By: Andrew Mayne
Narrators: Jennifer O'Donnell; Susannah Jones; Will Damron; James Anderson Foster
Series: The Specialists #1
ISBN: 9781511348317
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Brilliance Audio
Publication Date: 03/012025
Format: Audio/e-book
My Rating: TBR
Four brilliant investigators combine forces to outwit an insidious master of online mind control in a gripping thriller by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Final Equinox.
Investigator Sloan McPherson finds a frightened vagrant suffering from amnesia living in a Florida swamp—then learns he disappeared from Oregon when he was a teenager. To find out how he ended up three thousand miles from home thirty years later, Sloan enlists the help of two brilliant colleagues.
FBI agent Jessica Blackwood and scientist Theo Cray have already made an alarming connection. A female classmate of the Everglades drifter disappeared at the same time, and their high school journals reveal ties to an enigmatic figure they both called Mr. Whisper. Under his influence they did as they were told. The case is also attracting the attention of corporate security expert Brad Trasker, whose trail is leading to the dark heart of a master manipulator.
Jessica, Theo, Sloan, and Brad must now bring their unique skills to the table to take down a diabolical adversary. Unless Mr. Whisper’s decades-long control of the vulnerable is too powerful and far-reaching to stop.
My Review
Andrew Mayne (artificial intelligence developer, consultant and Wall Street Journal best selling author) introduces the first in a new mind-bending, The Specialists #1 series, MR. WHISPER, his latest technological thriller.
Meet a team of four brilliant investigators with unique skills and backgrounds as they combine forces to outwit an insidious master of online mind control.
"Log in. Make the connection. Do exactly as you are told."
About...
Investigator Sloan McPherson discovers a vagrant suffering from amnesia living in a Florida swamp. He later learns he disappeared from Oregon when he was a teen. How did he end up three thousand miles from home thirty years ago? Sloan enlists a team of brilliant colleagues.
FBI agent Jessica Blackwood and scientist Theo Cray have already made an alarming connection. A classmate of the drifter disappeared at the same time, and their high school journals reveal ties to an enigmatic figure they both called Mr. Whisper.
Mr. Whisper influences his victims. They do as they are instructed. The case also attracts the attention of corporate security expert Brad Trasker, whose trail is leading to a master manipulator.
Jessica, Theo, Sloan, and Brad must now bring their unique skills to take down a diabolical adversary, Mr. Whisper.
THE SPECIALISTS TEAM consists of a scientific genius Theo Cray, underwater investigator Sloan McPherson, FBI agent Jessica Blackwood, and former spy Brad Trasker.
Mitch Lindel hears a voice in his head that he calls Mr. Whisper. The voice warns him of danger and leads him to a new experience, and where to find weapons. Mitch does not fit in at school and he gets bullied. This is when he connects with an AI girl, who plays a crucial role in his journey.
DO IT. He is told what to wear and what to do. Then an anonymous phone call about a threat sets the stage for a series of unexpected events.
What comes next is a series of complex and puzzling cases, each more suspenseful than the last, keeping you on the edge of your seat.
My thoughts...
MR. WHISPER is set in Florida (alligator country) and consists of three connected fascinating investigations by this brilliant team of specialists in this mind-bending thriller with psychological intrigue.
If you have read the other books by the author, you are in for a treat, finding four protagonists from his three different series.
Brad (form spy) investigates the strange behavior of one of Wind Aerospace's employees. Sloan (Underwater Investigations Unit) investigates The Moss Man. This leads to a cold case of a missing person, Jessica (FBI) & Theo (scientist) have their investigations.
The author keeps you on the edge of your seat with the investigations, with a cast of quirky, brilliantly clever specialized investigators mixed with humor. Fans will anxiously await the next episode of the series to catch up with the team.
Getting to know each team member, their history, personality, and unique skill set was fun. An excellent storyteller with a fascinating background —the author keeps you in suspense, moving from location to investigator with a multi-layered plot and plenty of twists.
Great characterization, suspenseful, and thought-provoking with a supernatural twist. I look forward to the next in the series.
Audiobook...
Enhance your reading experience with the audiobook, narrated by a talented cast that brings the characters to life, making for an engaging and fascinating performance. Will Damron (favorite), Jennifer O'Donnell, Susannah Jones, and James Anderson Foster elevate the novel and add distinct voices to keep you entertained and hooked!
As a Florida resident for twenty-five years, I enjoyed this one. The state is a prime setting for creepy, spine-chilling, swampy mysteries. This is my first book by the author, and I look forward to reading more of it.
Recs...
MR. WHISPER is for fans of the author and those who enjoy books by Greg Hurwitz and John McMahon's Head Cases (also narrated by Will Damron- highly recommend).
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Mar 1, 2025
My Rating: Book: 4 Stars Audio: 5 Stars
About the Author
Andrew Mayne is an artificial intelligence creative, educator and Wall Street Journal best selling author
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. WEBSITE
