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A review by markhoh
Extraordinary People by Peter May
3.0
I became a fan of Peter May through reading The Lewis Trilogy so have been keen to read some more of his books and thought I would give the Enzo Macleod series a go.
I’m a bit mixed with this one having just finished it and while it was a page turner whodunit that is meticulously written with incredible detail and evident research, somehow it didn’t stand out to me as anything amazing. I kind of feel like the content is a bit tried and true and that May has followed a fairly typical formula for writing a thriller.
Enzo Macleod is a Scottish man living in France a forensic expert who has entered into a wager to solve seven unsolved crimes as detailed by journalist Roger Raffin. Crimes committed prior to the days of extensive forensic technology. I quite like that premise for a series and the first crime to solve involves the ten year old disappearance of Jacques Gaillard, once advisor to the Prime Minister of France. What ensues is almost like a scavenger hunt around the country to solve this mystery, piecing seemingly random clues together to determine locations and people involved. It’s certainly a thrilling ride around France and i found myself following the trail on google maps and fact checking throughout which I really like to do.
Enzo is a likeable enough character but he lacks the depth of Fin Macleod from the Lewis Trilogy. There are a few cliche characters and plot threads around each, and I found myself thinking, “ah yes, there’s the daughter who doesn’t want a bar of her dad”, and “there’s the boyfriend who isn’t good enough who ultimately saves the day”.
Overall this was a good read. I am in awe of Peter May’s depth of research and skill in putting a good story together. I’ll give this three stars and looking forward to more of this series down the track.
I’m a bit mixed with this one having just finished it and while it was a page turner whodunit that is meticulously written with incredible detail and evident research, somehow it didn’t stand out to me as anything amazing. I kind of feel like the content is a bit tried and true and that May has followed a fairly typical formula for writing a thriller.
Enzo Macleod is a Scottish man living in France a forensic expert who has entered into a wager to solve seven unsolved crimes as detailed by journalist Roger Raffin. Crimes committed prior to the days of extensive forensic technology. I quite like that premise for a series and the first crime to solve involves the ten year old disappearance of Jacques Gaillard, once advisor to the Prime Minister of France. What ensues is almost like a scavenger hunt around the country to solve this mystery, piecing seemingly random clues together to determine locations and people involved. It’s certainly a thrilling ride around France and i found myself following the trail on google maps and fact checking throughout which I really like to do.
Enzo is a likeable enough character but he lacks the depth of Fin Macleod from the Lewis Trilogy. There are a few cliche characters and plot threads around each, and I found myself thinking, “ah yes, there’s the daughter who doesn’t want a bar of her dad”, and “there’s the boyfriend who isn’t good enough who ultimately saves the day”.
Overall this was a good read. I am in awe of Peter May’s depth of research and skill in putting a good story together. I’ll give this three stars and looking forward to more of this series down the track.