Night Owl

Long a fan of Andrew Mayne, I eagerly accepted this book, which begins an exciting new series. A retired American spy finds himself pulled back into the life when he witnesses a prototype airplane explode and the CEO barely escape death. Brad Trasker may have a unique way of keeping things organized, but he’s top-notch when it comes to deducing plans and how things fit together.

As he pulls himself deeper into the investigation, Trasker uncovers just how deep things run. A great start by Mayne that is sure to keep readers pushing on.

After serving his country for many years, Brad Trasker is retired from the world of espionage, with a number of regrets to add to his resumé. After being invited to a next-gen aircraft launch, Trasker finds himself chatting with the company CEO, Kylie Connor. Soon thereafter, the aircraft explodes and Connor is almost engulfed in the flames. Something’s happened and mechanical error does not seem plausible. 

Connor immediately pulls Trasker in to help identify what’s happened and who might be behind the explosion. The mystery gains some momentum when Trasker digs a little deeper and finds that the aircraft is not entirely unique, in that it has tied to old Soviet-era plans. All of Connor’s data is missing and some close to her on the investment side turn up dead.  With a missing engineer to add to the mix, Trasker will have to pull on all he knows, and a great deal that he does not, to piece things together. 

With motive still very diluted, Trasker combs through data and follow some leads in order to make sense of everything, all while being forced to watch his back. Is this the Russians, the Chinese? Could there be a domestic angle? Trasker will stop at nothing to make sense of it all as he tries to keep Kylie Connor alive for as long ad the investigation takes. Mayne at his best in this powerful new series!

Andrew Mayne has a variety of life experiences, using them to fill his writing and pull the reader into the middle. I have quite enjoyed some of his past work, so I was ready to fully commit to this new series. Mayne takes his time to develop things with ease, laying the groundwork in a strong narrative and decent characters, before taking the plunge for all to truly see his abilities. With Brad Trasker and his unique take on memory compartmentalisation, Mayne has developed a character about whom the reader will want to learn over time. Plots develop and weave through action, mystery, and espionage genres to get to the heart of the matter. Mayne’s use of titled rather than numbered chapters provides the reader with a chance to get lost in the writing and novels be fully aware of where things are headed.  I highly enjoy this type of story and hope to see Brad Trasker back again soon, for all to enjoy!

Kudos, Mr. Mayne, for expanding your abilities and series reach yet again.