Following MASTERMIND, Andrew Mayne once again has brought together the protagonists from two of his acclaimed series: computational biologist Dr. Theo Cray and magician turned FBI agent Jessica Blackwood.

THE FINAL EQUINOX will involve Theo and Jessica in a potential conspiracy that has cosmic consequences, including possible proof of intelligent life at the far reaches of our solar system. Theo is barely finished with a case involving a deadly AI when he receives a mysterious phone call from someone claiming to require his expertise in person. They are unwilling to indicate who they are working on behalf of, but they make it clear that money is no object.

"This mix of science, thrills and intrigue calls to mind the work of James Rollins and Michael Crichton. THE FINAL EQUINOX has it all and shows why Mayne is one of the brightest talents working in the thriller field today."

Theo is taken to a location somewhere in the desert and is questioned hard by a small panel about his belief in UAPs, or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. Once he is offered a contract for his services, based on his honest answers, Theo discovers that the benefactor of this mysterious getaway is none other than billionaire Thomas T. Theismann, who has spent a fortune trying to prove the existence of intelligent life in the universe.

Once Theo meets the rest of the team, as well as the experts working at the site, he learns that they claim to have received an audio response from somewhere around the planet Neptune from a message they had sent out into space. Theo, of course, brings immediate speculation to the proceedings, which is what they want from him. Further exploration reveals that the message may have been speaking to a location on earth, somewhere amidst the Incan ruins. Theo’s next stop will be to the jungles of Guatemala to confirm this.

Theo and an archaeologist named Trevor plan their journey to the GPS point where this supposed communication originated. The contact they receive back has come from someone or something called Seeker, and the message sounds too benign to Theo to be anything but computer- or AI-generated. During all of this, he needs to reach out for assistance from the outside world for some information he knows he will not get while with the Theismann people. A coded message sent to his old colleague, Jessica, has her do research on the man he was brought in to replace: Dr. David Ikeda, who allegedly died at his own hand.

Theo and Trevor return to their base in the desert, and it is here where Theo decides to bring in Jessica as security detail since his mission in the jungle turns fairly dangerous. Theo and Jessica believe there is something else going on, something far more sinister than mere deep space communication. Is the elderly Theismann even aware of a potential conspiracy, or is something legitimately unprecedented taking place and an unknown party is seeking to cover it up?

Reading any Andrew Mayne novel is pure enjoyment. His own experiences with AI, as well as his prior career as a magician, mean that he always has something up his sleeve. This mix of science, thrills and intrigue calls to mind the work of James Rollins and Michael Crichton. THE FINAL EQUINOX has it all and shows why Mayne is one of the brightest talents working in the thriller field today.