Sometimes titled Extraordinary People.

Peter May is a good writer.

This book reminded me a bit of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, a scavenger hunt for clues to a murder.

In this book, half-Scottish, half-Italian Enzo MacLeod used to be one of the top forensics experts in Scotland, and now he lives in Toulouse, working as a university professor.

Divorced in Scotland and widowed in France, he has an estranged Scottish daughter and a French daughter he has raised by himself.

Enzo foolishly enters into a bet that he can solve the cold case of a murder (disappearance?) 10 years past.

He follows a series clues deliberately left behind by a killer.

The first half of the book I found entertaining with many surprising and quirky situations. But ultimately it’s hilariously over-the-top. A bit embarrassing for such a skilled wordsmith.

The even bigger problem for me is Enzo MacLeod himself. Quick to anger. Quicker to drink. He’s an unlikable jerk. And not as smart as he thinks.

I might carry on to the second book in the Enzo Files Series.