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    Blacklight Blue by Peter May

Blacklight Blue: Book summary and reviews of Blacklight Blue by Peter May

Blacklight Blue

Blacklight Blue
The Third Enzo Files
by Peter May
Published in USA Nov 2008,
326 pages.

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Blacklight Blue Summary

Enzo MacLeod, a Scot teaching on a faculty at Cahors in southwest France, confidently bet that he could use his expertise to crack seven notorious murders described in a book on cold cases by Parisian journalist Roger Raffin. Enzo has in fact solved the first two crimes.

But the third is far from his mind right now: he's just been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and he's become the victim of someone who seems intent on destroying his credit and his relationships - and getting him arrested for murder. This is one instance where his Scottish stubbornness might pay off.

Having established a safe house to protect his loved ones, besieged now as it were, he sets to work. Are his personal woes somehow connected to the digging he's done into the brutal murder of a rent boy in a Paris apartment sixteen years ago, as Raffin has described? What further remnants of evidence can he review - and can he stay alive long enough to catch the long-hidden killer?

Blacklight Blue Reviews

"Those already familiar with the previous two books in the series will be at an advantage." - Publishers Weekly.

"An engrossing mystery, especially for readers who like their crimes solved in foreign settings." - Library Journal.

"A cerebral, chilling tale bound to burnish May's reputation." - Kirkus Reviews.

The information about Blacklight Blue shown above was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's online-magazine that keeps our members abreast of notable and high-profile books publishing in the coming weeks. In most cases, the reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the reviews shown do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, please send us a message with the mainstream media reviews that you would like to see added.

Blacklight Blue Reader Reviews

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Rated 2 of 5 of 5 by Kevin
Blacklight Blue by Peter May
Enzo MacLeod, a Scot teaching on a faculty in southwest France, confidently bet that he could use his expertise to crack seven notorious murders described in a book on cold cases by Parisian journalist Roger Raffin. Enzo has in fact solved the first two crimes.

But the third is far from his mind right now: he has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and he has become the victim of someone who seems intent on destroying his credit and his relationships as well as getting him arrested for murder.

Having established a safe house to protect his loved ones he sets to work. Are his personal woes somehow connected to the digging he has done into the brutal murder of a boy in a Paris apartment sixteen years ago? Can he stay alive long enough to catch the long-hidden killer? This is the third installment in the series.

The plot line sounds great. The main character has worked well in other books. The author has written many novels. In my opinion this book simply falls flat.

There is a lot of violence in the book where one looks on dispassionately. The author fails to make the reader care enough about the victims to be as shocked as we should be. The best suspense in the book is in the personal lives of Enzo and his daughter not in the actual murder mystery.

I truly enjoyed the descriptions of Strasbourg and Paris, France. The author did a good job of bringing the city to life. The setting for the book is very well done.

Overall, I felt the writing did not flow well. A chapter is ended without pulling the reader to the next chapter. It was supposed to be a thriller but failed to thrill me. I gave this book 2 out of 5 stars.

Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by 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!

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Stephen
Enzo rides again with great success...
I have never been a big fan of authors who stick to writing series on the same character such as Cornwell with Scarpetta. I recognize that these type of series get large fan followers however I feel it limits authors in their imaginative approach to writing. Peter May has his own series here with the Enzo MacLeod character.

With 'Blacklight Blue' it is my introduction to May and his MacLeod series. I was very impressed with May's characters and how true to life they come across with their day to day challenges of life. Enzo is not your super sleuth but is a flawed character that you grow to like.

In 'Blacklight Blue' he is being stalked by a person that wants to ruin his life by affecting the people around him. The goal is to steer Enzo away from trying to solve a series of cold cases referenced in a book by his daughter's boyfriend. I was impressed by how well the forensics breakdown was done.

The book has short chapters much like the Spencer series by Parker. It's an easy read but very well done and extremely entertaining. I think I'm going to go and get the first two books in this series to see if they equal this one in suspense and entertainment.

Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by 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.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Penny
Blacklight Blue
I am a fan of all the TV cold case shows, so when I saw this book had to do with solving cold cases, I knew I would probably like it. This is the first book I have read by Peter May and I will definitely read more. I took this book with me on a beach vacation and it was the perfect read. I couldn't put it down. If you like mysteries, this one should be on your list to read. Peter May did a great job of keeping this story interesting. I thought at first the "French" words would distract me, since I am not a fan of reading books where I need to translate words into English; however, they did not. This is a book I will recommend to my "mystery reading book club." There were many characters and situations that would make for great discussions.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Sharon
Blacklight Blue
Blacklight Blue is a highly entertaining thriller featuring Enzo MacLeod in his third and latest installment.

With Enzo as the prime suspect in a murder, he is led down a path of deception and intrigue throughout France, Spain and London.

May’s vivid imagery, fully dimensional characters and unexpected humor completely draw the reader into the story. Although Enzo is portrayed as a roguish, impulsive ladies man, the loyalty towards his daughters proves him quite endearing.

It is an exciting and colorful book that would make a great movie.

...12 more reader reviews

Peter May Author Biography

Photo: Domi Photographe

Peter May won the Scottish Young Journalist of the Year Award at the age of 21, and had his first novel published at 26. He then left journalism and became one of Scotland's most successful and prolific television dramatists. By the age of 30 he had created two major TV series, The Standard and Squadron, for the British television network, the BBC. He went on to gather more than 1000 TV credits in fifteen years, creating and writing major drama serials for both BBC and ITV in the UK: including the ground-breaking Gaelic serial Machair, which he also produced.

Returning now to novels, the six novels in his outstanding China Thrillers series have won critical acclaim. To research the series, Peter May makes annual trips to China. With an...

... Full Biography
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