Thomas Perry (born 1947) is an American mystery and thriller novelist. He received a 1983 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best First Novel.

Writings

Perry's work has covered a variety of fictional suspense starting with The Butcher's Boy, which received a 1983 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best First Novel, followed by Metzger's Dog, Big Fish, Island, and Sleeping Dogs. He then launched the critically acclaimed Jane Whitefield series: Vanishing Act (chosen as one of the "100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century" by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association), Dance for the Dead, Shadow Woman, The Face Changers, Blood Money, Runner, and Poison Flower.

Perry developed a non-series list of mysteries with Death Benefits, Pursuit (which won a Gumshoe Award in 2002), Dead Aim, Night Life, Fidelity, and Strip. The New York Times selected Night Life for its best seller selection. In The Informant, released in 2011, Perry brought back the hit-man character first introduced in The Butcher's Boy and later the protagonist in Sleeping Dogs.

The Informant was awarded the 2012 Barry Award for Best Thriller. ^[1] Eddie's Boy received the 2021 Barry Award for Best Thriller. ^[2] In 2021, Vanishing Act was included in Parade's list of "101 Best Mystery Books of All Time". ^[3]

Biography

Perry was born in Tonawanda, New York, in 1947. He received a B.A. from Cornell University in 1969 and his Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Rochester in 1974. He has been a laborer, maintenance man, commercial fisherman, weapons mechanic, university administrator and teacher, as well as a television writer and producer ( Simon & Simon, 21 Jump Street, Star Trek: The Next Generation). Through January 2020, Perry has published 27 novels. He lives in Southern California with his wife, author Jo (née Lee), ^[4] and their two children. ^[5]

Bibliography

Butcher's Boy series

• Perry, Thomas (1982). The Butcher's Boy. Scribner's. ISBN  0-684-17455-3.
• Perry, Thomas (1992). Sleeping Dogs. Random House. ISBN  978-0-679-41064-5.
• Perry, Thomas (2011). The Informant. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN  978-0-547-56933-8.
• Perry, Thomas (2020). Eddie's Boy. Mysterious Press. ISBN  978-0802157775.

Jane Whitefield series

• Perry, Thomas (1995). Vanishing Act. Random House. ISBN  978-0-679-43536-5.
• Perry, Thomas (1996). Dance for the Dead. Random House. ISBN  978-0-679-44911-9.
• Perry, Thomas (1997). Shadow Woman. Random House. ISBN  978-0-679-45302-4.
• Perry, Thomas (1998). The Face-Changers. Random House. ISBN  978-0-679-45303-1.
• Perry, Thomas (1999). Blood Money. Random House. ISBN  978-0-679-45304-8.
• Perry, Thomas (2009). Runner. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN  978-0-15-101528-3.
• Perry, Thomas (2012). Poison Flower. Mysterious Press. ISBN  978-0-8021-2605-4.
• Perry, Thomas (2014). A String of Beads. Grove/Atlantic, Incorporated. ISBN  978-0-8021-2329-9.
• Perry, Thomas (2021). The Left-Handed Twin. National Geographic Books. ISBN  978-1-61316-259-0.

Jack Till series

• Perry, Thomas (2007). Silence. Harcourt. ISBN  978-0-15-101289-3.
• Perry, Thomas (2013). The Boyfriend. Grove. ISBN  978-0-8021-2606-1.

Stand-alone novels

• Perry, Thomas (1983). Metzger's Dog. Scribner. ISBN  978-0-6841-7948-3.
• Perry, Thomas (1985). Big Fish. Scribner. ISBN  978-0-684-18367-1.
• Perry, Thomas (1987). Island. Putnam. ISBN  978-0-399-13327-5.
• Perry, Thomas (2001). Death Benefits. Random House. ISBN  978-0-679-45305-5.
• Pursuit. 2001. ISBN  978-0-679-45306-2.
• Perry, Thomas (2002). Dead Aim. Random House. ISBN  1-4000-6003-6.
• Perry, Thomas (2006). Nightlife. Random House. ISBN  1-4000-6004-4.
• Perry, Thomas (2008). Fidelity. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN  978-0-15-101292-3.
• Perry, Thomas (2010). Strip. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN  978-0-15-101522-1.
• Perry, Thomas (2016). Forty Thieves. Mysterious Press. ISBN  978-0-8021-2452-4.
• Perry, Thomas (2017). The Old Man. Mysterious Press. ISBN  978-0802125866.
• Perry, Thomas (2018). The Bomb Maker. Mysterious Press. ISBN  978-0802127488.
• Perry, Thomas (2019). The Burglar. Grove Atlantic. ISBN  978-0802129000.
• Perry, Thomas (2020). A Small Town. Mysterious Press. ISBN  978-0802148063.
• Perry, Thomas (2023). Murder Book. National Geographic Books. ISBN  978-1-61316-383-2.
• Perry, Thomas (2024). Hero. Mysterious Press. ISBN  978-1613164778.

References

External links

• Official site
• Interview with Thomas Perry
• "The Professional," an overview of Perry's work by Ethan Iverson
• Modern Signed Books BlogTalkRadio Interview with Rodger Nichols about Forty Thieves (March 2016)