducing us to some of the more slimy residents of the Sunshine State. This is definitely another win for the Underwater Investigation Unit series as well as for the narrator, Susannah Jones, who puts forth distinctly solid and genuine voices for Andrew Mayne's great characters.

These are my favorite!

I love this series and always love when a new book comes out!!! It’s always so interesting to me as well as an exciting listen.

Weird Things underwater

If you like finding Weird Things underwater thing this book is for you. A nice continuation of the storyline with some references to dark parts of Florida’s recent past. I was expecting a magic trick or two but in this tale Andrew’s familiarity with OpenAI and Chat-GPT shine through and provide some footings for future books.

Another great story!

This was another great story in the series! I love that the team got back together in this one and that the unit is officially back. The story was well written and had plenty of twists and turns as they tried to figure things out and how they were connected. I have had the previous books in the series so was fully engaged with our characters prior to starting this one but I found it very engaging and it kept me hooked the whole time. We get to see a little bit of a different side to Sloan as she has a close call at the beginning of the story and then is grappling with some reactions after the fact and figuring out what they mean. This was another great thriller and another great case that held my attention the whole time. I can’t wait for the next one! The narrator did a great job with the story as well and bringing the different characters to life as well as the action happening in the story.

Susannah Jones' performance is brilliant... again!

As an experienced scuba diver living in Florida, I absolutely love Andrew Mayne's Underwater Investigation Unit series of books. The technical aspects of the dives are spot on and I love the human aspects and struggles of the hero. The story lost one star because I didn't find it as compelling as the previous ones which were oh so good. Can't wait for the next one.

Stupendous!

As always, the chemistry between the characters keeps this book rolling to a surprising end. I thoroughly enjoy this authors talents.