The Butcher's Boy by Thomas Perry Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Butcher's Boy
Book Review: "There was no question that something big had gone wrong."
Summary: 5 Stars
The anti-hero of Thomas Perry's first novel is known only as "The Butcher's Boy." For almost seven years, he has been a hit man who is handsomely paid for his specialized services. After he assassinates a high profile target in a particularly clever manner, he expects to receive his payment and go about his business. Instead, more dead bodies begin to pile up and what should have been a straightforward job turns out to be anything but. Who is behind the unexpected bloodbath and what will it take for the butcher's boy to escape unscathed?
The female protagonist is Elizabeth Waring, a highly intelligent and determined woman who has worked for over a year as a data analyst for the Justice Department. Her job is to go through lists of computer printouts, looking "for a pattern that will lead ... to a professional killer...." She also helps keep track of the whereabouts and activities of known organized crime figures. When Elizabeth comes across an account of the murder of a thirty-five year old machinist in Ventura, California, she notices that the deceased, Albert Veasy, was a union activist. He died in a monumental explosion that occurred after he turned the key in the ignition of his pickup truck. Who would want this average blue-collar worker, who had no known enemies, dead?
Although Elizabeth and the butcher's boy appear to have nothing in common, their interests are destined to intersect. Her boss sends Elizabeth to California to look into Veasy's death, even though she is not an experienced investigator. She and the butcher's boy subsequently spend a great deal of time and energy trying to figure out why so many additional people are being slaughtered, especially in Las Vegas. When the butcher's boy himself becomes a target, he will need all of his survival skills to escape his tenacious pursuers. The hunter has become the hunted.
Perry's intricate debut novel has the same brisk style that has served him well throughout his career. He never indulges in purple prose or overstatement. The plot is original and suspenseful. The author captures settings, characters, and moods perfectly with his precise and carefully crafted descriptive writing. Although it may not be politically correct to admire a cold-blooded killer, we cannot help but root for the daring, resilient and ingenious butcher's boy, who takes such pride in his work and is meticulous in his attention to detail. He uses his acting ability, familiarity with surveillance techniques, knowledge of weaponry, and more than a bit of luck to stay alive. This is a fitting introduction to an author who consistently comes up with compelling and original stories about unusual people caught up in forces that they cannot easily control. Perry's world is ambiguous and quirky. It is a place with no explicit set of values, where justice is meted out capriciously, loose ends are left dangling, and there is no clear-cut line between good and evil.
Book Review: A 'new' author with no wait!
Summary: 5 Stars
This guy is great! The writing, the plotting, the twists and turns are terrific. Fresh ways of looking at people's actions & their feelings. Sense of humor is welcome too. I sometimes find 20 or 30 year old books sort of dated but this wasn't at all. Now reading Dead Aim by Perry and finding that just as entertaining. Will be collecting this one.
No need to discuss the meat of the book, but I highly recommend this author.
Book Review: A First-Rate Thriller Returns
Summary: 5 Stars
After being out of print, we have this tale of a talented hit man back for our reading pleasure - and it is a pleasure. Like most hit men, the Butcher's Boy kills with cold efficiency. All goes well until he murders a United States Senator. This stirs the FBI and Department of Justice into intense action. The reaction worries the Mafia dons that hired the Butcher's Boy. He may be caught and implicate them, so the order goes out to kill him. While he eludes hit men trying to eliminate him, he also becomes more visible to a Department of Justice analyst, Elizabeth Waring. Soon, she is involved in the hunt while the Butcher's Boy goes to war against the Mafia dons. The story alternates between the shadowy Butcher's Boy and Elizabeth Waring. Their paths get steadily closer, and you want to tell her to back off - she is out of her league, but she unknowingly descends into the lair of the Butcher's Boy. The story should give thriller fans a good jolt. It is well-worth reading.Book Review: A Signature Style
Summary: 5 Stars
THE BUTCHER'S BOY, Thomas Perry's first in a long line of first-rate thrillers, introduces the reader to Perry's signature style. Characters with keen self awareness and superlative observational skills anticipate the behavior and actions of others based upon their knowledge of human nature. Perry has carved himself a niche that is both insightful and entertaining. Read this and all his others for pure escapist fare.Book Review: A twenty-five-year-old first novel--but a new author for me
Summary: 4 Stars
It was Michael Connelly's introduction that led me to this book. I read somewhere about the re-issue of "The Butcher's Boy" with an introduction by my favorite author and I was so impressed with Connelly's assessment of the book that I ordered it from Amazon. I enjoy reading debut novels and I will certainly continue to read Thomas Perry's books. Obviously, he has become an accomplished novelist since writing "The Butcher's Boy" and I am anxious to read more of his work.