What do you think?
Rate this book
The Identity Enigma
Couples, Kyra and Nils and Jess and Lukas who are all in Stockholm, arrange to meet up. However, when Lukas receives an urgent phone call, their night out has to be postponed.
While on a trip to Ethiopia for work, Cole, Lukas’ best friend has been involved in an accident and is flown home, seriously hurt. Lukas and Jess fly back to Manchester to support Cole’s wife, Sofia.
As Cole begins to recover, Lukas becomes increasingly unsettled as he doesn’t recognise his friend, convinced there is something different about him, but has no idea what it is. The more time that passes, the more uncomfortable Lukas becomes with the uncharacteristic decisions his friend makes. Eventually he asks his journalist friends Kyra and Nils to try to investigate to uncover the mystery.
The three couples’ lives are thrown into a journey of lies and deception as the story unfolds.
While on a trip to Ethiopia for work, Cole, Lukas’ best friend has been involved in an accident and is flown home, seriously hurt. Lukas and Jess fly back to Manchester to support Cole’s wife, Sofia.
As Cole begins to recover, Lukas becomes increasingly unsettled as he doesn’t recognise his friend, convinced there is something different about him, but has no idea what it is. The more time that passes, the more uncomfortable Lukas becomes with the uncharacteristic decisions his friend makes. Eventually he asks his journalist friends Kyra and Nils to try to investigate to uncover the mystery.
The three couples’ lives are thrown into a journey of lies and deception as the story unfolds.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2024
4 people want to read
About the author
Lis McDermott
22 books17 followersI'm retired from my previous job as a professional photographer, and before that a music educationalist... now enjoying writing and mentoring others to write.
I live with my husband in the south west of England. While he works, I spend my days writing, drinking coffee, catching up with friends. I can't wait for him to be retired too (which will be a little while) - then we can spend more time together. We are both easy going and when I write, he listens to music!
I love to create characters who seem real to readers. My first novel was pubished when I hit 70 - so you're never too old to start something new!
I enjoy writing about relationships but always with some suspense or mystery involved too.
I live with my husband in the south west of England. While he works, I spend my days writing, drinking coffee, catching up with friends. I can't wait for him to be retired too (which will be a little while) - then we can spend more time together. We are both easy going and when I write, he listens to music!
I love to create characters who seem real to readers. My first novel was pubished when I hit 70 - so you're never too old to start something new!
I enjoy writing about relationships but always with some suspense or mystery involved too.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 14, 2024
Here is my review for The Identity Enigma by Lis McDermott
This is a thrilling read and I really enjoyed it. I found it slow at the start but once it picked up it was like a roller coaster and it was a twisty and turny one at that. Absolutely brilliant. It was extremely well written and excellently plotted. I think the author may have done some research for the book as it seemed to be well informed but it made for a better story. The journalism investigating was exciting to read and I think Kyra and Nils did really well with their roles in that. This was an interesting storyline, one I really enjoyed reading about.
Blurb :
Couples, Kyra and Nils and Jess and Lukas who are all in Stockholm, arrange to meet up. However, when Lukas receives an urgent phone call, their night out has to be postponed.
While on a trip to Ethiopia for work, Cole, Lukas’ best friend has been involved in an accident and is flown home, seriously hurt. Lukas and Jess fly back to Manchester to support Cole’s wife, Sofia.
As Cole begins to recover, Lukas becomes increasingly unsettled as he doesn’t recognise his friend, convinced there is something different about him, but has no idea what it is. The more time that passes, the more uncomfortable Lukas becomes with the uncharacteristic decisions his friend makes. Eventually he asks his journalist friends Kyra and Nils to try to investigate to uncover the mystery.
The three couples’ lives are thrown into a journey of lies and deception as the story unfolds.
This is a thrilling read and I really enjoyed it. I found it slow at the start but once it picked up it was like a roller coaster and it was a twisty and turny one at that. Absolutely brilliant. It was extremely well written and excellently plotted. I think the author may have done some research for the book as it seemed to be well informed but it made for a better story. The journalism investigating was exciting to read and I think Kyra and Nils did really well with their roles in that. This was an interesting storyline, one I really enjoyed reading about.
Blurb :
Couples, Kyra and Nils and Jess and Lukas who are all in Stockholm, arrange to meet up. However, when Lukas receives an urgent phone call, their night out has to be postponed.
While on a trip to Ethiopia for work, Cole, Lukas’ best friend has been involved in an accident and is flown home, seriously hurt. Lukas and Jess fly back to Manchester to support Cole’s wife, Sofia.
As Cole begins to recover, Lukas becomes increasingly unsettled as he doesn’t recognise his friend, convinced there is something different about him, but has no idea what it is. The more time that passes, the more uncomfortable Lukas becomes with the uncharacteristic decisions his friend makes. Eventually he asks his journalist friends Kyra and Nils to try to investigate to uncover the mystery.
The three couples’ lives are thrown into a journey of lies and deception as the story unfolds.
October 11, 2024
The Identity Enigma by Lis McDermott is a suspenseful page-turner that dives into the tangled web of relationships, secrets, and trust that had me guessing until the end.
Our story kicks off with two couples, Kyra and Nils, and Jess and Lukas, who are all set for a fun night out in Stockholm. But when Lukas gets an urgent call, plans change fast.
His best friend, Cole, has been injured in a mysterious accident in Ethiopia and is flown back to Manchester. Lukas and Jess rush back to support Cole’s wife, Sofia, but things take a strange turn when Cole begins to recover.
Lukas can’t shake the feeling that something is off, his best friend doesn’t quite seem like himself. And it’s not just a hunch; Cole’s behaviour becomes increasingly strange and uncharacteristic. What’s really going on here?
The tension amps up as Lukas ropes in journalist pals Kyra and Nils to dig into the mystery. Together, they uncover a trail of lies, deception, and unsettling truths that threaten to unravel their lives.
The Identity Enigma is an engrossing blend of psychological suspense and relationship drama. McDermott crafted an intriguing tale that explores how well we really know those closest to us, all while serving up an edge-of-your-seat mystery.
Perfect for fans of domestic thrillers and anyone who loves a good puzzle wrapped in complex emotions!
October 24, 2024
I really enjoyed this book, you knew from the beginning something wasn’t quite right but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it so I loved how it all unfolded.
I can’t believe I was almost 8 chapters in before realising that I had ‘met’ two of our characters before! Jess & Lukas were returning characters from the book Echoes Of Drowning and once I’d realised it was them I was very pleased to see that they were still together and very much in love.
I did feel for Lukas when Cole came round after his accident and didn’t seem to know his best friend at first. Lukas has been so worried so you just wanted everything to be okay now that Cole was recovering. Unfortunately it didn’t seem that it was all going to be smooth sailing.
I liked the characters of Kyra and Nils, I really liked the dynamics between the two of them and thought that they made for interesting reading. I would definitely like it if they featured in another book too.
The end of the storyline was great and there was some twists and turns along the way. It had me gripped and I love Lis’s writing style and just seemed to fly through the chapters.
I can’t believe I was almost 8 chapters in before realising that I had ‘met’ two of our characters before! Jess & Lukas were returning characters from the book Echoes Of Drowning and once I’d realised it was them I was very pleased to see that they were still together and very much in love.
I did feel for Lukas when Cole came round after his accident and didn’t seem to know his best friend at first. Lukas has been so worried so you just wanted everything to be okay now that Cole was recovering. Unfortunately it didn’t seem that it was all going to be smooth sailing.
I liked the characters of Kyra and Nils, I really liked the dynamics between the two of them and thought that they made for interesting reading. I would definitely like it if they featured in another book too.
The end of the storyline was great and there was some twists and turns along the way. It had me gripped and I love Lis’s writing style and just seemed to fly through the chapters.
November 5, 2024
This is the first book that I've read by this author, so wasn't sure what to expect, but could tell from the front cover and tag line that it would be right up my street!
We meet our main characters as they plan to meet up for the evening, but after an urgent call, Lukas has to cancel to head back to Manchester to visit his best friend who was involved in an accident.
As Cole recovers, Lukas can sense that things are not quite as they seem and that there's something more to Cole's accident.
As the storyline develops and the 3 couples come together to try and solve the mystery - it was great to see the different dynamics within the groups and I liked the early reveal which just left us wondering why and how things would be solved.
I love a twisty story and this one kept me wondering the whole way through - as soon as I thought that I had worked things out, there would be another turn that would set me straight back to wondering again!
The writing style was easy to read and never felt slow.
Being a fairly short read at only just around 200 pages, this definitely felt fast paced - especially with the short chapters - but I didn't feel as though it was rushed and needed more explaining in any areas.
This was an enjoyable first read and I'm looking forward to seeing more in the near future.
Maybe even more books within this series where we revisit some of the same characters?
We meet our main characters as they plan to meet up for the evening, but after an urgent call, Lukas has to cancel to head back to Manchester to visit his best friend who was involved in an accident.
As Cole recovers, Lukas can sense that things are not quite as they seem and that there's something more to Cole's accident.
As the storyline develops and the 3 couples come together to try and solve the mystery - it was great to see the different dynamics within the groups and I liked the early reveal which just left us wondering why and how things would be solved.
I love a twisty story and this one kept me wondering the whole way through - as soon as I thought that I had worked things out, there would be another turn that would set me straight back to wondering again!
The writing style was easy to read and never felt slow.
Being a fairly short read at only just around 200 pages, this definitely felt fast paced - especially with the short chapters - but I didn't feel as though it was rushed and needed more explaining in any areas.
This was an enjoyable first read and I'm looking forward to seeing more in the near future.
Maybe even more books within this series where we revisit some of the same characters?
January 1, 2025
At first, I thought that a book of 200 pages, that is… short. Let’s just say I did not think that for long!😊
What the book might lack in number of pages, it certainly does not lack in content as we have intriguing storylines and my mind occupied from the start.😉
Lukas’s best friend, Cole, has been involved in an accident and is flown home, seriously hurt. He and Jess fly back to Manchester to support Cole and his wife Sofia.
And here is where the fun starts. I wasn’t really thinking funny as in humour, even though we definitely have some of that, too. 😄
As Cole recovers, there are small nuances about his behaviour that Lukas does not recognize. He is brushing it off due to the accident at first, thinking the accident must have been traumatic for the man.
He can not really put his finger on it (well, rude, poor guy hurt badly in a hospital bed),
something is different.
As we collect our clues and decipher the lies and deceptions, our ‘investigators’ realize not all is what it seems. We get to know our couples better, and we end up picking up the pieces on two continents to solve the mystery that is Cole.
I do enjoy the complexity of the past of some of our characters. I was intrigued to put it mildly.😊
The book may or may not be partially set in Sweden, which I really enjoyed. The author got all the little doo-dahs over the letters right, letters that most languages do not have.
Hejdååå, Lis!
I found out that Lis has written more books, and I need to check them out!😊
What the book might lack in number of pages, it certainly does not lack in content as we have intriguing storylines and my mind occupied from the start.😉
Lukas’s best friend, Cole, has been involved in an accident and is flown home, seriously hurt. He and Jess fly back to Manchester to support Cole and his wife Sofia.
And here is where the fun starts. I wasn’t really thinking funny as in humour, even though we definitely have some of that, too. 😄
As Cole recovers, there are small nuances about his behaviour that Lukas does not recognize. He is brushing it off due to the accident at first, thinking the accident must have been traumatic for the man.
He can not really put his finger on it (well, rude, poor guy hurt badly in a hospital bed),
something is different.
As we collect our clues and decipher the lies and deceptions, our ‘investigators’ realize not all is what it seems. We get to know our couples better, and we end up picking up the pieces on two continents to solve the mystery that is Cole.
I do enjoy the complexity of the past of some of our characters. I was intrigued to put it mildly.😊
The book may or may not be partially set in Sweden, which I really enjoyed. The author got all the little doo-dahs over the letters right, letters that most languages do not have.
Hejdååå, Lis!
I found out that Lis has written more books, and I need to check them out!😊
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews