Book Review: The Wren Enigma

Reviewed by Nikolas Mavreas

A fast-paced mystery thriller about London’s built-in secrets

John Broughton’s The Wren Enigma is the sixth in a mystery series starring Scotland Yard detective duo Shepherd and Vance. Broughton mixes historical elements with tinges of the occult in this absorbing thriller from the classic mold.

In present day London, scholar of philosophy Amelia Evans is investigating churches built by the great Restoration era architect Christopher Wren, who was instrumental in rebuilding the city after the Great Fire of 1666. She is convinced that Wren left hidden messages in his designs, connected to his occult activities as a Freemason. 

When her companion, Alice, is found murdered during one of their church visits, Scotland Yard detectives Brittany Shepherd and Jacob Vance are put on the case. Then, another murder is traced to the same gun that shot Alice, with a suspect being a man who claims to be a Christopher Wren scholar. This leads detectives Shepherd and Vance to employ the help of Amelia Evans to help solve the case. 

The second victim was in possession of a fabled manuscript that contains the secrets encoded in Wren’s architecture, which is now in the hands of the murderer. Worth millions, this manuscript may also contain the instructions to make the Philosopher’s Stone, which promises the power to turn any metal into gold and even grant immortality. Working in the shadows is a group of Freemasons, who want to protect but also covet these ancient secrets.

The book is set up as a murder mystery with the two murders, but since the author gives up the killer’s identity, the novel turns into a thriller packed with intrigue and action. Unconventionally, the role of the Freemasons never seems cut and dried, as the story’s main villains remain elusive until the end. But of course, the book does include its fair share of conventions and charming clichés too. Thriller readers will feel right at home when villainous goons are subdued through pressure point strikes and when one detective refers to the other with “my dear chap,” winking the intertextual eye. The Wren Enigma hits all the beats you hope for with a good detective thriller but with its own quips sprinkled in.

Throughout the first half of the book the reader is never allowed to feel like they are standing on stable ground, but as the plot takes shape, the story becomes streamlined and replete with action. It is also in the second half of the book that the detective duo of Shepherd and Vance comes to the fore. Though their “acute powers of observation,” “gift of intuition,” and other professional skills don’t quite become evident, the detectives always feel like real people on the page.

Broughton’s treatment of the occult is effective and intriguing, and he blends story with exposition exceptionally well. The Wren Enigma is a fresh take on classic tropes, a novel ready to thrill and entertain.

Thank you for reading Nikolas Mavreas’s book review of The Wren Enigma by John Broughton! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

The post Book Review: The Wren Enigma appeared first on Independent Book Review.