The Enigma Affair: A Novel

by Charlie Lovett

Overview

New York Times bestselling author of Escaping Dreamland

When small-town librarian Patton Harcourt comes under fire one morning while making profiteroles, she has no choice but to trust the mysterious assassin, Nemo, who shows up in her kitchen. Fleeing a pair of German thugs, the two form an unlikely alliance as they try to decipher a seventy-five-year-old message encoded by Nazis on an Enigma machine. Traveling to Bletchley Park in England, they enlist the aid of Patton’s old flame, Ruthie Drinkwater, an expert on Enigma. The trio soon finds themselves on the run, pursued by both the police and Ingrid Weiss, a white supremacist trying to unlock the secret of Heinrich Himmler’s research into alchemy. If Patton, Nemo, and their cohorts can survive a host of dangers—from trained killers to explosions to imprisonment—they might be able to prevent Weiss from acquiring untold wealth to promote her racist agenda.

In this fast-paced thriller with a thoroughly researched World War II background, a mismatched cadre of heroes, including an art historian, a museum docent, and a collector of Nazi artifacts, must work together to stop a ruthless and resourceful opponent. Racing across Europe, attempting to outfox Weiss and her associates at every turn, Patton and her team mount a complex operation. But can they withstand double crosses and dark secrets from Patton’s military past to defeat Ingrid Weiss and discover the secret of Projekt Alchemie?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781665047074
Publisher:	Blackstone Publishing
Publication date:	09/06/2022
Edition description:	Large Print
Pages:	328
Sales rank:	505,539
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Charlie Lovett is the New York Times bestselling author of four previous novels, including The Bookman’s Tale and Escaping Dreamland. His academic writings include Lewis Carroll: Formed by Faith and for children he has written The Book of the Seven Spells and twenty plays that have been seen in over five thousand productions worldwide. A former antiquarian bookseller and avid book collector, he and his wife, Janice, live in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and (when the pandemic allows) in the village of Kingham in England.

Editorial Reviews

07/04/2022

This rollicking if at times overstuffed thriller from Lovett (Escaping Dreamland) opens with a bullet whizzing past the ear of librarian Patton Harcourt, an ex-military intelligence officer, at her house in Alta Vista, N.C. She’s soon joined by a man who calls himself Nemo and says he has just dispatched the assassin who took a shot at her. A coded message from a WWII Enigma machine that the pair find in a book lent to Patton by an old friend prompts them to fly to Britain, where Ruthie Drinkwater, an Enigma expert and old flame of Patton’s, helps them decode the message, which reveals that Heinrich Himmler believed his alchemy project to have been successful. They also learn that a small group of white supremacists, led by a woman whose grandfather was Himmler’s right-hand man, is after them. Patton, Nemo, and their cohorts race to prevent neo-Nazis from acquiring untold riches in what Nemo calls “the last battle of World War II.” Despite extensive backstories, the characters come off as somewhat flat, but that may not matter to readers as the pages fly by. This prose mash-up of National Treasure and Indiana Jones is fun escapist fare. Agent: Anna Worrall, Gernert Co. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

The Enigma Affair is a modern thriller with first-class historical credentials. A globetrotting page-turner where the characters take center stage. A clever librarian and an assassin named Nemo team up in a story that’s part Ken Follett, part Raiders of the Lost Ark, and as clever as anything Lovett has written. A smart roller-coaster ride from start to finish. I want more books like this one!”

author of the Livy Nash historical mysteries M. L. Huie

Wow! This is a roller coaster of a novel, and just like that ride, it delivers thrills and great heights before rolling to a satisfying conclusion. The Enigma Affair has it all: a hitman and an intelligence agent on the run, neo-Nazis, Enigma enthusiasts, broken hearts, an international chase, and a tantalizing mystery. Smashing stuff!”

author of From the Shadows and other Billy Boyle W James R. Benn

With breathtaking, brisk prose that vaults you into the story at a torrid pace, Charlie Lovett’s The Enigma Affair throws two unlikely characters together, hitman Nemo and small-town librarian Patton Harcourt, in a veritable collision of opposites, in a suspense-jammed novel that possesses a profusion of labyrinthine twists and turns that it engages on geologic levels. An accomplished writer, Lovett has a sure hand on the wheel of this densely packed thriller, and just when you think he’s going to hurl the reader into the void, he pulls back the reins and all the narrative threads dovetail into an exciting and immensely satisfying finish.”

critically acclaimed author of Sideways and The Ar Rex Pickett

In the latest from veteran literary mystery writer Charlie Lovett, a professional assassin and a librarian team up to unravel a literary mystery, decipher a coded message from WWII, and fight the fascists. This action-packed adventure gave me serious Raiders of the Lost Ark vibes.”

creator of Modern Mrs. Darcy and host of What Shou Anne Bogel

The Enigma Affair doesn’t tarry in raising the pulse of the reader with bullets and imminent danger in its opening salvo. Author Charlie Lovett blazes a path of action and intrigue where the heroes are damaged but their resolve to deter a rebooting of the Nazi days keeps them going. A nonstop thrill ride.”

Manhattan Book Review

Nicol Zanzarella portrays Patton Harcourt, a small-town librarian in North Carolina who suffers from PTSD relating to her secret history as an intelligence officer. Zanzarella captures Patton’s cool composure when her quiet morning is interrupted by sniper fire aimed at her kitchen. When she stumbles upon a plot to rediscover the Nazis’ lost formula for Project Alchemy, her pursuit of the white supremacists involved takes her to the code-breaking Enigma machine at Bletchley Park in England. Zanzarella’s serviceable British and German accents provide clarity for the story’s technical conversations and the scheming dialogue among the ruthless neo-Nazis. Zanzarella’s pace increases as Patton’s pursuit across Europe leads to the discovery of priceless artifacts and the threat of violence. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2022 - AudioFile