Butterfly Enigma by Melbourne author Lorraine Campbell is a great read if you enjoy a good historical thriller with a dash of romance.
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Why read it?
It is a well told historical novel. A good thriller with a dash of romance.
A story of justice, retribution and love
What's the story?
Lena was a lost child of German-occupied Paris. A mostly silent child, she eventually begins to think of herself as French and eventually moves to Australia to start a new life.
The heroine, Mademoiselle Lena Marceau is a young lady with an unknown past who arrives in Melbourne after living in Sydney as a society wife. Her subsequent rather ugly divorce leads to her relocating to Melbourne in the 1960’s to study to become a court reporter. It was a very clever move for this almost penniless woman as shorthand writers in the courts were paid so well that she soon could afford to live better, with a touch of elegance.
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While in court one day, the high pitched strident voice of one Judge Ferik struck her like lightning and Lena’s body and mind went into shock. Her life’s path changed in that instant. Did that voice trigger memories of 27 years ago in a far distant place, or was it all a figment of her imagination?
Some exquisite butterfly jewellery found in different parts of the world, played an important yet convoluted part in the Butterfly Enigma.
'In many cultures the butterfly is viewed with great respect, even with fear. Ancient civilisations believed it to be the symbol of the human soul, that when a person dies, their soul takes the form of a butterfly.' – Butterfly Enigma
One of the few memories our heroine has of her mother is the haunting order, “Whatever happens you must never look back.” Maybe that’s a life’s message for us as readers. I’d love to reveal more of the story but its evolution was so fascinating, so sad and yet so exciting that it’s best that you read it yourself.
Pat's final verdict: Highly recommended. This is a cracker of a novel.
Lorraine Campbell on what inspired her to write Butterfly Enigma: “Working as a court reporter over the years, I heard some incredible stories in the Melbourne Law Courts but the tales of Nazi war criminals living in Australia and the many unsuccessful attempts to bring them to justice filled me with an ongoing and abiding sense of outrage. Why could these mass murderers never be put on trial for their heinous crimes? So I decided to bring this part of Australia’s history to life.”
(Photo: Lorraine Campbell/Facebook)
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