The Enigma

by Stewart Giles

From #1 best-selling author: Stewart Giles comes a new detective series featuring the detectives from both the series’ we know and love.

In Trotterdown, Cornwall a boat, The Enigma washes in to the harbour. The skipper is dead, and Harriet Taylor is brought in to investigate. But 1 dead body is not the only crime the team have to deal with.

Meanwhile, further up the coast in Whitby a boat washes up on the rocks just outside the harbour. Everyone on board is dead. Whitby Police are out of their depth, so DS Jason Smith is called in to help.

It soon becomes clear the cases are connected and the teams from York and Trotterdown settle down to work with each other.

This is a unique story with twists, turns and shocks all the way through making it an adrenaline pumping read you will not be able to put down.

THE DETECTIVES

DC Harriet Taylor had only been married for 2 years when her philandering husband was killed in a car crash. It is common knowledge around the station that the woman who died next to him was his latest lover. Harriet transferred to Trotterdown to escape the gossip and sympathetic looks. She is now finding her way around Cornwall and getting to know the other members of the team.

DS Jason Smith is an Australian who was sent to York to live with his Grandmother when his sister disappeared from a beach. He has suffered many losses in his short life and is now a dedicated detective. He is a bit of a loose cannon he has his own way of doing things and that doesn’t always mean following orders and procedures.

What readers are saying about The Enigma:

‘From the first vividly described opening scene in Trotterdown, Cornwall, I was hooked. Intrigue, suspense, danger, plot twists, a ruthless, unstoppable villain; this book has it all.’ – Heather Opperman

‘This is a fast-paced read with twists, turns and danger around every corner. Smith and Harriet are at risk and so are the people they care about as a psychopathic killer with absolutely no conscience travels the UK leaving dead bodies in his wake.’ - Books n All

This is an action-packed page-turner with more twists and turns than a pretzel. The explosive ending is explosive. What a riveting story to start a new series with! .- Linda Strong Book Reviews

The book is a brilliant amalgamation of two of the best police officers in the country and the chemistry between the two of them is brilliant once they learn to trust each other. – Black Books Blog


ALSO BY STEWART GILES

DS JASON SMITH SERIES
Book 0.5 - Phobia
Book 1 - Smith
Book 2 - Boomerang
Book 3 - Ladybird
Book 4 - Occam’s Razor
Book 5 - Harlequin
Book 6 - Selene
Book 7 - Horsemen
Book 8 - Unworthy

DC HARRIET TAYLOR SERIES
Book 1 - The Beekeeper
Book 2 - The Perfect Murder
Book 3 - The Backpacker

227 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 13, 2018

About the author

After reading English at 3 Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling around the world with my wife, Ann, finally settling in South Africa, where we still live. After Ann dropped a rather large speaker on my head I came up with the idea for a detective series. DS Jason Smith was born. Smith, the first in the series was finished a few months later. 3 years and 8 DS Smith books later, Joffe Books wondered if I would be interested in working with them. As a self-published author, I agreed. However, we decided on a new series - the DC Harriet Taylor Cornwall series. The Beekeeper hit the shelves and hit the number one spot in Australia. The second in the series, The Perfect Murder did just as well. The third in the series, The Backpacker I have self-published and is now available.

Reviews

[Linda Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! Stewart Giles has taken two of his terrific series characters and put them together in a brand new crime fiction series. DS Jason Smith is known for his unorthodox ways of solving cases, and his solve rate is beyond those of anyone else. DC Harriet Taylor is a great detective in her own right and is excited to be working with Smith.

In Trotterdown, a boat crashes into the harbor one morning ... everyone aboard is dead. One has his throat cut, the others are more grizzly. DC Taylor is called in to investigate and finds there is a missing man. Where is he ... more importantly, who is he? And why are these people dead .. and especially in this manner?

At the same time in Whitby, DS Smith is called in to investigate a boat that has washed ashore .. and everyone aboard is dead by horrific means.

It's obvious that the cases are connected and Jason and Harriet will work together for the first time. There are obstacles to overcome but Jason has no problem blurring the lines and Harriet goes right along with him. Not everyone agrees with the scenario that Jason and Harriet have arrived at which leads to a lot of confrontation on both sites.

Smith and Taylor aren't the only "old" characters to make an appearance. It gets up close and personal for Smith when an old enemy rears his ugly head ... threatening not only Smith and his family, but also that of Harriet.

This is an action-packed page-turner with more twists and turns than a pretzel. The explosive ending is explosive. What a riveting story to start a new series with!

Many thanks to the author / Books n All Promotions / Jill Burkinshaw for the advanced digital copy of this fantastic new crime fiction series. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enigma is another page turner from Stewart Giles. It takes the reader from York to Cornwall and up to Edinburgh.
It kept me engaged from the beginning, first wondering how the two detectives Jason Smith and Harriet Taylor would work together, and then trying to guess who the rat on the team was, that was tipping off the criminals.
In the Enigma Jason Smith meets up with his old nemesis Wolfie - no spoilers as to who wins that battle. The humour is dry and the twists shocking.

[Books 'n' All Promotions · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

This is the first in a new series featuring detectives from Stewart's other series'; Harriet from the brilliant DC Harriet Taylor series set in Cornwall and DS Smith from the awesome Smith series set in York.

Now I am a BIG Stewart Giles fan I think the guy has real talent and each book is better than the last. I have had the pleasure of reading the whole Smith series back to back and I have also read the Harriet books so I was very excited to hear of this new series.

Although there are many murders this is not a particularly gory read the author has expertly managed to build in the revulsion and evilness of the murders while making it acceptable reading for the more feint hearted of crime fiction fans.

Smith and Whitton married at the end of book 8: Unworthy, and Laura, their daughter, is now 18 months old. Whitton is back at work full time and Smith is feeling very protective of his new family which is understandable given all the loved ones he has lost and the death and destruction he lives with every day. I think you need to take this into account when reading this book if you haven't read the previous ones but otherwise it is a perfect stand alone story.

Harriet Taylor comes from Edinburgh and transferred to Cornwall when her husband was killed in an accident with his lover in the car and she found herself subject to a lot of gossiping and sniggering behind her back. She has no plans to return to Edinburgh anytime soon.

I wont rewrite the synopsis but boats wash up in York and Whitby with Harriet and Smith being on the respective investigations. It soon becomes clear that the link is Edinburgh. Will Harriet face her ex colleagues and travel back to her home town to investigate? Meanwhile Smith receives threatening messages as a nemesis from his past reappears.

This is a fast paced read with twists, turns and danger around every corner. Smith and Harriet are at risk and so are the people they care about as a psychopathic killer with absolutely no conscience travels the UK leaving dead bodies in his wake.

I just kept turning page after page it is an adrenaline pumping read I simply could not put down and as the pages kept turning the endings were total curve balls I really was not expecting.

All I can say is WOW this is a must read for anyone who loves crime fiction and to the author: please hurry up with the next book.

Absolutely awesome definitely 5 Golden Stars (maybe platinum) this is now top of my Picks of 2018 list

[LJ (ljwritesandreviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

(rounded up from 4.5)

In the town of Trotterdown in Cornwall, it’s the height of the summer holidays which is bringing tourist making the quiet town a hell of a lot busier. A boat called The Enigma washes up in the harbour with not one but four bodies inside. They have been mutilated but not only that one of the passengers is missing. DC Harriet Taylor and her team investigate this puzzling case.

A second boat washes up in similar circumstances in Whitby near York and DS Smith is asked to investigate. It soon becomes clear that the two cases are linked leading back to Edinburgh and Smith and Taylor join forces to solve the case.

So for anyone who has not read any of Stewart Giles’ books before, you needn’t worry this can be read as a stand-alone as the author gives plenty of background on each character so you don’t feel like you’ve missed anything.

What a thrilling adventure The Enigma is! I was hooked from the very beginning with plenty of twists and turns to keep me turning those pages!

I have enjoyed both of the separate series and I have to be honest I was a little wary, how is the author going to get both detectives together? I mean York and Cornwall are not exactly near each other but it’s done in a way that doesn’t seem too forced or contrived.

Each detective has to face the demons in their past. Harriet has to go back to Edinburgh a place that holds a lot of bad memories for her and Smith has to battle an old foe who is responsible for nearly every bad thing that has happened in his life.

What I also liked was there were familiar faces in both York and Trotterdown plus a few new characters including the intriguing new head of pathology, Dr Kenny Bean who I hope will make an appearance in the next book.

It is little grisly in places which I personally don’t mind but I always like to warn people just in case!

Overall The Enigma is a fast paced and fascinating mystery that you won’t want to put down.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Enigma is another book by Mr Giles that has blown me away! In Trotterdown, Cornwall, a 42ft boat has washed up during the night in thick fog. Harbour master, Colin Gilling, contacts the police - on closer inspection he found a dead body in the Cockpit and the boat had a lot of internal damage. DC Harriet Taylor and PC Eric White are sent to investigate. Along with their findings of three more dead bodies and a statement from a witness who remembers the boat and its crew members - one of whom appears to be missing! - they wonder why the victims were killed in such an horrendous way and how could it have happened out at sea? Further up the coast in Whitby, a stranded boat has been towed in, and that, too, has dead bodies aboard. It can't be a coincidence, surely? I enjoyed spending time with DS Smith again and as the Police from Trotterdown and York unite (much to Superintendent Jeremy Smyth's delight), they look to find connections between the two incidents, whereby, other shocking information comes to light. Smith and Harriet are then sent up to Edinburgh to investigate furthur. With demons from the past, mysterious phone calls and threats, I didn't know what was going to happen next. Smith can also smell a rat which makes it worse as he feels it's stalling the progress of the investigation. Again, I enjoyed every page of this book which made for thrilling reading and is perfectly balanced with lots of action and humour. I felt that Smith and Harriet worked very well together; Harriet is in awe of Smith and even though she has never worked with anyone like him before, I think they made a great team. Finally, I never expected THAT!!! - what a brilliant ending! I can't wait to read Dropzone the next book in the series. I highly recommend - thank you

[Sarah Legge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be my favourite of Smiths series. Although i love all of Stewarts books.
This pushes Jason further than before it is soooo grusom! Honestly i didnt want it to finish and couldnt stop reading! But, Stewart has left it open for more!!! YAY well done Stewart keep them coming.

[Joanna Larum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all of Mr Giles' books but when I heard that he had brought characters from both of his murder series together in one book, I didn't think that it could possibly work. How wrong I was! It not only works- it is absolutely brilliant! I couldn't put it down and I was soooo disappointed when I had finished it. I need more of the adrenaline-producing excitement which goes with reading any of this author's books.
I don't like giving too many spoilers away but a short introduction to the book is, I think, allowable. A boat washes into the harbour at Trotterdown, Cornwall with a dead skipper at the helm. When Harriet Taylor is called to investigate, other bodies are found and all have been operated on. Then a similar boat is washed into Whitby harbour with a similar body count on board. Jason Smith is called in by the Whitby police to investigate and the similarities between the two cases is found and the two detectives join forces. The investigation leads to Edinburgh ( a place Harriet never wanted to see again) and Harriet and Jason have to work together to solve it.
This is a brilliant book which can be read by those of us who are cognisant with Stewart Giles' work but can also be read as a stand-alone by those who have never read any of them. I would recommend to all who love a fast-moving, adrenaline-pumping story. Hang onto your hats and dive in!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘The Enigma’ is the first book in the brand new series featuring DS Jason Smith and DC Harriet Taylor. I have read, reviewed and loved reading Stewart’s earlier books featuring both detectives, who each have their own series. As I love both characters and I love Stewart’s books, I couldn’t wait to get hold of a copy of ‘The Enigma’. Fortunately I got hold of a copy and I just couldn’t wait to dive straight in. Boy oh boy, I thought that Stewart’s other books were good but ‘The Enigma’ blows his other books out of the water. I absolutely loved reading ‘The Enigma’ but more about that in a bit.
What can I say about DS Jason Smith other than the fact that I love him!!! He is actually from Australia but he was sent to live with his beloved late grandmother in York following Smith’s sister’s disappearance from a beach. Smith formed a strong bond with his grandmother and in a lot of ways she was more of a maternal figure to him than his own mother was. Smith did study at university but dropped out when he decided that he wanted to be a police officer. Smith is a bit of a rebel to say the least. He does respect some of his superiors but if his superiors tell him not to do something then that makes Smith more determined to do it. Smith is stubborn, headstrong, determined and he is fiercely protective of those he cares most about- in this case his significant other and his young daughter. Smith is a police officer who gets results even if he has to bend the rules ever so slightly on occasion. DC Harriet Taylor is instantly likeable. Following some unpleasant incidents in Edinburgh, Taylor requested a transfer, which was granted. Taylor now works in Trotterdown and she doesn’t ever want to go anywhere near Edinburgh ever again. This case sees her having to liaise with Edinburgh police and then much to her disgust, Taylor is sent to Edinburgh to liaise with her colleagues there and of course to work with DS Jason Smith. Taylor is feisty, ambitious, determined, loyal, eager to learn and she isn’t afraid to speak her mind. Taylor has heard a fair bit about Smith and she holds him in high esteem. In fact I thought that she was going a bit fan girl-like at point. ‘The Enigma’ sees Smith and Taylor’s loved ones being threatened in more ways than one.
Oh my goodness, gracious me ‘The Enigma’ is one hell of a read and then some. I read the book within a day. Once I picked the book up and began to read, I found it impossible to be put the book down. The book wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it came everywhere with me. I just had to keep reading on and on to see if the criminal was apprehended and to see if both Taylor and Smith ended the book in one piece. At one point, I had my doubts that they would both survive. The more I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker those pages were turning. I was genuinely gutted to reach the end of this book. I was enjoying the author’s writing style, the storylines and the characters so much that I just wanted the book to continue.
‘The Enigma’ is brilliantly written. The author certainly grabs your attention from the first page onwards and keeps your attention throughout the story. The author uses such vivid and powerful descriptions that I really did feel as though I was part of the story. In fact I felt like another member of the investigating team. Everything that Smith and Taylor felt or went through, I felt or went through the same sort of emotions. I really got the way in which Smith and Taylor felt when their families or loved ones are under threat.
Reading ‘The Enigma’ is much like riding on a scary and very unpredictable rollercoaster ride with twists and turns aplenty. I must say that I did guess one aspect of the story but I only guessed fairly late on in the book and it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book at all.
In short, I absolutely adored reading ‘The Enigma’ and I would definitely recommend it to other readers. For me, this is the best of Stewart’s books so far and I get the feeling that the series will get better and better and will go from strength to strength. No pressure there then. ‘The Enigma’ is guaranteed to get your heart rate pumping, your blood pressure soaring and will at times leave you breathless. I can’t wait to read more about this new detective pairing. Here’s hoping that we don’t have too long to wait. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

[Misfits farm · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Enigma- Stewart Giles
When a boat arrives at the local harbour with a gaping hole in one side, the harbour-master goes to its assistance. What he didn’t bargain for was a dead body at the helm. When DC Harriet Taylor and her team arrive they find an even more gruesome discovery. Another boat is found shortly afterwards in a different harbour and the two incidents appear to be linked. What is going on and why have the bodies been operated on? This is only my second read of a Stewart Giles book (the first being The Beekeeper) so I was not familiar with the characters (I understand that they have appeared in different books). I was not disappointed. I found this an easy read, nothing too gory and an excellent plot which kept me turning. I took to the characters quickly and particularly liked both Harriet and Jason. A book that you get into quickly and easily to me makes for a relaxing read. Enough to keep the grey matter active but not too much that it becomes a chore. Short, snappy chapters keep the pace flowing and I wanted to keep turning as this is quite the ingenious plot. Will I be reading more from this author- you bet!
For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
or follow me on Twitter @nickijmurphy1
Amazon Top 1000 reviewer.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an interesting amalgam in that it features a joint effort between Harriet Taylor and Jason Smith as they battle to solve the mystery of dead bodies turning up on yachts minus their kidneys!!!

The combination of the two characters worked well in this easy read.

[Judy Moir · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was an interesting read, good characters. Felt somewhat unedited.

[sandra ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

Stewart Giles has a way of drawing you into the very hwart of the story. You are amember of the team. I drew the wrong conclusion and could not guess the ending.

[Anne Hill · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good try

The two stars did not really contribute anything, but the plot was okay. Not sure that future books would be warranted.

[Gary Van Cott · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. It's ok.

[helen]

Brilliant

Wow this is an amazing book. Defiantly on of Stewart's best. Brilliant story line. Full of intrigue, excitement fast-paced so enjoyable.

[Booklover BEV · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book once again from this author loved it

[Heather Opperman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the great honour of being one of the first people to read the new book from best-selling Author, Stewart Giles: The Enigma.

Wow. My mind is officially blown. Just when I think that I can’t possibly love the incorrigible, unorthodox DS Jason Smith any more than I already do, the Author decides to introduce my second favourite Stewart Giles character, DC Harriet Taylor, into the same book with Smith.

The result is a fast-paced page turner that will have you on the edge of your seat all the way through. I read the book in one sitting, because I just could not put it down. From the first vividly described opening scene in Trotterdown, Cornwall, I was hooked. Intrigue, suspense, danger, plot twists, a ruthless, unstoppable villain; this book has it all.

I love the way Jason and Harriet interact as people and professionals. From their first meeting in Edinburgh, their relationship and budding friendship is tested on so many levels. These two characters are so vastly different, that in theory, they should never get along. But the Author deftly creates a relationship in which respect, humour, frustration and compassion are brought to the fore with aplomb. Both characters are enhanced by their meeting, and I can’t wait to read more books featuring both of them.

I highly recommend The Enigma by Stewart Giles. Five out of five

[Sandra Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read. The characters come to life as you read this book. Story has a few twists and a surprise at the end. Only complaint is that it's just too short! I didn't want the story to end!

Merged review:

Very clever integration of the 2 main characters from his previous books. I love the way he brings his characters to life an makes them so real. An excellent read right from page 1. Thoroughly recommended.

[EILEEN · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT! GREAT READ!

ENIGMA Has twice the excitement and intrigue joining Jason Smith and Harriet Taylor to investigate gruesome crimes and a seemingly demonic perpetrator.