Thomas Perry is an auto-biy for me and I was excited to receive this one! Riveting and engaging. Definitely wrll-writtwn and engaging.

Thomas Perry is becoming a favorite…and he has done it again, writing the kind of fast-paced thriller for which he is known as a master. Perry’s protagonists are complex characters who sometimes stumble into things but (no matter how they get there) they always seem to figure out how to prevail, regardless of the obstacles.

In Murder Book, former cop Harry Duncan gets roped in to fighting corruption and crime in the small town where the U.S. Attorney happens to be his ex-wife lives who turns to him when she needs help. It’s kind of impossible for Harry to resist being the one to charge in and fix things…that whole Y chromosome thing, maybe? In any case, Harry is the guy to call if your small town is being overrun by big city-type crime. Quite a fun read, and I appreciate Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for this honest review. Four stars.

I enjoyed this book. Complex plot. The character outwitted others without violence. Unusual in this type of book.

5 star reviews are rare from me. I loved this book. I couldn't put it down.

Harry Duncan is an ex-cop turned PI who keeps a long detailed murder book on every case he is involved in. Harry's ex-wife Ellen calls him and asks him to go to Indiana behind the scene to investigate a rash of unusual crimes. She wants to bring in the feds but needs justification.

Harry heads to Indiana and ends up in a local bar/restaurant. When leaving he finds 3 men who are trying to take his car. They attack him but he ends of gaining control. He takes them to the state police and then begins following the leads that these men lead to. When they end up dead after being released, the circle widens. There is murder, kidnapping, extortion and all sorts of behind the scene shenanigans.

The pace never slows and oh how I hope that Harry makes a return appearance.

A novel as winding and circuitous as the river that meanders through the small town at its center. Harry Duncan is a private investigator who gets called in by his US Attorney ex-wife to check out reports that the mob is moving in on several small towns outside of Chicago. Almost immediately Duncan finds himself in the middle of a dizzying array of action. This novel reminded me of early Jack Reacher.

Murder Book by Thomas Perry- Another fast-paced thriller that Perry is so good at writing. Small Town USA is being invaded by big time crooks. Harry Duncan, a former cop and a lot more, is tasked by his ex-wife, a US attorney, to find out what's going. Harry, it seems, has many talents. He doesn't really want to do this, but once he gets started he finds this a thing worth doing. Needless to say, he almost immediately has the bad guys on the run. It's a fun read, but Harry seems so gifted and unbeatable that it's hard to imagine him breaking a sweat. I've seen this before in several of Thomas Perry's books, where the main character always seem to be to effortlessly prevail. Still an action-packed read and I wouldn't mind seeing Harry Duncan again. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC

Murder Book is a well written action story following a detective who is investigating criminal activity in a Midwestern town. It moved along quickly. It was a great action packed adventure.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope she writes more! I am totally hooked!

Murder Book is a superbly balanced thriller that hits on all the bullet points readers love to see in a suspenseful one-man-against-the-world story. Thomas Perry is going to kickstart 2023 the right way!

Harry Duncan, an ex-cop, is called upon by the U.S Attorney and his ex-wife to investigate the rise of a widespread criminal organization taking roots in small-towns. Initially reluctant to take part, Duncan gives in and sets off on a journey where he comes across a dangerous syndicate that puts a price on Duncan’s head when he starts putting the pieces together in his murder book of victims and criminals with damning evidence. Assassins, thugs, and businessmen, Harry Duncan needs to in tip-top condition to best his adversaries because he won’t see them coming until it’s too late.

Duncan proves himself as a man of both wit and brawn. Thomas Perry brilliantly puts his protagonist in situations that seem to put him out of his depth but more often than not, it’s exactly where Duncan wants to be. His law-enforcement instincts keep him a step ahead of his adversaries with all that he uncovers throughout his investigation into the syndicate.

This also provides ample opportunities for Duncan to let loose with his fists and his firearms. Whether it’s Duncan stylishly taking out thugs in brutal hand-to-hand fight sequences or trying to escape a sniper in a car chase, or simply letting lead fly with his pistol, there’s enough action to keep the storyline firing on all cylinders.

If you’re looking for an incorruptible hero to take the fight to the criminals with a heavy hand and a loaded Glock 17, you’re picking up the right Murder Book.

Full review will be posted on https;//www.best thriller books.com/kashif-hussain

Another Great book by Thomas Perry that you won’t be able to put down.
Harry Duncan is a great character in the the classic PI tradition.
He is doggedly relentless and is likable and fascinating. His relationship with his ex-wife, now a US attorney, adds an interesting dimension to the story.
The mid-west locale adds much flavor and color to a gripping and engaging story.
Highly recommended.

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had me turned pages without even realizing. It was so good!

The US Attorney in Chicago gives former cop and current PI Harry Duncan the assignment of checking out intensifying criminal activity in Indiana towns in Ash County . Investigate he does! Duncan learns of multiple attempts to extort and intimidate locals and devises methods that lead to many of their deaths. The action culminates with a huge standoff between the tow.n and the crooks.
The motivation for the criminals is not clear as there doesn't appear to be enough money involved to make it worthwhile. But Duncan doesn't stop...and neither does the story. Stay tuned!
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Free ARC from NET GALLEY

At the risk of getting kicked out of the ARC club I have to say this was a true disappointment

I have read all his books and enjoyed them from his earliest series with Ms. Jane but this reads like someone who couldn't decide between a thriller or a comedy and it ended up for me achieving neither

Pass on this one

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher for the electronic copy. The characters make this story. The main character is in law enforcement and is known to take chances. He works a job for his ex wife…this novel is fiction but reads like nonfiction. It would make a good television series. From the title to the last page., this is an intriguing book. The author is gifted at writing detailed passages. Love and friendship…dishonesty…the book does move slowly at times but comes to a resounding conclusion.

I love Thomas Perry’s books. This is another enjoyable read. It’s full of twists and action, led by a very savvy hero who got involved because of an assignment from his ex-wife. Action seems to find him. It’s a bit too much like a Jack Reacher book, making Duncan too much like a super-hero to be believable.

So, exciting but a bit hard for me to love the protagonist as I usually do in a Perry novel.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Not Thomas Perry's best. It was oddly reminiscent of a better Thomas Perry book published a couple of years back, A SMALL TOWN in which yet another plucky band of small town folks makes a brave stand against a zombie-like mob of criminals determined to take over their town.

As always, the writing is superb, but the narrative line didn't quite meet Perry's usual standards of incisiveness and crispness. Like a lot of us, it could have honestly stand to lose about twenty pounds. In spite of that slight quibble, however, there's no way I'm going to give The Master™️ less than five stars.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Penzler Publishers and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.



A mystery, thriller full of surprises and intrigue.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview Murder Book.
Thomas Perry is at the top of his game with his newest book.
Harry Duncan is a private investigator. He has worked in law enforcement his entire life. Now he uses his skills to investigate crimes. Harry is a loner and he likes it that way. That’s until his exwife asks for his help. She is noticing criminal activities in the Midwest and with no one she can trust, she turns to Harry.
Harry is immediately involved and finds there is a lot going on in these small towns than meets the eye. And Harry has plans of his own to investigate what’s going on and that includes writing his own Murder Book. Harry has learned the best way to solve crimes is to document and piece together all the people, places, and murders.
Harry knows immediately that his ex wife is on to something but proving that is not so easy. Harry by far is one of my favorite characters. He is full of surprises and quite capable of keeping himself alive even when he is outnumbered.
Harry will need help to figure out what’s going on and he finds just the right people who won’t lay down and will fight for what is right no matter what!
Well written, deep characters and solid plot make this one of his best novels.
If you have not read any of Thomas Perry books you can start here but he has written so many great books, you are in for a treat.
Excellent 5 stars!

Loved it

This captured me right from the start. I barely moved off of the sofa all day and when I did, I carried my iPad around so I could keep reading.

The plot has Harry Duncan, private investigator and former cop, moving through northern Indiana and Illinois to find out who is behind the increase of crime. It seems like someone or some group is filling the void formed when the old mobs were broken by incarcerating the leaders. Oh, and the person who hired him, a U.S. Attorney, is his ex-wife who walked out on them while they were both still in law school.

I loved this book. I would really like it if it was the first in a series of Duncan books. I guess that gives a spoiler that he isn't killed at the end. Sorry. He was smart and knew how to get himself and the people he wound up protecting out of jams without resorting to wholesale shooting or unrealistically fighting 10 people at once.

The only thing I didn't like is the very, very end, the last few paragraphs which occur several years after the rest of the book. I suppose that was to tell us what was going on with Harry's social life, but it just didn't hit right.

A new stand alone novel from Thomas Perry. I love that he goes switches between series and singleton writing.

The central character here is an PI who used to be a cop, several times! He takes a contract from the Feds to investigate a possible new crime network forming in Indiana. Just investigate and report on some odd happenings....

Things start hopping pretty much right away and we are off trying to figure out what is going on.

Nothing is rushed in this story and the plot does not require anyone to be stupid or non communicative. It's a joy to read novels where the reader does not have to make excuses for the characters.