I was so excited to find that Charlie Lovett, a favorite author of mine, had a new book coming out, but I'm sad to say this one fell a little flat for me. I'm used to the other books Lovett has written being mysteries with storylines that take place in the past and the present, and I've always loved that about his other works. The Enigma Affair, however, falls much more into the thriller genre, which isn't really my cup of tea. So through no fault of Mr. Lovett's, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped I would. However, if you're a fan of WWII mysteries/thrillers, I'd be willing to bet this book would be right up your street!

One note on the fun addition of encrypted text, which I hope won't be spoiler-y: I was expecting something more interesting when I decrypted it, but in the end it was interesting to have a chance to actually use an Enigma emulator after reading so much about the original machine throughout the book.

Many thanks to Blackstone Publishing for the eARC of this novel, provided in exchange for a review.

Librarian, Patton Harcourt is spending the morning baking treats for her elderly neighbor, Jasper when a bullet whistles past her heard. The bag of flour explodes and the new fridge takes the second bullet. Thanks to her Army experience Patton dodges a bullet. When the suspected assassian, Nemo confronts her, the hunt for Nazi sympathizers begins. Joining forces with Nemo after Jasper is found dead and the local sheriff is killed this adventure takes Patton from North Carolina and through Europe in an attempt to capture and expose the people looking for Himmler's gold in order to fund the resurrection of Hitler's racial cleansing. Patton, Nemo and assorted confederates have to decode a message using an Enigma machine before the neo-Nazis do. The cast of characters is terrific and each is well-drawn. Lovett often writes about books and links them with rip roaring adventures This one is a quantum speed page-turner that will have you holding your breath!

The Characters are wonderful in this WW 2 Thriller. It is a fast-paced book of secret codes and an unlikely partnership. Definitely a 5 star read for me.

Patton's world is upended when she finds herself ducking for cover in her kitchen. Paid assassin Nemo's mark is dead, but not by Nemo's hand. The book Jean received as returned Nazi loot was not her grandfathers, but was stolen from a library in the Czech Republic. The book was already in the collection Jean had inherited.

Patton, Nemo, and Jean look for answers related to their own mysteries in this intricately plotted tale. Great for fans of literary adventure and historical fiction.

Patton Harcourt is from a long line of United States military veterans, but her last engagement left some other soldiers killed and she left the army under a bit of a cloud and her memory cloudy. So, while hiding in North Carolina she is not surprised when she is shot at, but is surprised by her rescuer, an assassin named Nemo who was hired to kill an elderly World War II veteran Jasper Fleming, who was a sort of friend. Meanwhile art history professor Jean Simpson, whose grandfather was murdered at Dachau, receives a mysterious gift of a book from Ingrid Weiss who writes that she belongs to Columbia House Enterprises, and that they return books to heirs of victims of the Nazis. All of the characters are now searching for clues to a message sent by the enigma code that Jasper had taken from a German soldier and travel through England to Germany to Italy to Switzerland and back to Germany. This message relates to Himmler and an alchemy project of his during the war to turn base substances to gold. There are many unsavory, untrustworthy, violent characters in this suspenseful tale full of historical detail and treasure hunting. There is also perhaps a warning of how a powerful person or small group can impose their will on the world. Fortunately, Patton and her diverse sort of allies are out there, and I hope for a sequel. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.