The Bomb Maker

by Thomas Perry Narrated by Joe Barrett

Overview

A threat is called into the LAPD Bomb Squad, a team dispatched to a house whose owner is away, and a bomb disguised inside photography equipment exploded in the kitchen. But it is a second bomb hidden in the basement that has devastating consequences—half of the entire Bomb Squad is obliterated within seconds. The fragmented unit turns to Dick Stahl, a former Bomb Squad commander who now operates his own private security company. Having just returned from a grueling job in Mexico, Stahl is reluctant to accept the offer, but senior technicians he had trained were among those killed. On his first day back at the head of the squad, Stahl's team is dispatched to a suspected car bomb outside a gas station. It quickly becomes clear to him that they are dealing with the same mastermind behind the weapon that killed fourteen highly trained men and women barely twenty-four hours before—and that the intended target may be the Bomb Squad itself.

As the shadowy organization sponsoring this campaign of terror puts increasing pressure on the bomb maker, and Stahl becomes dangerously entangled with a member of his own team, the fuse on this high-stakes plot only burns faster. The Bomb Maker is Thomas Perry's biggest, most unstoppable thriller yet.

Editorial Reviews

The New York Times Book Review - Marilyn Stasio

The intense thrills of Thomas Perry's The Bomb Maker are almost unbearable.

Publishers Weekly

10/23/2017
An unnamed bomber wreaks havoc in this exciting if frustrating thriller from bestseller Perry (The Old Man). When a large cache of explosives blows up under a Los Angeles house, killing the 14 members of the LAPD Bomb Squad at the scene, Dick Stahl, a former bomb squad captain, takes over the squad on a temporary basis. On his first day, Stahl and his team must deal with an intricate car bomb, which he leads them in disarming. That evening, Sgt. Diane Hines, who drove Stahl to the site of the car bomb, arrives at his condo, where the two begin a relationship that grows over the course of the book. The detailed descriptions of the bomb maker’s devices and Stahl’s methods to disarm them are fascinating, but Perry puts considerably less effort into developing his characters. Stahl is annoyingly perfect, and his subordinates, who never attain his expertise, suffer in their careers as a consequence. The motives of the bomb maker and his mysterious backers remain vague. Still, action junkies will be rewarded. Agent: Mel Berger, WME. (Jan.)

From the Publisher

Praise for The Bomb Maker:

One of Entertainment Weekly’s 50 most anticipated books of 2018

One of Lisa Levy’s 5 crime must-reads for January (Literary Hub)

An Amazon best book of the month in the Mysteries & Thrillers category

“Mr. Perry, in this first-rate thriller, proves as cagy as his criminal mastermind: The reader rarely anticipates his next move. He balances breathtaking suspense with romantic intrigue.”—Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal

“The intense thrills of Thomas Perry’s The Bomb Maker are almost unbearable.”—Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review

“Perry’s latest thriller promises to be twisty, timely, and pulse-pounding: It explores how a mind and a culture transform a simple machine into an act of murder.”—Entertainment Weekly, “50 most anticipated books of 2018”

“Plenty of character, plenty of emotion, plenty of insider expertise, but most of all plenty of irresistible momentum toward a fantastic climax—in other words, The Bomb Maker is typical Thomas Perry.”—Lee Child, #1 bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series

“Perry is a prolific and talented fiction writer . . . The Bomb Maker, and Perry’s seamless plotting and beautifully freighted characterizations, will win awards and be a keeper you want to read again and again.”—Jeffrey Mannix, Durango Telegraph

“A thoroughly engrossing thriller, as well as a lesson in explosives.”—Lisa Levy, Literary Hub, “5 crime must-reads for January”

“Thomas Perry, who has demonstrated time and time again over the course of a 35-year career that he is incapable of writing badly, pulls out whatever (invisible) stops he may have had and lets it all flow on this one . . . Once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop . . . This is a masterwork by an author who always delivers more than is required or expected.” —Joe Hartlaub, Bookreporter

“An explosive (pun intended) new book from an old pro. Thomas Perry has skillfully captured the super stressful world of the LAPD Bomb Squad, and gotten deep into the head of a mad bomber. This is the ultimate cat-and-mouse game, a story so tense and riveting that you’ll find yourself holding your breath as the timer ticks off the seconds. The Bomb Maker is a unique achievement, a wonderful mix of psychological thriller and high-tech entertainment. Perry always delivers.”—Nelson DeMille, bestselling author of The Cuban Affair and Gold Coast

“A brilliant novel! The Bomb Maker moves from first page to last like, yes, a ticking improvised explosive device. But it's more than a book that sets a new standard for page turner; rarely have we seen such a searing look into the mind of a very particular—and particularly fascinating—type of evil. And then, of course, Perry has given us lucky readers the inimitable Dick Stahl. What a hero for our time!”—Jeffery Deaver, #1 bestselling author of The Burial Hour and the Lincoln Rhyme series

“Perry provides a hero worth caring about, a villain who keeps one step ahead of him, and a supporting cast designed to keep up the nerve-shredding suspense.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Perry is a master of plotting and he ratchets up the suspense so tightly that I read this book in one 12-hour run. Most readers know him from his Jane Whitefield ‘disappeared’ series. His thrillers, of which this is one of the best, are even better.”—Globe and Mail (Toronto)

“A very detailed and fascinating look into the lives of the people who disarm explosives at a daily risk to their lives . . . a real page-turner . . . A new Thomas Perry novel usually arrives in the dead of winter and it never fails to provide rays of sunshine and cheers me up immeasurably.”—Deadly Pleasures

“A gripping, clock-ticking plot, awash in fascinating details about bomb making and detection.”—Bill Ott, Booklist

Library Journal

09/15/2017
When half of the entire LAPD bomb squad is killed in a booby-trapped house, it is clear that someone is targeting the group. The authorities call in Dick Stahl, former soldier, cop, and retired bomb squad leader, to train replacements and hunt the killer. He manages to defuse several devices, frustrating the bomber, who kills occasionally just to keep in practice. The culprit is financed by a shadowy terrorist group and is constantly devising new explosives and methods of delivery. Stahl gets involved with a female squad member and is forced to resign, but he continues as a consultant even as the bombmaker gets more desperate. Things naturally build to an explosive climax in this tale filled with extensive bomb details and nerve-wracking suspense. And while the terrorist element seems strained and the ending a bit melodramatic, Perry (The Old Man) is a pro, this action-filled novel certainly supporting his considerable reputation. VERDICT In Perry's 25th thriller, the Edgar Award-winning author deftly and clearly explains topics unfamiliar to most readers while keeping the plot roaring along.—Roland Person, formerly with Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale

MARCH 2018 - AudioFile

Narrator Joe Barrett's phlegmatic tone is simpatico with protagonist Dick Stahl, a retired bomb disposal expert who now runs a security company. The villain is a nameless bomb maker for hire who aims to decimate Los Angeles' bomb disposal team to clear the way for an unknown (even to him) terrorist act. Therein lies the problem: Stahl and his partner, Elaine Hines, are fleshed-out characters, but there is little other character detail. And while there’s a lot of information on bomb making, the bomb disposal scenes lack the necessary tension. The listener will despise the bomb maker’s actions, but will find it difficult to engage enough to really hate the two-dimensional villain himself, despite Barrett's valiant efforts. C.A.T. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2017-10-01
The Explosive Ordnance Unit of the LAPD battles a methodical bomber whose principal target seems to be them.The first device in the unnamed title character's campaign is so successful that it takes out the commander of the EOS and half his bomb-disposal specialists in a blast that, in retrospect, was clearly designed to do exactly that. Cowed and humbled, Deputy Chief David Ogden, commander of the LAPD's Counterterrorism and Special Operations Bureau, goes hat in hand to Dick Stahl, ex-soldier and ex-cop, the former EOS chief who left to found No-Fail Security. Reluctantly reunited with his old unit, Stahl is certain from the beginning about his adversary's modus: "predicting what a trained bomb technician will do to render the device safe, and turn[ing] that action into a trigger." In a series of sequences expertly designed to keep you up long past your bedtime, he enjoys a good deal of success by resolutely refusing to do what his instincts demand. Stahl thinks his return will be only temporary, but his unexpected affair with EOS member Sgt. Diane Hines makes him so determined to protect her that he can't leave the squad. Meantime, awkward complications pile up. TV news reporter Gloria Hedlund gets wind of the forbidden romance and won't leave it alone. The bomber is approached by terrorists who'd really, really like him to design some devices for a big day they have in mind—and, while they think of it, would like him to purchase them some AK-47's as well. And of course he keeps setting those bombs, some of which are detected and disarmed, others not.Perry (The Old Man, 2017, etc.) provides a hero worth caring about, a villain who stays one step ahead of him, and a supporting cast designed to keep up the nerve-shredding suspense. If the ending feels like a letdown, that's because this ultimate professional rivalry can't possibly continue forever.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170157518
Publisher:	HighBridge Company
Publication date:	01/02/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

As he walked, he congratulated himself on his success. He made weapons, but didn’t consider himself a warrior. He was a bomb maker, a person who killed unseen and from a safe distance. All bombs came from a small, scheming, self-protective part of the mind. No bomb came from bravery. At most they were cunning or imaginative, cleverly disguised as something harmless—or even appealing. The Russians used to use helicopters to drop small delayed bombs designed to look like toys so Afghan children would try to pick them up. The monumental cynicism that led to the design of those devices still excited and amazed him.

One of his specialties was making bombs that came from his observations about human impulses and temptations. He liked small, routine-looking bombs that would beguile a bomb technician and tempt him to try to defuse it. The technician’s efforts would then set off a bigger bomb he hadn’t seen or imagined was hidden nearby.

He loved the power. He had the ability to obliterate anything he wanted. And he liked the perversity of bombs, the way he could make his enemies use their own skill and intelligence and selflessness and bravery—especially bravery—to kill themselves. When he wanted to be, he was death.

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