Harry Duncan, former homicide cop and now a private investigator, is contacted by his ex-wife who is now a U.S. Attorney. An increase in robberies and assaults by career criminals in rural communities
has her concerned that this could signal the start of an organized crime syndicate. She is interested in hiring Harry as an independent contractor to gather evidence to support a full blown investigation.
It doesn’t take Harry long to run into trouble in rural Indiana and things begin to snowball. What is the real purpose of all these criminal acts? Will Harry uncover the truth before it’s too late?
An engrossing read with lots of action and suspense.
#MurderBook #NetGalley

This was a surprisingly enjoyable reading experience for me. It's about small towns in Indiana being infiltrated by a gang that threatens local businesses if they don't pay protection money. But that's not all that's going on in Thomas Perry's latest crime novel. Former cop Harry Duncan agrees to investigate when his ex-wife who is also a US Attorney asks him to look into the situation. What follows is a wild ride of an investigation. I appreciated Perry's detailed descriptions of the action scenes (of which there are plenty) - I never felt lost. My one complaint was the abrupt ending. But that also left me wondering if its not the last we'll hear of Harry Duncan.

Endless.

This Thomas Perry offering is written more brightly than the two most recent that I have read but now the problem is length. I read for what I considered a goodly time but when I looked at the progress report, rather than the 70% I expected, it was only 40%. I skipped ahead and read the last 10% and realized that from the point I left off to where I picked up, a whole other plotline had been introduced and disposed of. Mr. Perry has given us one long slow book instead of two brisk ones. I don't think this was a good decision.

This book was interesting to say the least. Most definitely a fast paced book but I feel as though it moved a little too fast without everything being covered. It was however a good book and I still would recommend this book to others


Thanks for the ARC

Rating for this book would be a 3.75 for me

I felt like this book just dragged on foreverrrrrrrrrrrrr. The storyline had potential but there was just too much going on. I’m all for fast paced books, but this one just moved on so quickly, I found it difficult to really get attached or care for anything.

Exciting, fast-paced, action-packed crime novel! From the title I thought this might be about an author who was writing a book of murder stories, but I was totally wrong. Harry Duncan, a private investigator, is hired by his ex-wife who is a U.S. Attorney, to find out what is behind the recent crime wave in the midwest. Harry starts investigating in a small town and things start happening really fast. I was glued to the pages throughout as Harry kept landing in impossible situations where he had to think ahead of everyone else to stay alive and get needed information for his investigation. And yes, Harry was putting together a murder book which was a new concept to me and not what I expected at all.

Terrific book and I'll be investigating what is already available from Thomas Perry since this is the first book of his I've read. I totally enjoyed the adventures of Harry Duncan, the hero in this book.

Thanks to Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on January 17, 2023.

Harry is hired by his ex wife, the US attorney for the region, to investigate a series of crimes in the mid west. She can’t open an investigation because she has no proof to show there is a reason to get involved. Harry runs into trouble the minute he hits town and the trouble keeps coming. This is a really good book that will keep you interested. There is plenty of action and suspense. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

My dad would like this book. There is a lot of crime and action and the author is creative in how he writes the scenes, which I enjoyed reading. I think the character development was a little flat, and wanted to be more endeared to the characters but they were somewhat one dimensional. I think this would make a fun movie or show though!

3.5/5 stars

The title drew my attention but unfortunately the story within could not hold it. If felt drawn out and bogged down with details.

Thomas Perry’s first novel, "The Butcher’s Boy", was an award-winning best seller forty years ago and this is his thirtieth yarn, so you certainly can’t call him a flash in the pan. Some of his books (notably "Metzger’s Dog") have been very funny, but most of his books are more serious thrillers and crime novels, but often not the usual sort. (Though they sometimes include a slightly loony element.) They’re almost never “mysteries” because you generally know from the first chapter who done what to whom. Rather, Perry likes to observe what the killer/thief/arsonist is up to, examining motivations and consequences, and taking the reader along for the ride. His style is slow and methodical and unadorned, so if you’re looking for non-stop high-speed action, you might be disappointed. But if you like to get down into the depths of the criminal personality, and in detail, Perry is the writer for you. But if (like me) you’ve read nearly all of Perry’s earlier books, this one may also surprise you because it includes more of the elements of the classic mystery than usual.

So, Harry Duncan used to be a Chicago homicide cop and is now a private detective, and his ex-wife, who is a U.S. Attorney, comes to him with a proposition. A number of local bad guys are being reported involved in armed robberies and assaults (and several associated murders) in other nearby jurisdictions, like Indiana, and always working in teams, not individually. She’s worried that something’s happening in organized crime on her patch (“There’s always someone trying to be the next Mafia”) but her boss just points to their large backlog and insists it’s a state-level problem anyway. Would Harry be interested in looking into things as an outside expert, to compile information that she can use as leverage?

So off he goes, wandering through rural Indiana and keeping his eyes open, and with an hour of stopping for lunch at tavern in Parkman’s Elbow on the twisty Gray River, he’s being shaken down by a trio of outta town hoods. But they’re not very competent at it and Harry quickly has them wrapped up as a present for the state police. But Renee Parkman, after whose family the town is named and the proprietor of The Elbow Room, is also a target; the Bad Guys figure if they can control her with their protection demands, the rest of the local merchants will fall in line. Renee is tougher than that, though, and Harry also takes an interest, and then things start to get complicated. This whole racket is much larger and far more violent than he expected it would be. This isn’t a romance -- Renee doesn’t even like Harry that much or trust him farther than she has to -- just a straightforward relentless exploration of a criminal conspiracy and how one relentless investigator brings it to heel.

This was my first Thomas Perry book ever and I was excited to dive into it just by the look of the cover. I personally had a like/dislike with how long each event was written out and described but if you are looking for an in depth detective book this will be right up your alley! You will not be left wondering what happened in every part of the investigation with this book. Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the ARC.

Well this was a goddam delight! Seriously, I loved this.

I’ve actually not read the author before, though I think he’s written about a gazillion books. And now I need to go and read all those other books.

Harry and his Murder Book were everything. I adored him and found myself surprisingly caught up in this this small town and the very odd crimes happening there.

One of those books I simply didn’t want to stop reading.

I hope there are new Harry books coming, because I’m totally on board.

• ARC via Publisher

My first Thomas Perry! What a fast paced and murderous ride. The Murder Book is a great example of how a previous officer of the law should fill his time.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

kidnapping, mafia, ex-cop, action-adventure, private-investigators, extortion, witty, suspense, thriller, mystery, riveting, unputdownable, undercover, crime-thriller, testosterone-fest, procedural*****

What a thrill ride!
Harry is tagged by the U.S. Attorney with a contract to act as an independent contractor for the government in investigating the advance of the Chicago mob into small towns in the Midwest thereby giving plausible deniability for the Feds. This amazingly resourceful ex-cop jumps right in rescuing those who needed it and turning the villains over to the local force. Great protagonist, well developed characters, intricate fast-moving plot with sneaky twists and diabolical red herrings. Every description is intricately detailed. Couldn't stop reading!
I requested and received an EARC from Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

Murder Book is a fast paced full of action and cant put the book down read.

Harry Duncan, former policeman, at the bequest of his ex wife is investigating a take over of small town by seemingly the Mob from Chicago.

Bodies quickly pile up, Harry should have been named Houdini as he manages to get out of some very tight spots .

At times I was holding my breath excepting the worse and hoping for the best for the residents of the small Indiana town.

Thomas Perry writes so well you feel that you are in the middle of the action and you should duck or run

The pace was relentless and the pages turn quickly from the first to the last page.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press for a nail biting read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of Perry's Murder Book!

Perry did a fantastic job paining a picture of crime-addled Midwestern towns, The descriptions of people, places, and action sequences were thrilling, realistic, and just the right amount of over-the-top. There were so many scenes where I was breathless wondering how everything was going to turn out!

The setting was also realistically portrayed, and the characters were developed very well without falling into tropes. The main protagonist was both flawed and incredibly talented. He was part-police, part-gumshoe. The integration of complicated relationships did not distract from the story, but they were necessary to inform characters' motives and decisions. Overall, an incredible procedural that was thrilling and very relevant for our time!

I always love Thomas Perry's books, and this one hooked me from the start.
This is a fast paced plot filled with a lot of action, intrigue, and whit. Absolutely love Harry, and his way out of the box way of thinking. Highly recommend for those looking for a bit of mystery with a lot of action.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A kind of strange scenario, but it works! Harry Duncan is called upon by his ex wife to investigate crime waves in the midwest.
As US Attorney, his ex wife isn't ready to declare an open investigation, but she suspects that the hole left by the slot end of the mafia is being filled by minor characters.

Harry goes in to a small town and finds lot of interesting characters and a new potential crime syndicate. The problem is that the problem is much bigger and more complex then he assumed and he might have trouble extricating himself from the mess. If you like crime dramas, undercover cops, dry humor and thrilling scenes, Murder Book is for you! #penzler

Murder Book by Thomas Perry -- 5 Stars
Publisher: Mystery Press
ISBN: 9781613163832

This is a fast-paced thriller set in small towns in Indiana. Through extortion and fear, big city crooks are forcing residents to sell their properties to them for far less than fair value. Harry Duncan, a private investigator working as an independent contractor for the government, uses ingenuity and past experience in law enforcement to outsmart the bad guys and to discover the motive behind the take over of the towns. It is a frightening plan.
I always enjoy Thomas Perry’s novels. This is a good one.


Reviewer: Nancy

The title drew me in, but Murder Book’s protagonist kept me reading. Harry Duncan’s fast-paced world hooked me in chapter two, and it’s a story made for fans of action thrillers. It’s my first read from Thomas Perry, but if this one is any indicator, I can’t wait to read more of his work.