APRIL 2023 - AudioFile
Peter Berkrot portrays PI Harry Duncan with a confident authority that reflects Duncan's intelligence, street smarts, ingenuity, and caring. Perry fans will recognize the mix of innocents needing defending, seriously bad guys, and tense chase scenes. Duncan is hired by his ex-wife, a U.S. attorney, to investigate what appears to be organized crime moving into small Midwestern towns. Duncan immediately finds himself caught in a web of criminals while trying to save a woman whose bar has been targeted for protection money. The plot circles around one small town, and Duncan is intent on getting to the bottom of it all. Berkrot effectively differentiates characters, male and female, and keeps the plot moving through an intense standoff scene. E.Q. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
10/17/2022
Chicago PI Harry Duncan, the protagonist of this strong crime novel from Edgar winner Perry (The Old Man), accepts a contract from his ex-wife, Ellen Leicester, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, to investigate a sudden spike in criminal activity in small towns along Indiana’s Ash River (“Assaults and robberies by teams rather than individuals, extortion, and that sort of thing”). Ellen believes that organized crime elements in Chicago are making a move to expand operations into Indiana, and Duncan’s task is to scout out the territory and report back to her on whether an FBI investigation is warranted. Duncan makes his first stop at a bar by the river for a bite to eat and winds up contending with two thugs in the bar’s parking lot who try to steal his car. Tough, self-reliant, and fearless, Duncan soon plunges into a full-scale battle with hired crooks intent on seizing control of the entire region, and lives are suddenly at stake—including his own. The pages melt away as the story maintains a breathless pace throughout. This is further proof that Perry is a dominating force in the world of contemporary suspense thrillers. Hopefully, Duncan will be back for an encore. Agent: Mel Berger, WME. (Jan.)
Midwest Book Review
"A thrilling and suspenseful tour of crime-addled midwestern towns, Murder Book is signature Thomas Perry police procedural suspense thriller of a read with memorable characters, crisply-described action sequences, and breathlessly tense plotting."
|Los Angeles Times
"A master of nail-biting suspense."
Booklist STARRED REVIEW
"Harry is a thinking person's action hero, and Perry is the ultimate thinking person's thriller writer."
New York Sun
"Mr. Perry’s characters come to life with a single sentence.… He’s one of the greatest living writers of suspense fiction."
APRIL 2023 - AudioFile
Peter Berkrot portrays PI Harry Duncan with a confident authority that reflects Duncan's intelligence, street smarts, ingenuity, and caring. Perry fans will recognize the mix of innocents needing defending, seriously bad guys, and tense chase scenes. Duncan is hired by his ex-wife, a U.S. attorney, to investigate what appears to be organized crime moving into small Midwestern towns. Duncan immediately finds himself caught in a web of criminals while trying to save a woman whose bar has been targeted for protection money. The plot circles around one small town, and Duncan is intent on getting to the bottom of it all. Berkrot effectively differentiates characters, male and female, and keeps the plot moving through an intense standoff scene. E.Q. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
