Enigma is the twenty-first thriller by Catherine Coulter featuring Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock but, admittedly, the first I have read. The novel is divided between two plots. In the first, she raises interesting ethical questions about human medical testing. A seemingly insane young man holds a pregnant woman, Kara Moody, hostage claiming he is there to protect her from some unspecified danger. When Savich arrives, he assesses the man’s erratic behaviour as a threat to the woman and, fearing for her life, he shoots him. The young man is taken to the hospital where he remains in a coma. Kara gives birth to a son at the same hospital shortly after. The next day the baby is kidnapped and an attempt is made on the young man’s life.

The second plot is a more typical thriller although very topical. The girlfriend of the president’s Chief of Staff’s son is murdered. Then a bank robber known as Manta Ray escapes while en route to prison. Somehow, as Savich looks into the escape, he begins to believe that these two seemingly disparate events are, in fact, related.

Enigma is a real rollercoaster ride full of suspense, intrigue, action, and constant twists and turns. The chapters alternate between the two different plots but Coulter handles these changes with aplomb assuring that the reader never gets lost in the shuffle. Although this was my introduction to the series, it worked very well as a standalone. I am definitely looking forward to reading more of this series in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review