Dark Dive

A Thriller (Underwater Investigation Unit, Book 5)

By: Andrew Mayne

Narrated by: Susannah Jones

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

“I have read all the entries in this series and will continue to read them as new ones come forth. Why? Because they are highly entertaining and have characters I relate to and admire.” —George Easter, Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine

Great story line

I feel as if some parts with the first body's should of been told more about over all good

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.

Twisty as always. Love the FL history!

Another wonderful story by Andrew Mayne, full of great lore, daring dives, and would-love-to-know-them characters.

Another great addition to the Andrew Manye library.

Solid as always. More character development for the series and some setup for a wider universe. Great !

Great book!

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

What’s next? Can’t wait!

Story: superb! Reader: superb! Characters: Siberia! Author: still amazingly clever, always compelling! Another winning entree in his series of mystery procedurals.

Good story .. but children’s book narration for a crime thriller is weird.

Good story and character’s .. but children’s book narration for a crime thriller is kinda weird.

Twisted thriller, great performance!

I love Andrew Mane's UIU adventures almost as much as his Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood books, which my adult daughter and I really love. We love the way he writes strong, capable women , often with a wicked sense of humor. Their relationships with men are well written. We like that his heros are good people with a conscience who don't like lying. This is SO refreshing. And whoever chooses the performers for these series, PLEASE DON'T EVER CHANGE THEM. They are phenomenal. True performers. Their voices are not only easy and enjoyable to listen to, but so well cast that I can forget that it is only one person performing at a time. Even when it is a man voicing a woman's part and vice-versa. Most all of Andrew's stories have twists but this one really went sideways. Loved it. Couldn't stop listening.

the plot

liked they mystery based out of my old home im FL.. scuba and forensics involvement were captivating

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.