Thomas Perry (1) (1947–)

The plot of Forty Thieves is a lesson in chaos, with all the players trying to kill everyone else. I guess that old saying, "There's no honor among thieves," is true. Sid and Ronnie Able are ex-LAPD and are now working as private investigators. When they accept a new job to investigate the year-old murder of a scientist named James Ballantine, they suddenly find themselves the target of assassins. As the Ables try to stay one step ahead of being eliminated, the killers hunting them—Ed and Nicole Hoyt—find themselves targeted by more crooks. I like Thomas Perry's straightforward, no-nonsense style of writing. I found it suspenseful and entertaining.… (altro)

I quite liked the first book im the series but i found this boring and disjointed and wildly sexist (which I am generally cool with in books, especially those written in the 20th century, but this was serially and outlandishly offensive). I dnf'ed at 37%. There is this scene where a judge meets Jane (who is a prisoner at this moment and who was recently beaten up and the results of that battery are visible on her face) and notes that she looks like a model, all angular and cool but that he prefers softer plainer women like his late wife and like the guard who has escorted Jane from the jail to his chambers. This is supposed to make us like the judge, I think. Ew! This is a judge, trying to get the information he needs to decide the fate of an 8-year-old boy and he is thinking about the fuckability of the officer present in her official capacity and the prisoner before him. No. There is plenty more toxic sludge where that came from, and also general right-wing crap. There is a reference to someone who gets a life sentence for murder but will only serve 5 or 6 years because of the broken system. It is that kind of completely wrong "criminals are roaming the streets" conspiracy theory crap that led us to our current prison industrial complex. In most states, one cannot come up for parole for a life sentence until they have served at least 25 years (not counting compassionate release when someone is dying.)

The only way I was finishing this was as a hate read, and I don't have time for those.… (altro)

I was in the mood for a crime thriller a couple of weeks ago but the one I chose, Gangsterland, came up short for me. Though this is not a genre I read a ton of, it is one I like and when I am in the mood not much else will do so I decided to try again. Several books by Thomas Perry had been recommended by various friends in the past and this seemed like a good opportunity to check him out. I don't think anyone recommended this particular book, but I chose it because it was first in a series with a female lead. It was a great choice. This was lots of fun. Jane Whitfield (our leading lady) is a badass. She is a Native American woman who uses her extraordinary mental and physical prowess and her loose network of people who fly under the radar, tribe members, immigrants, low-wage workers, to help disappear people who are running for their safety. This is intended to be for the good, abused women, conscientious objectors, people escaping the mob etc. I cannot talk about the person in search of a new identity in this book without spoiling pretty much everything, but it is fun and surprising.

Aspects of this are dated (it was published in 1995) and not just the references to floppy discs and the mad search for landlines but also prevailing attitudes about many things. It is noticeable, but it in no way ruins the story any more than it does when one is reading Agatha Christie. I will definitely be returning to the series, and I suspect there will be more thrillers and mysteries coming up in my feed since it whetted my appetite for more.… (altro)