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Blacklight Blue by Peter May

Blacklight Blue

The Third Enzo Files

by Peter May

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  • Nov 2008, 326 pages
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Bill Johnson

Litter of bodies
Wonderful descriptions of interesting places to see on the internet. A story that has no reason to exist. The complicated narcissist/idiot who is the center of this tale should have been disposed of by Richard/Ricky/Yves before the story began. Instead his convoluted escapade causes killings and a suicide and much personal torment carries us nowhere but the justification of his celebrity.
Power Reviewer
Cloggie Downunder

dramatic climax
Blacklight Blue is the third book in the Enzo Macleod Investigation series by Scottish journalist, screenwriter and author, Peter May. It all happens very quickly: a nasty prognosis from his oncologist, an attempt on his daughter Kirsty’s life, then he and Kirsty are mugged, and their credit cards stop working. The gym of his daughter Sophie’s boyfriend is burnt down, and then Enzo is arrested for murder.

Of course, Enzo has not murdered anyone, but there is trace evidence and his alibi falls apart. Whoever is trying to frame him, though, hasn’t counted on the loyalty of his family, close friends and his star student, Nicole. And when he learns how the victim was killed, he understands that the murderer is the perpetrator of another of the unsolved cases from Roger Raffin’s book.

To keep those he loves (and their attachments) safe, Enzo moves the whole group to a vacant alpine house in Miramont owned by a woman who picked him up in a bar. From there, Nicole uses her tech skills to learn more while Enzo connects with the retired police commissaire and gets to examine seventeen-year-old evidence. Using modern technology, a voice recording, a bottle of pills and human secretions on a sweater provide information previously unavailable.

What follows for Enzo is quite a lot of travel, to Paris, London, Spain and southern France, as he traces a 1992 assassination to a 1986 identity theft to a 1970 kidnapping before a dramatic climax at a cable car station in a deserted ski resort. As well as demonstrating the title technique, May gives the reader a peek into the workings of the French Foreign Legion, and shows how expertise in spoken language can pinpoint the speaker’s origins.

While he is no doubt feeling a little sorry for himself at the time, Enzo does allow himself to be rather easily led by his male appendage, and even though he finds the murderer, if not the motive, in a third case from Raffin’s book, it seems there are now two parties with Enzo Macleod in their sights, so there’s plenty of scope for further books in the series; fans will be looking forward to #4, Freeze Frame.
Bonnie

Mystery with a Twist
Looking for a good 'whodunnit' mystery with a few twists? Then, this is the book for you. Written in an easy-to-read style with an Eastern European setting, there are enough characters and swift transitions to keep you on your toes. Not only could I visualize the scenes and scenery, the infusion of the French language adds a decorative flair throughout. Definitely an enjoyable read!
Pamela

Enjoyable to read.
I enjoyed reading this book. It kept my interest & was easy reading. I like the way you are able to get to know each character. They come to be friends or enemies. It was a good twist in the story and surprise to find out about Anna.
Maureen

Blacklight Blue
This is a mature mystery that took me awhile to really get into. However, once you understand how the author is approaching the story, you realize how well written it is. The author has a marvelous method of describing the people and the various places where the actions take place. Being set in many locals in Western Europe has added to the richness of the story. Besides the cold case mystery itself, there are very interesting backgrounds of each of the characters and their relationships with one another. A good read!
Carolyn

Good, but....
This book certainly held my attention but I found it a bit convoluted. I liked the characters well enough that I wanted to know them better and I liked the writing well enough to buy the first two books in this series. But the ending left me unsatisfied; I kept looking for more pages that might have been left out of my copy :). There would be a lot to discuss, if only to try to deconstruct the plot in order to figure it out. I think mystery readers would enjoy reading it, but it's not a 'cozy'.
Harriette

Blacklight Blue
Enzo MacLeod is a professor of forensics, helping a journalist to solve "cold cases". When he comes too close to a solution of a 20 year-old murder, he becomes the target and the chase is on. In the style of one of my favorite mystery writers, Harlan Coben, he keeps us guessing all the way through with twists and turns to keep us interested. Some of the characters were not fleshed out enough, but all in all, a good, not great read. I'm interested enough in this author to try some of his previous efforts.
Rachelle

Fantastic
Having never read the previous Enzo novels I was pleased to find that the book, the 3rd in a series, was readable as a stand alone novel. Peter May takes you on a thrilling mystery tour where just when you think you have it figured out it turns out that you're not even close. The characters felt well developed and the mystery inside a mystery kept me guessing for most of the book. I look forward to reading more from Mr. May in the future.
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