This has everything I love about Thomas Perry's books. It jumps in and grabs the reader right from the start, with plenty of fast-paced action in an easy-to-follow plot. The characters are simple and likable, and relationships are established quickly. When you're looking for a book that you can pick up and read in a day or two without having to invest in the characters this is for you. The drawback for me is that the book really could have wrapped up about 50 pages earlier. The final section really felt like a "forced fit" and probably should have been left on the cutting room floor. Still, a fun read. Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have read every Thomas Perry book and always enjoy the thrill ride Perry sends his readers on. pro Bono is no exception.

This thriller has all the hallmarks of Perry’s best. The good guy really is a good guy based on his quest to see justice served to the bad guys. In this case, Charles Warren is an attorney and accountant. His mother got conned many years ago, so when a widow comes to him with a similar story, he is determined to help her and ensure the bad guys do not do this to others. Along y the way, we meet a pair of ex convicts who are quirky and funny, some bad rich guys, and other criminal types. The methods Charles uses to get out of scrapes and take precautions are as ingenious and fun to read as any James Bond novel. Needless to say, there is nonstop action.

This was an exhilarating read, and I finished it in one sitting.

Charles Warren, a LA attorney is asked by a new client to review some financial statements that appear to have missing funds. As Charlie continues to probe, he sees a distinct pattern emerge of embezzlement. Through many twists and turns he is entrenched in a web of deceit, lies and corruption. It is up to him to find justice. An entertaining read!

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Thomas Perry creates a balanced narrative that goes big but manages to stay grounded and gritty without sacrificing the fast pace of the narrative. Part crime thriller, part mystery, and all suspense, this is a fantastic legal-crime thriller to sink your teeth in.

I have read quite a few of Thomas Perry's books by now, so I know what to expect. However, this one felt a bit flat to me, despite being tightly plotted and involving a crime that (should have) interested me.
Like many of his prior books, this is a procedural. It involves financial crimes, and reads a bit like a "how to" manual for recovery of funds. I found the tone curiously detached; as a result, I did not feel attached to any particular outcome, or (unfortunately) any of the players.
The only specific criticism of the plot that I can offer is the addition of several new players in the last 1/3 of the book. At a point where it seemed things were wrapping up, a whole new family of bad guys was introduced. I found myself feeling let down by this development. I was clearly ready for the book to be done.
That said, this is not a bad book, not at all. There is a lot to like here- in particular, the focus on recovery/restitution/consequences after a crime is committed was interesting and not something I have seen before. The first 2/3 of the book is well-plotted, despite the "tacked on" feeling I had about the last 1/3 , the plot works.
In the end, I think the biggest miss for me was the characters, I tend to prefer character driven mysteries and thrillers. With this one, I did not care much about any of the characters-good guys, bad guys, victims-just did not feel any investment in what happened to them.
If you have read and like Thomas Perry's work, I recommend this one as well. If you have never read him before, I would not start with this one.

Thomas Perry is an author that has been having a lot of ups and downs lately. When he’s up, his thrillers are top notch, quick and full of action. When he’s down, the stories seem to be lacking in depth and quite superficial. Unfortunately, “Pro Bono” tends to veer more to the down side, light on action and character development.

The initial few chapters have a great set-up. A conman is being pursued through the desert, coming to a gruesome ending. A couple of convicts find something valuable and hide it until their release. And a young boy gets shipped out by his new stepdad to pursue his education far away from home. Quite a series of storylines leading to the present day.

Charles Warren is a Los Angeles attorney that specializes in finding and recovering lost and stolen assets. When a young widow named Vesper walks into his office with some questions about financial irregularities in accounts her late husband set up, Charles goes to work to track down what is happening. He is quickly chased, shot at, and has his briefcase stolen – clearly, someone doesn’t want him to pursue this case. And then Vesper disappears…

Some of this ties back to Charles’ mother getting conned and the convicts who now want to get paid. Can Charles protect Vesper (and himself) while recovering the stolen money?

It sounds like this would be an action-packed nailbiter, but in reality most of the book is Charles doing a bit of basic investigation but mostly routine accounting/lawyerly things. There are a few action scenes, but even then most of the stuff happens off camera, so to speak. The embezzlers get followed, get caught, and the companies settle out of court. The ex-convicts try to strongarm Charles, fail, and become his business partners. Charles’ old stepdad’s family try to get a hold of the stolen money, fail, and get caught. Not really thrilling, not really suspenseful, kind of ho-hum. The characters are one-dimensional, and it’s hard to care about them after you turn the page.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

The plot revolves around 2 women who have been conned out of their money. A car wreck with a bus full of prisoners on work release. The plot is involved and has twists, turns and surprises. A good page turning read.

I love every book by Thomas Perry. His writing is accessible and it just flows making it easy to read.

Mack Stone is a con man. He cons the wrong woman whose son runs him off the road. Right after a bus full of convicts who have been fighting fires is California comes across the crash. 2 of them find paperwork that shows his latest con.

Flash forward 20 years and son Charlie is now a lawyer working for people getting divorced and often cheated.
The cons are out of prison. They make a deal that Charlie will give them a finders fee if they can get his mother's money back. In the meantime, Charlie is representing Vesper who realizes that her accounts are being embezzeled from after the death of her husband.

All of this gets tied together in a very readable plot that is a fun quick read.

I'm a huge Thomas Perry fan, have read all of his books. Pro Bono was definitely a great book, I loved the non stop action, and the characters. Warren was a thoughtful, well plotted protagonist. I was rooting for him throughout. It's always a good feeling when the action is moving and you check how much of the book is left and you have a long way to go.

I wasn't following the 2nd story line with the 2 men that were brothers-in-law. It was mentioned a few times that the wives had trust funds, but if they did, why did they live such a meager life with the wife saying they couldn't go on any vacations so they could save their money. That plot line definitely had some holes in it, and I had trouble keeping straight the two different men and their companies.

Looking forward to the next book from Thomas Perry!

The first chapter grabbed me and I just knew immediately I’d like this legal thriller. There’s some quirky criminals, a devious conman, a widow with financial discrepancies, large investment firms and an excellent array of supporting characters. It’s set predominantly in the Los Angeles area. Attorney Charles Warren watched his mother be financially destroyed by her con husband. Charlie’s not only a lawyer he’s also a CPA and handles divorces, estates, etc. A new client retains him to audit financial accounts she and her now deceased husband hold which seem to have missing funds, then she disappears. I’m a numbers person so the financial aspect intrigued me. Charlie has a bad feeling when he can’t reach her. Circumstances quickly spiral into much darker threat when Charlie’s also threatened. There’s more than money at play, lives are constantly at risk the more Charlie confronts the institutions with legal filings. Charlie has never forgotten how his mother struggled to put her life back together after being swindled. She’s moved and traveled, never settling down since that man ruined her life. New information surfaces all these years later and Charlie has another legal project to pursue. There was great family drama, interesting legal avenues, characters I was rooting for, some I wanted in prison and harrowing developments. I didn’t want the book to end, I want to know what Charlie does next. Hint to the author – this would be a great series! I don’t remember reading this author before but now I certainly want to read more of his works.
Penzler Publishers provided an Advance Reader Copy of “Pro Bono” by Thomas Perry, publication expected 01/14/202. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given freely with no expectation of compensation.

Since 1994 I have been a loyal fan of Thomas Perry. This first series about Jane Whitefield (Vanishing Act 1994 – The Left Handed Twin 2021),who helped people discover a new identity and then disappear involved the classic Run-and-Hide mystery. Very detailed plot lines about how to disappear. In those days it was actually possible to disappear with fake IDs using dead people’s information. Now with our modern technology, of course, that is unthinkable. Since Jane Whitefield, Thomas Perry has gone on to write 17 stand-alone novels – one of which is The Old Man, made into a hit television series. And truthfully, I can say that all of Perry’s books are of the same quality as those first ones in the Whitefield series. The latest, Pro Bono, is another heavy on detail and plot and light on character and setting. But sometimes an intricate Plot is worth it.
In this story Perry gives us the detail about how to stop a financial scam from the point of view of a LA lawyer, Charles Warren. Warren’s skills in recovering stolen and hidden assets propel the novel through the plot line – Warren is helping a beautiful widow find the money embezzled from her late husband’s accounts. Of course, the criminals do what they can to stop Warren and continue their conspiracy. The story unfolds rapidly and concisely in the Perry style of factual movements with little or no concern with the character build up. However, you do develop your own vision of the characters as the quite intricate detail emerges in the story. Sometimes a story that involves JUST THE FACTS, MA’AM, is a fun read in the mystery genre. Especially when those facts are clever and encompassing.
My rating: 4 of 5
This ARC title was provided by Netgalley.com at no cost, and I am providing an unbiased review. Pro Bono will be published on Jan. 14, 2025.

This is another winning thriller by Thomas Perry. I enjoyed this multi layered intense thriller. The characters are richly drawn to the plot, the chase and thrills non stop and the breathless ending was fun. I highly recommend all of the authors work as he never disappoints. The author has a talent for drawing the reader into the thriller until the exciting conclusion. This story has a common theme today of men stealing finances from unsuspecting widows and its very well represented. The degree the criminals go to is detailed here and shocking to the reader. The side of good wins here with a revenge aspect that is a satisfying end to the reader. Very well done mystery.

Thank you to the author, to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportnity. My review opinions are my own.,

I'm a fan of Thomas Perry's Jane Whitefield series, but this was a disappointment. It's overall just flat, with flat characters and virtually no character development. There are three separate threads to this story and they don't come together well. A pair of ex-cons had some potential for comic relief, but they disappeared early on and just showed up at the end. There are other threads that don't intersect leaving almost the feeling of three separate stories. This feels very much like a first draft or a debut novel. I hope this is just a rare clunker. Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pro Bono has a touch of everything - mystery, crime, betrayal, patience, romance, loyalty… This is a captivating read that moves quickly and unexpectedly through the drama of a long-ago love scam and resulting revenge murder which builds into a bigger crime spree decades later.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I was issued this book by NetGalley for my unbiased review.

Very good book. Really there are about 4 stories within this one adventure. I will look forward to reading more books by Thomas Perry.

Review from ff:


Charles Warren, Los Angeles attorney, has dedicated his career to aiding people in financial straits. He is particularly skilled at the art of recovering assets that have been embezzled or hidden. In his newest case, helping a beautiful young widow find the money missing from her late husband’s investment accounts, Charlie recognizes a familiar scheme—one that echoes the con job that targeted his own widowed mother many years before, and that led him, as a teenager, to commit a crime of retribution that still weighs on his conscience.

Charlie can’t get the present case out of his mind, but within hours of starting his investigation, he is followed, shot at, and has his briefcase stolen. It’s clear that someone doesn’t want him following the trail of the missing money but, as Charlie continues to pursue answers, he quickly becomes too entangled in the web of fraud, betrayal, and career criminals surrounding the theft to escape its deadly snare.

A nail-biting tale of conspiracy and pursuit from Thomas Perry, “a dominating force in the world of contemporary suspense thrillers” (Publishers Weekly), Pro Bono will have readers looking over their shoulders as constantly as they keep turning pages.

One of my favorite mystery writers, his books are page turners.

The book opens with a con man stealing the savings of his wife, a woman he married to get access to her accounts. He dies and the trail of her lost money is lost. There are two mysteries in this book. Both are filled with suspense and danger. I loved the story and the characters, you will too. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

While I love all Thomas Perry books, this was good, just not my favorite one. It is a little slower pace than his usual style. The plot follows two stories basically, with the main character being the lawyer linking the two together. Great characters and premise, just not as action packed as I like.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Slow and steady

I did enjoy this book, but it didn't have any of the heart-thumping moments that I enjoyed in other books by this author.

The plot has two parts, with a lawyer as the connecting point and both parts involving purloined funds. His mother's con man (second) husband stole a lot of money from her, then. died. Years later the son tries to get her money back. He also helps a woman whose investment advisors stole money from her accounts. Although there are some scenes where lives are in danger, it is all and all a pretty calm book. I won't re-read this every few years like I have Butcher's Boy or Metzger's Dog, but it was a solid, if uneventful, read.