kidnapping, mafia, excop, action-adventure, private-investigators, extortion, witty, suspense, thriller, mystery, riveting, unputdownable, undercover, crime-thriller, testosterone-fest, procedural, law-enforcement, murder,*****

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!
Nov 28, 2022 I requested and received an EARC from Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
Jan 07, 2023 This time I was fortunate to get the temporary audio from HighBridge Audio via NetGalley. An even bigger thank you! Peter Berkrot is not only an accomplished voice actor but is perfectly suited to narrate this book. Excellent character definition and really enhances an already great read!

4 stars for this novel. It was fast paced and at some points I was a little lost. Thank for net galley for the audiobook

I had a really hard time connecting with this at all. I think the cover and description were interesting and I had really high hopes, but this fell flat. I liked the narrator as well

This was my first encounter with author Thomas Perry and audiobook narrator Peter Berkrot. They both did a fine job with this novel. The story had a definite Jack Reacher feel to it. Ex-cop Harry Duncan used some unconventional methods to solve the crime/mystery he was tasked with working. There was also plenty of action, suspense, and clever dialogue throughout. For the most part, I liked the pacing of the book, but for me the ending seemed to drag out a bit. Maybe it was being used to books having a quick wrap-up that caused this. But I definitely would recommend this book if you like Jack Reacher novels or private investigators in general.

Thank you to HighBridge Audio and NetGalley for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Murder Book by Thomas Perry
Narrated by Peter Berkrot

Former cop of all sorts, Harry Duncan, is now a private investigator. He uses everything he's learned in the past to do a fantastic job of private investigating now. He keeps murder books for every job he does, just like he did when he wasn't self employed. He is methodical with his record keeping, with pictures, videos, audios, interviews, everything that pertains to a crime recorded, documented, and saved.

Harry's ex wife is someone he doesn't miss at all. Now she is a US attorney and there is something very amiss is her region. She needs proof before she can do anything about it so she asks Harry to investigate and he agrees to do so against his better judgment. These two do not get along and they both seem happy to keep their past in the past. Although sometimes the past leaks through and that helps Harry remember just why he's glad he usually has nothing to do with this woman.

Combine the audiobook narration, the way the story is told, and Harry's demeanor and the word "noir" instantly comes to mind. Harry is a wisecrack but in the nicest of ways, it was so interesting being in his head. He has so much knowledge, so much talent, such creativity, and such a focused mind, that he can deal with anything. Yet there is nothing flashy about him, he knows how to blend in, he's just an ordinary guy. He can pull off whatever he needs to pull off. On one hand, he's the guy I'd want around in a disaster but on the other hand, disaster seems to follow him once the story gets started.

I live near a tiny town and this story deals with small towns being destroyed by corruption. It hurt to read this story but the author does show why doing small town folks dirty might not be a good idea. Harry knows how to bring people together, he knows how to read people, treat people, and understand people. He can also make use of the simplest things to get things done. You want Harry on your side if you are in trouble. There is a lot of action in this story but it also feels cerebral. Harry is a thinker if he's anything at all. This is a man who knows how to take care of himself, when to rev up and when to shut down.

Thank you to HighBridge Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.

MURDER BOOK by acclaimed author Thomas Perry provides readers with triple the entertainment.

~AUTHOR: Thomas Perry. The writing is Top Notch—Stellar!
~NARRATOR: Peter Berkrot. One of my favorite audio narrators —Swoon!
~PROTAGONIST: Chicago PI Harry Duncan—Fearless, smart, and funny! Please bring him back for a series.

Chicago PI Harry Duncan is the star of this intense stellar crime novel. His ex-wife Ellen Leicester, the US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, offers Harry a contract.

Ellen wants him to investigate criminal activity in the small towns along Indiana's Ash River in the Midwest—from extortion, assaults, conspiracy, racketeering, and will turn out to be much more.

Even though they have been divorced for years and have not seen one another in 15 years; however, she trusts Harry. He wants to turn her down but he accepts.

She thinks the organized crime groups are making their way from Chicago to these smaller Midwest towns. Harry's job is to scout out the area. She needs more proof before the FBI spends federal funds for a full-scale investigation.

It does not take long for Harry to become engrossed with these dangerous characters. On the first day at the Elbow Room restaurant, two guys acting as cops try to use tactics to get money from him. He soon finds out thugs are trying to take over the places of business to pay them or else.

What is their motive? Who is behind this conspiracy to commit murder and more?

He meets the three Clark brothers trying to extort money from Renee at The Elbow Room, which makes him know he is on to something. Then things become more dangerous with kidnapping.

Ellen needs more proof, so he has to become involved with those who are their victims who may turn on them to find out who is behind this organized crime ring. He learns that this group is much more violent than he or Ellen had suspected, and he needs help.

He soon learns Gerald Russell, a relator who works for bigger guys in Chicago. The goons are putting pressure on the local businesses pushing them for payoffs with the goal of bankrupting and buying their business at a steep discount.

We also meet an assassin and things become dangerous when people are kidnapped and he is in the middle.

What makes it more stressful for Harry is that he cannot reach Ellen by phone. Is she throwing him under the bus? Did she set him up? Or is there a mole in her office keeping them from speaking with one another? Someone knows something as they are always one step ahead. Harry is in their way and they want him gone.

Will Harry be able to get enough proof for the FBI, or are there other higher-ups protecting the organized crime group?

As the investigation develops, he begins compiling a "murder book," the notebook in which the detective keeps records, interviews, photos—everything he needs to build his case. He is now a target and Ellen.

The MURDER BOOK packs a punch, and Harry is a very relatable character—love his style. The author kept me guessing regarding the loyalties of certain characters until the satisfying conclusion.

For fans of Michael Connley's Bosch, a superb fast-paced crime thriller with plenty of action, suspense, mystery, well-developed characters, and a protagonist you will root for until the end. I listened to the audiobook in one sitting.

An outstanding thriller from a writer at the top of his game—a real treat! Highly recommend.

I also enjoyed the supporting characters and as mentioned above, I hope this will be an ongoing series, as I enjoyed Harry's character and humor. Thomas Perry is a top crime writer, combined with Peter Berkrot (he is an auto-preorder)—one of the best crime narrators with the new Harry Duncan = A Winner!

Thank you to #HighbridgeAudio and #NetGalley for a gifted ALC.

Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Jan 17, 2023
My Rating: 5 🌟 Stars
2023 Must-Read Books

I was excited to see a new ARC available for a new stand alone book by Thomas Perry. I have enjoyed all of the books that I have read by him so far - and have especially enjoyed the Jane Whitfield series. His stand alones have - at least so far- each been interesting and unique.

I was actually a little bit surprised that I was approved for the Audio version and not the print version of the advanced copy, but if I had a choice, I would have gone for the audio anyway. I'm sure it is probably due to the different publishers (Print version is Penzler Publishers and Audio is High Bridge Audio) Regardless, that is neither here nor there.

The narration was done by Peter Berkrot and I didn't have any issues with him as a narrator. He has narrated a couple of books by Mr. Perry in the past and I think he did fine with his portrayal of the different voices and with the tone and inflection of the various voices.

About the story. As I mentioned before, his stories tend to be fairly unique and this one was no exception. Without going into spoilers, we immediately get to meet the male MC Harry Duncan - we are told he has a background in law enforcement in the beginning, but it takes a REALLY long time for us to truly understand who Harry is or was in his past. It takes even more time to see all of his talents, and the sheer abilities and skills for things that he is capable of. With that being said, I liked the character of Harry. For some reason, he won me over fairly quickly. His character was a bit "over the top" at times and did push the limits of the believability scales with some of his antics, but it was fun to just think, "what the heck....ummm....okay," then shrug your mental shoulders and just go with it.

Where I did have a bit of an issue was with 2 completely separate things. Again no spoilers, so let me just say that the case that Harry was working on escalated WAY too quickly and too crazily to be even a little believable. I mean, I've already admitted being willing to suspend my believability barometer for Harry because, as I said before, he was a very likeable guy. He also had a quirky sense of humor and seemed as if he truly wanted to be of help as things started going south in the town. But, man oh man..... the downright shenanigans that began snowballing in the town......THAT was a bit hard to swallow.

The other thing I didn't like - and if I'm being honest, I REALLY REALLY didn't like it - was the character of his ex-wife Ellen and the way she handled the relationship between the two of them. She was a COMPLETELY unlikeable character and she really never got better - even though Harry was the one doing her a favor by taking the assignment and endangering his life. Constantly, I might add. It really became extremely annoying.

We also never really saw any character growth from her as the story progressed (well, okay.....maybe a very small smidge at the end....but that is really pushing it). To top that off...she was really AWFUL at her job. She was a US Attorney and I spent most of the book trying to decide if she was really that oblivious to the events surrounding her or if she was part of the all-encompassing crazy criminal organization that Harry found himself in the middle of. She was condescending, rude, arrogant....I think I'll stop there because you should get the gist.

So, even with all of that, I did like the book. There was drama, lots of action, intrigue, mystery and once the book finally found its feet, it never stopped. To me, the good definitely outweighed the bad.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone.

Nothing about this book was earth-shatteringly unique or novel, but it was a classic, solid, crime mystery. Harry os sent in to investigate some crimes happening in small town Indiana. He's trying to find evidence so the US Attorney (his ex-wife, incidentally) can get the FBI involved. We get action happening quite quickly and it gives a good sense of how Harry operates.

Overall, I liked this book. There were some characters who I wasn't 100% about until the end of the novel, which I always appreciate. It was fast-paced and fairly easy to follow but seemed to be a lot about the why not just the who, what, when, and how.

I wouldn't be surprised if this turns into a series even though it's currently billed as a stand-alone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mysterious Press for the opportunity to review this book ahead of publication. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

The dialogue was pretty poor; felt like a pre-feminist throw back. I couldn't get into the story, and I didn't finish the book.

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