Enigma

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This was my firstbook by Catherine Coulter. My late mother was a huge fan. When she passed away,  I inherited an extensive collection of hardback books by this author. I knew Enigma was 21st in the series going in but I thought it might be a good way to decide if I should read the others. I will be diving into those soon!

Side note: I actually met Catherine at a RWA conference a few years ago. She was one of the few authors I've ever seen standing on the outside of her table. She shook my hand and introduced herself then signed a book to my mom. I still remember how impressed I was with her friendly demeanor. 

Back to Enigma, this book reads like a fast-paced crime show. The scenes cut between the two storylines with a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter that keeps the reader deeply engaged.  I truly enjoyed the pacing and plot-twists.

I did struggle to keep up with the massive amount of characters. I'm sure if I had read the previous books, that would not have been a problem. I also felt like the character development depended too much on the reader's prior knowledge or lack of, as in my case. That kept me from fully experiencing their emotions and interactional nuances. But, I still liked them and want to get to know all of them better.

It made me miss my mom. I'd love to have been able to ask her the history of the characters. I'm sure she would have known. 

My only disappointment with this read was that I expected to the two storylines to become intertwined. I kept trying to piece that together in my mind and was frustrated when I realized the two crimes were unrelated.

I would definitely recommend this book to my friends who love thrillers and I look forward to tackling Catherine Coutler's backlist.