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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
‘The Naturalist’, book one in The Naturalist series by Andrew Mayne, is offered by Amazon as a free novel if you are a member of KindleUnlimited. It is available for sale for $1.99. I’m thinking, ok then. Andrew Mayne has novels available for KindleUnlimited, so he’s probably a self-published or maybe, a third-string or beginning, writer, popular enough to have readers interested in his books.
I’m slapping myself. Prejudiced much? I should have learned my lesson after [b:The Martian|18007564|The Martian|Andy Weir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413706054l/18007564._SY75_.jpg|21825181] by Andy Weir. Side note: when I first read 'The Martian' I could not get the GR "insert book/author" to find the book for me when I tried to insert it into a review. Now, it comes up first in the suggestion box. Ha!
Repeat after me: “Never judge a book by its cover.” Or how it gets published….
Below is the cover blurb which I’ve copied out because it is accurate:
“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?"
I adore Theo Cray! He is an interesting mix of naivety and extreme intelligence. The scientist who can explain particle physics but who can’t tie his shoelaces is a stereotype, but it works if the character is interesting or endearing. Dr. Cray is both. His naivety is from not being very comfortable when dealing with the world outside of his teaching job at a university in Austin. He is a young man, perhaps in his early thirties. He is in Montana doing research on tadpoles, on temporary leave from his instructor job. While he was getting ice, he is shocked when police surround a room at his motel just before breaking the door down. His door. His motel room.
A woman’s body was found in the forest which was horribly mutilated. On her laptop is a copy of Theo’s book, and to make matters even worse, she was a student of Theo’s. He realizes from what the police tell him about the victim in an interrogation she was Juniper “June” Parsons. He didn’t know she was in the area!
The police let him go after they receive information the attack on the woman was a bear, but Theo can’t let the death go. He is severely shaken up. He believes if he had taught her better survival skills while doing field work that she might have known to be more proactive in watching for bears. He has to investigate the site of her death. But he finds troubling signs that the attack could not have been a bear! The police are completely on the wrong track, but he can’t get them to listen to him.
What’s a scientist with a guilty conscience to do? Theo doesn’t know a thing about police work, but he does know science. He stubbornly begins his own investigation. Needless to say, he learns a lot about the dark side of human nature of which he didn’t have a clue. I wasn’t sure he would survive! His mistakes put him in the middle of a bunch of small-town issues beyond that of looking for killer. It is funny. It also nearly costs him his life. Ignorance is lethal, even for a brainy scientist!
I loved this exciting thriller! It begins slowly as a murder mystery, but builds up speed. Readers will not be putting the book down after the first half of the novel. Be prepared for a finish which will have your heart racing!
I’m slapping myself. Prejudiced much? I should have learned my lesson after [b:The Martian|18007564|The Martian|Andy Weir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413706054l/18007564._SY75_.jpg|21825181] by Andy Weir. Side note: when I first read 'The Martian' I could not get the GR "insert book/author" to find the book for me when I tried to insert it into a review. Now, it comes up first in the suggestion box. Ha!
Repeat after me: “Never judge a book by its cover.” Or how it gets published….
Below is the cover blurb which I’ve copied out because it is accurate:
“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?"
I adore Theo Cray! He is an interesting mix of naivety and extreme intelligence. The scientist who can explain particle physics but who can’t tie his shoelaces is a stereotype, but it works if the character is interesting or endearing. Dr. Cray is both. His naivety is from not being very comfortable when dealing with the world outside of his teaching job at a university in Austin. He is a young man, perhaps in his early thirties. He is in Montana doing research on tadpoles, on temporary leave from his instructor job. While he was getting ice, he is shocked when police surround a room at his motel just before breaking the door down. His door. His motel room.
A woman’s body was found in the forest which was horribly mutilated. On her laptop is a copy of Theo’s book, and to make matters even worse, she was a student of Theo’s. He realizes from what the police tell him about the victim in an interrogation she was Juniper “June” Parsons. He didn’t know she was in the area!
The police let him go after they receive information the attack on the woman was a bear, but Theo can’t let the death go. He is severely shaken up. He believes if he had taught her better survival skills while doing field work that she might have known to be more proactive in watching for bears. He has to investigate the site of her death. But he finds troubling signs that the attack could not have been a bear! The police are completely on the wrong track, but he can’t get them to listen to him.
What’s a scientist with a guilty conscience to do? Theo doesn’t know a thing about police work, but he does know science. He stubbornly begins his own investigation. Needless to say, he learns a lot about the dark side of human nature of which he didn’t have a clue. I wasn’t sure he would survive! His mistakes put him in the middle of a bunch of small-town issues beyond that of looking for killer. It is funny. It also nearly costs him his life. Ignorance is lethal, even for a brainy scientist!
I loved this exciting thriller! It begins slowly as a murder mystery, but builds up speed. Readers will not be putting the book down after the first half of the novel. Be prepared for a finish which will have your heart racing!
I enjoyed this book due to the main character. Are there parts that are far fetched? Yes. But very entertaining ride especially for a quick weekend read.
DNF at 32%
Overall: unrealistic characters and plot. I wasn't convinced.
The prologue, and the first couple of chapters I enjoyed. However, I really, really disliked the attitude of the main character, who seemed to think he was an expert in all things. Where were his flaws? I don't know. There was something about the writing that made me really dislike the main character. And there were a lot of lines that made me feel like this book was written by a young person, published on Wattpad, and then edited for grammatical errors, but was never re-written or thought out well. I wanted to try and finish this book, but I feel like it would be a waste of time. And there were also a lot of lines in this book that made me say "no s*** sherlock" like pg 76: "people tend to think that scientists are experts in all things, when in fact we can be so specialized we know less than a layperson about many scientific topics--like bear behavior." and on the same page, "claws are basically sharp toenails..." WHO IN THE WORLD DOES NOT KNOW WHAT CLAWS ARE. SERIOUSLY?
The plot, so far, was about a student of this professor who appeared to be killed by a bear, but the professor thinks the police got it wrong. It was very predictable, and mostly I was very confused why in the beginning, when the police killed a bear, how they knew it was the bear that killed the student. Only in chapter 19, page 80, does the MC ask "Yes. But how did you know to shoot Bart? How did you know he was the right bear before you killed him?" This had been in my head all the time since the start. For a character who is supposed to be a scientist, it doesn't seem too convincing.
And this line, "great whites don't try to hide their kills, mainly because tuna don't form police forces and seek revenge." Again, no s*** sherlock.
Overall, there was too much telling in this story. We are put into the mc's head, and we hear a lot of his thoughts, and with his thoughts he "explains" a lot of things, and probably explains more than is needed, which dumbs the story down. I wanted more action, and less being in his head. Because, as you can tell I didn't really relate with him.
Overall: unrealistic characters and plot. I wasn't convinced.
The prologue, and the first couple of chapters I enjoyed. However, I really, really disliked the attitude of the main character, who seemed to think he was an expert in all things. Where were his flaws? I don't know. There was something about the writing that made me really dislike the main character. And there were a lot of lines that made me feel like this book was written by a young person, published on Wattpad, and then edited for grammatical errors, but was never re-written or thought out well. I wanted to try and finish this book, but I feel like it would be a waste of time. And there were also a lot of lines in this book that made me say "no s*** sherlock" like pg 76: "people tend to think that scientists are experts in all things, when in fact we can be so specialized we know less than a layperson about many scientific topics--like bear behavior." and on the same page, "claws are basically sharp toenails..." WHO IN THE WORLD DOES NOT KNOW WHAT CLAWS ARE. SERIOUSLY?
The plot, so far, was about a student of this professor who appeared to be killed by a bear, but the professor thinks the police got it wrong. It was very predictable, and mostly I was very confused why in the beginning, when the police killed a bear, how they knew it was the bear that killed the student. Only in chapter 19, page 80, does the MC ask "Yes. But how did you know to shoot Bart? How did you know he was the right bear before you killed him?" This had been in my head all the time since the start. For a character who is supposed to be a scientist, it doesn't seem too convincing.
And this line, "great whites don't try to hide their kills, mainly because tuna don't form police forces and seek revenge." Again, no s*** sherlock.
Overall, there was too much telling in this story. We are put into the mc's head, and we hear a lot of his thoughts, and with his thoughts he "explains" a lot of things, and probably explains more than is needed, which dumbs the story down. I wanted more action, and less being in his head. Because, as you can tell I didn't really relate with him.
While it's a fun and fast read (chapters are short), the narrator has confusing character development and is extremely tropey. While the author has clearly done some research here, his depiction of "a scientist" is tiresome and leaning on tropes of the overly-logical-savant.
The mystery is fun and fine but nothing you haven't seen in any given episode of Hannibal or Criminal Minds.
If you're into plots about problem solving and figuring things out from a scientific standpoint, try The Martian.
If you're into the murder mystery of the plot with some dabbled in romance that is unjustified, try any of the listed shows or turn on CSI.
The mystery is fun and fine but nothing you haven't seen in any given episode of Hannibal or Criminal Minds.
If you're into plots about problem solving and figuring things out from a scientific standpoint, try The Martian.
If you're into the murder mystery of the plot with some dabbled in romance that is unjustified, try any of the listed shows or turn on CSI.
Smoothly written, easy to follow, but ultimately predictable.
Read this review and more on my blog at [Roxie Writes].
‘The Naturalist’ by Andrew Mayne
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
Finished on August 18, 2018
Read with Kindle Unlimited Subscription
FREE on Kindle Unlimited | $4.99 on Kindle | $6.75 in Paperback
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
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?
MY REVIEW:
‘The Naturalist’ is a rather seamless blend of real-life science and a thrilling mystery. There is a lot of scientific jargon in this novel, but don’t let it sway you from reading it, if that isn’t your thing. Mayne has done an excellent job of making it easily understandable and even enjoyable to read.
This novel has a compelling, complex plot. While that can sometimes lead to slow points, this novel does not. It is consistently interesting, thought-provoking, and suspenseful.
Theo Cray is an interesting character. He understands difficult concepts as a computational biologist, but the nuances of people totally escape him. His view of the world and the humans around him is extremely interesting. And his drive to solve what he believes to be a misunderstood mystery is gripping at worst.
I look forward to reading the rest of this series and more of Mayne’s work. I think it might even be more enjoyable as an audiobook!
‘The Naturalist’ by Andrew Mayne
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
Finished on August 18, 2018
Read with Kindle Unlimited Subscription
FREE on Kindle Unlimited | $4.99 on Kindle | $6.75 in Paperback
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
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?
MY REVIEW:
‘The Naturalist’ is a rather seamless blend of real-life science and a thrilling mystery. There is a lot of scientific jargon in this novel, but don’t let it sway you from reading it, if that isn’t your thing. Mayne has done an excellent job of making it easily understandable and even enjoyable to read.
This novel has a compelling, complex plot. While that can sometimes lead to slow points, this novel does not. It is consistently interesting, thought-provoking, and suspenseful.
Theo Cray is an interesting character. He understands difficult concepts as a computational biologist, but the nuances of people totally escape him. His view of the world and the humans around him is extremely interesting. And his drive to solve what he believes to be a misunderstood mystery is gripping at worst.
I look forward to reading the rest of this series and more of Mayne’s work. I think it might even be more enjoyable as an audiobook!
A little creepier than I was expecting.. But a good read.
The language is excessive to convey the message. The story isn't horrible.
Very good wild story, had a bit of a I am very smart complex but was an overall great read
4.5 stars out of 5
I haven't read a lot of Mystery and Crime novels, The naturalist was a pleasant read (Not that the story wasn't horrifying in some parts).
We follow Theo Cray is a computational biologist (meaning he searches for patterns in nature and biology) and when he is accused of the murder of one of his former students he is drawn in search of the killer and when he is confronted by a police force unwilling to hear him out he sets out to uncover the killer himself.
watching how Theo's creative mind worked and how he used the tools at his disposal, was great.
the pacing also was one the stronger points of the book. I never felt tired or bored.
A very enjoyable Crime novel for me
“You have a judgmental face.” “I’m a scientist. I look at everything this way.”