Dark Pattern by Andrew Mayne – Review

Published: October 15, 2019

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Series: The Naturalist #4

Genre: Mystery

Pages: 318 (Paperback)

My Rating: 3.5/5.0

Synopsis:

Dr. Theo Cray is on the hunt for a killer nurse, and redemption, in a mind-bending psychological thriller by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Naturalist.

Dr. Theo Cray has a legendary mathematical knack for catching serial killers. Until his exposure to a mind-altering pathogen knocks him off his game. It has upended an investigation, destroyed his reputation, and left him to question his own sanity. One person still trusts him to finish the job. His former professor Amanda Paulson is helping point Cray down a logical path to his prey: a nomadic health-care worker whose murder spree stretches back decades and whose victims number in the hundreds.

Never more desperate to save innocent lives, and to save himself, Cray follows each new lead around the world. But with his own grip on reality slipping away, Cray knows that to follow the pattern of an elusive killer, he must also confront his own dark side. In those dangerous shadows, he can find what he’s hunting. For Cray, venturing into a world without reason is going to be the most frightening journey of his life.

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Contains spoilers for Murder Theory and Dark Pattern – read at your own discretion!

Theo Cray is back again, just trying to live his life and hopefully not turn into a crazed murderer when his frontal lobe (or whatever) turns to swiss cheese. His version of normalcy lasted about twelve pages and then he was off on a search for a serial killer nurse. 

Theo really hasn’t changed drastically since the first book, though he’s gotten much more comfortable doing illegal things to get answers. He’s rash, cocky, and just doesn’t take no for an answer. He gives me secondhand stress and embarrassment due to his actions. It’s a little ridiculous to be honest but I just can’t stop reading these books!

Like I said, this time Theo is after a killer nurse but instead of doing all his research and being more low-key about things he makes himself look like an idiot and starts pointing fingers without a sufficient amount of research and evidence. He jets off to the Caribbean to investigate a lead, finds a body (he’s great at that), and basically gets kicked off the island. Theo’s somewhat erratic and by the end of the book I just thought, “this guy’s gone off the deep end”. I thought for sure he’d gone completely mad and was on the verge of a murderous rampage thanks to the contagion he may have been exposed to in Murder Theory, but then you this huge twist right at the end. Now I can’t wait to see if there will be further Theo Cray stories! 

If you want a twisted, stressful book with pseudo-science and serial killers definitely check out this series. It’s certainly not for everyone but it stands out and is nothing if not memorable. Theo isn’t the most likable of main characters, but dang, if you don’t end up feeling for him anyway. I will say, this is not the strongest book in the series – that title goes to The Naturalist and Looking Glass but each is unique.