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THE ENZO FILES SERIES
“Enzo
MacLeod is one of the most unusual crime solvers I have ever met;
sort
of a cross between James Bond and Inspector Clouseau.”
BookBrowse
Enzo Macleod is half-Scottish, half-Italian.
A former forensic scientist, he now lives in France and works as a
university professor in Toulouse.
As the result of a wager, he becomes involved in solving old French
‘cold cases’ using the latest technology.
But where there are unsolved murders, there are killers desperate to
protect their freedom and keep their identities undiscovered; and Enzo
soon finds that a lifetime in laboratories hardly equips him for the
life-threatening situations he encounters.
Enzo’s investigations benefit from his formidable intellect but are
often hampered by his lack of patience and tact, his zero tolerance of
French bureaucrats and his very complicated emotional life.
The mix of thrills, suspense and humour in the Enzo Files was summed up
by one reviewer who described Enzo as:
“sort of a cross between James Bond
and Inspector Clouseau”
#1
Dry Bones (first published as Extraordinary People)
Dry Bones (first published as
Extraordinary People)
gives an insight into the arcane world of France’s ruling intellectual
elite. A complex puzzle sends Enzo on a scavenger hunt around
France for body parts. It has been praised for its ingenuity and
thrilling denouement in the catacombs of Paris.
"A
sharp
edged
tale
woven
with the intricacy of a spider's web.
Intelligent, involved, and ingenious"
Steve Berry (Author of THE
TEMPLAR LEGACY, THE THIRD SECRET, THE ROMANOV PROHECY and THE AMBER
ROOM)
"Read
an astoundingly good book the other day. Just outstanding.
...As
much
an
examination
of
French intellectual culture as a thrilling and tension-filled mystery,
the novel is filled with multi-dimensional flawed individuals.
The author's examination of society and the human condition is
fascinating and enthralling. The
conclusion is as exciting and entertaining as one could ask for.
A dynamite novel and a fine beginning to
what promises to be an
outstanding crime fiction series."
Carl Brookins (Author of
THE CASE OF THE GREEDY LAWYERS, OLD SILVER, A SUPERIOR MYSTERY and
INNER PASSAGES)
“Intelligent,
ever-moving
and
beautifully
written, it is the best book I have read
this year. I highly recommend it!!”
Barbara Douglas, Murder By The Book
"May
provides
abundant
local
color and writes with measured authority.
The results are as engaging as they are cerebral."
Kirkus Reviews
"excellent
reading...
Peter May has
created not only a fast paced, cerebral mystery that keeps you guessing
right down to the final pages, but he has also introduced a very
likeable protagonist in Enzo Macleod.
The first in
what promises to be an extraordinary mystery series, you'll want to get
in on the ground floor and become acquainted with Macleod at the getgo!"
"I Love A
Mystery" Newsletter
"This is
possibly the best crafted mystery we’ve reviewed in 2006. It’s all
there: clues, red herrings, fractured relationships, dangerous
romances, and much more. We rated this excellent mystery a max five
hearts."
HeartlandReviews.com
"...an excellent novel that will keep you
in suspense all the way ... Hopefully Peter May will follow-up this
book with future adventures of Enzo MacLeod."
Patricia Reid,
BooksNBytes.com
"Peter May's
"Extraordinary People" is an extraordinary novel ... Action escalates
at every turn and becomes breathtaking at the denouement."
Mary Ann Smyth,
Bookloons
"brisk and
thrilling ... the layers of complexity bode well for future
installments."
The Baltimore
Sun
"May paces his
tale of a burst-open cold case with teasingly professional precision"
DIBS
"Lots of
twists and turns. Fast-paced. Lots of energy throughout the book."
Ollie’s world
of books
"the
intriguing first book in a series of thrillers set in modern France by
talented author Peter May ... The presumed premise for this series,
celebrated unsolved murders, is a captivating one"
Hidden
Staircase Mystery Books
"This taughtly
written thriller moves from the catacombs under Paris through the
countryside surrounding this great city. I found it hard to put
down."
Linda Walonen,
Bay Books, San Ramon CA
"Twists, turns
and a whirl wind tour of France ... smart and engaging ... Peter May
does a wonderful job ... This is an intelligent story that every
mystery fan should read."
Sondra Fowler
for ReaderViews.com
"As a fan of
forensics, this reader finds the interpretation of the clues a
highlight to the high-paced adventure."
MyShelf.com
"The climax is
a fabulous finale that will leave readers clamoring for more inquiries
by the Professor and his team."
Midwest Book
Review
"a suspenseful
engrossing read, and well worth the time to join the chase"
CrimeSpree
Magazine
"a
fun
and
fascinating book"
The San Jose
Mercury News
"action-packed
second half and rather thrilling denouement in the catacombs of Paris"
Entertainment
Weekly
"this
travelogue–cum–murder mystery makes for a fun puzzle"
Publisher's
Weekly
"a thoroughly
engaging puzzle mystery"
Library Journal
"I read THE
FIREMAKER and loved it. I'm also reading an ARC of EXTRAORDINARY
PEOPLE from Poison Pen Press and find it very hard to put down!!"
Deb Andolino,
Aliens & Alibis
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#2
A Vintage
Corpse (first published
as The Critic)
A Vintage Corpse (first published as
The Critic)
involves the murder of a celebrated wine critic and takes
place among the vineyards of the Gaillac region. Peter took a
course in wine-tasting and oenology (and drank a lot of wine...) to
ensure authenicity - such devotion to duty!
"a finely crafted and surprising
mystery."
Kirkus Reviews
“Oenophiles and fans of CBS’s ‘Cold
Case’ will relish [The Critic]...
a full-bodied, satisfying read.”
Publishers Weekly
“This is a nice series, out of the
ordinary, and May presents his
protagonist warts and all! ... McLeod is a delightful protagonist –
stubborn, insightful, occasionally foolhardy, totally at odds in his
relationships with the women in his life, and a very pleasant addition
to current suspense fiction.”
CrimeSpree Magazine
“Peter May has written an excellent
novel with “The Critic”. He
manages to successfully incorporate mystery, suspense, humor and a
little romance into one great plot.”
Reader Views
“a superb tale that will send readers
seeking [Enzo’s] previous
starring role (see EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE). Enzo is fabulous as he uses
all his forensic skills seeking the motive ... a wonderful whodunit”
GenreGoRound
“The mystery is there, and the ending
a shock”
Library
Journal
“The
characters are richly drawn, and Enzo in particular is a wonderful
protagonist.”
Mystery
Books Review
“What a
great new book ... Suspenseful? Oh, yes. Thrilling? Some of that
too. Great characters? For sure. A really good plot? Without saying.
Action? Plenty. A good book? You betcha. Don't miss it.”
Bookloons
“The action
is good, the mystery is thoughtful... thoroughly enjoyable... Plenty of
winemaking information and lore adds local color and atmosphere making
The Critic a sure to please mystery for everyone.”
The Mystery
Reader
"Rich with
the traditions of this Southern France winemaking region, this is a
mystery with Gallic flavor to be to be savored."
Mystery
Scene Magazine
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#3
Blacklight Blue

The third book
in the Enzo Files series is
Blacklight Blue,
in which the hunter becomes the hunted as Enzo finds himself targeted
by someone who seems intent on destroying him and his entire family...
"A
cerebral,
chilling
tale
bound
to burnish May's reputation.”
Kirkus Reviews
"May's dark, intense third mystery
to feature Scottish forensic scientist Enzo Macleod... an unusually
compelling ongoing saga”
Publishers Weekly
"This complicated tale weaves
threads of the past into the present...
An
engrossing mystery"
Library Journal
"Another
excellent story in May's series... But there is a lot more of substance
in this emotional tale.
It will
entertain, mystify and perplex, right up to the very end.”
Carl Brookins
"an intricate
plot that does not fail to deliver...
keeps you
guessing until its nail-biting ending”
Shine
Entertainment Reviews
"there's a
fascinating cold case, Enzo's lady friends and family members and their
friends (all drawn with care and warts), somebody trying to kill all of
the above, chases, wonderful scenery, and lots of other good
stuff. After deciding I wasn't going to like this book, I read it
in one sitting...couldn't put it down. You won't be able to
resist it either.”
Kay Muther,
DorothyL
"a superb cold
case whodunit.”
Genre Go Round
Reviews
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#4
Freeze Frame

A
promise made to a dead man, leads Enzo to an island off the coast of
Brittany, where the man's study has lain untouched for more than 20
years. In this claustrophobic environment, Enzo must unravel the
clues to the murdered that the man has left in plain sight. Enzo
must confront the hostility of locals who have no desire to see the
infamous murder back in the headlines. An attractive widow, a man
charged but acquitted of the murder--but still the viable suspect, a
crime scene frozen in time, a dangerous hell hole by the cliffs, and a
collection of impenetrable messages, make this one of Enzo's most
difficult cases.
"The author of the much
acclaimed "China
Thrillers" surpasses himself here in misdirection, placing clues in
plain sight and leaving the reader anticipating the fifth entry in this
outstanding series."
Library Journal (starred
review)
"May’s excellent fourth Enzo McLeod
mystery... With its intricate plot,
compelling characters, and bombshell denouement, this unsettling Enzo
Files installment is a must-read."
Publishers Weekly (starred
review)
"The formula is a neat one, going
back to the golden age of detective
fiction... Although May obviously (and justifiably) prides himself on
his grasp of the plot mechanics, something must be said for his vivid
settings, which remove the story from the library and send it out into
the wide, wide world."
New York Times
Named "One of the Best Mysteries of
2010"
by Omnimystery
News Mysterious Reviews
"outstanding" "I rated the first book
in the series, Extraordinary People among the best I read in 2006, but
I think this entry may be better."
"an outstanding mystery, coupling the
best aspects of a whodunit with those of a investigative procedural"
"The puzzle is intricate, the
investigation and observational deductive reasoning by Enzo flawless."
Mysterious Reviews
"We are in the presence of a writer
in complete control of his subject
and his characters, and not just at the level of day to day activity.
This is a truly multi-level work with thoughtful excursions into the
painful inner lives of the characters, even as we follow them to
inevitable and tragic conclusions. A most satisfying novel."
Carl
Brookins
"Spending time
with Peter May's charming and clever Enzo Macleod in Brittany is pure
pleasure. In May's fourth installment of the Enzo Files series, the
remote Ile de Groix, with its turbulent coast, rough weather, and
laconic and secretive residents, tests Macleod intellectually and
physically as he attempts to solve a case so cold it's frigid... the
truth hidden inside the mystery of Freeze Frame is fascinating and Enzo
Macleod is great fun to hang out with."
Bookbrowse
"fast-paced...
The
Enzo
Files are a great series that is four for four."
Genre Go
Round Reviews
"This
mystery is rich in story development and characterization... enticing
the reader to become a fan of this cerebral series.”
Enid
Grabiner for RebeccasReads.com
"Peter May
knows how to make his characters come alive and how to make us see the
setting... Everyone appears well delineated and in a few words we see
part of their lives."
Reviewing
the Evidence
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#5
Blowback
When France's top chef, Marc
Fraysse, summoned the world's press to make a shattering announcement,
rumors abounded that he was about to lose one of his three coveted
Michelin stars. Instead, on arrival at his remote restaurant on a
volcanic plateau in central France, they were greeted with the news
that the troubled genius had been murdered, and the message he intended
to deliver was never made. Seven years on, the identity of his
killer also remains an enigma.
Enzo Macleod takes on his fifth cold
case and delves into the big business and high stakes of French haute
cuisine. As winter sets in, and snow gathers along a volcanic
horizon, he retraces long cold footsteps across a remote hilltop.
But unravelling the complex web of relationships that surrounded the
brilliant and mercurial chef - a spurned lover, a jealous wife, an
estranged brother, an embittered food critic--also leads to strange
parallels with his own life. And in opening up this celebrated
cold case, he finds himself reopening old wounds from his past.
"May's flair for narrative,
characterization and evocative descriptions of various locales and
historic tidbits ... fresh and delightfully readable — catnip for
armchair sleuths."
Kirkus
*STARRED REVIEW*
"Caught up in the various threads, readers
are lulled into a false sense of knowing where the tale is heading
until May pulls the rug out from under them."
Library Journal
*STARRED REVIEW*
"...[leaves]
the reader anticipating the fifth entry in this outstanding series"
Library Journal
(review of
Audio Version)
"Peter May is
one of the best mystery writers on the market today"
The Mystery
Gazette
"As we have
come to expect from these stories, the plot has its share of twists,
love connections and dangerous encounters, all of which keep the reader
eagerly turning the pages (hence my single-sitting completion)...
mouth-watering
descriptions ... an
insider’s peak into the melodrama, creativity and hard work involved in
earning and maintaining 3 Michelin stars ...
...another
solid whodunit that is both well-conceived and creatively told"
Examiner.com
"this
detective mystery will please a wide-range of lovers of suspense
novels. Enzo is a dynamic character dealing with not only the cold
case, but also some very personal issues in his life. And he does it
with great style. Enjoy!"
Fresh Fiction
"Peter May has
done it again!! (...) This book is well plotted and beautifully
written. Peter May has a series that is a winner!"
Janie's Reads
"excellent
writing and excellent story ... mouth watering descriptions of food and
wine"
Mysteries Etc
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(In the USA,
Click here to support
your local independent mystery store by ordering Peter's books from one
of them)
or order from:
Award-winning author, Peter May
has two critically-acclaimed series of books currently being published
in the USA and worldwide.
The
China Thrillers, a series of six books featuring Beijing
detective Li Yan and Margaret Campbell, forensic pathologist from
Chicago; and
The Enzo Files, a
series
of
seven
books
featuring
Scottish
forensic scientist, Enzo MacLeod, who lives in France, teaches
at a universtity in Toulouse, and is working on solving seven of
France's most famous cold cases by applying the latest scientific
techniques.
Click here
to find out more