The Informant: An Otto Penzler Book (Butcher's Boy Novel) - Softcover

Perry, Thomas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0547737432 ISBN 13: 9780547737430

Publisher: Harper Paperbacks, 2012

Synopsis

“Perry’s novels—the best ones—are a master class in thriller writing. The Informant should be the newest addition to that syllabus, read for devouring first, and analysis thereafter.”—Los Angeles Times

The Butcher’s Boy is back. Thomas Perry’s vengeful assassin has returned to play a deadly psychological game with Elizabeth Waring, the only Justice Department official who ever believed he existed.

The Butcher’s Boy knows Waring can help him hunt down the Mafia boss who sent a team of hit men to kill him—and in return he offers her key information that will help her crack an unsolved murder. So begins a new assault on organized crime and an uneasy alliance between opposite sides of the law. As the Butcher’s Boy works his way ever closer to his deadly enemy in an effort to kill him first, Waring is in a desperate struggle, either to force her unlikely ally to become a protected informant, or to take him out of commission for good.

“Excellent . . . Perry offers a compelling, rapid-fire plot, credible Mafia and FBI secondary characters, an indictment of self-serving officialdom, and the old soul-shattering moral dilemma: what is truth?”—Publishers Weekly

About this title

Review:

In Thomas Perry’s Edgar-winning debut The Butcher’s Boy, a professional killer betrayed by the Mafia leaves countless mobsters dead and then disappears. Justice Department official Elizabeth Waring is the only one who believes he ever existed. Many years later, the Butcher’s Boy finds his peaceful life threatened when a Mafia hit team finally catches up with him. He knows they won’t stop coming and decides to take the fight to their door. 

Soon Waring, now high up in the Organized Crime Division of the Justice Department, receives a surprise latenight visit from the Butcher’s Boy. Knowing she keeps track of the Mafia, he asks her whom his attackers worked for, offering information that will help her crack an unsolved murder in return. So begins a new assault on organized crime and an uneasy alliance between opposite sides of the law. As the Butcher’s Boy works his way ever closer to his quarry in an effort to protect his new way of life, Waring is in a race against time, either to convince him to become a protected informant—or to take him out of commission for good.

Recommended Summer Reading from the Author of The Informant

Thomas Perry's Summer Reading List:

1) Lawrence Block, A Drop of the Hard Stuff. In this novel, Block brings back Matt Scudder, one of his great characters. Scudder has been sober for quite a few years, and now he is presented with a murder mystery within his circle of New York Alcoholics Anonymous members. The dialogue in this book is so concise and perfect in tone that the reader will wish he could follow Scudder around and overhear more of it. Block is one of the most respected mystery writers in America, and this new book, which was published in May, is a lesson in how to write.

2) Joe Gores, Spade and Archer. This is the final book of a fine writer who won three Edgar Awards and wrote numerous excellent books. He was also an expert on Dashiell Hammett, and in this is a prequel to The Maltese Falcon he writes in Hammett's style.

3) Josh Bazell, Beat the Reaper. Published in 2009, this first novel was written by a brilliant young man whose day job is being a doctor. It's original, witty, and maybe just a little bit crazy at times--the perfect book for summer. I believe we'll be reading Bazell's books for a long time, so it's time to begin.

4) Deon Meyer, Thirteen Hours. Meyer, who is South African, is gradually being noticed by other writers as a major talent. Thirteen Hours is one of the most suspenseful books I've ever read, and is a good introduction to his work.

5) John Sandford, Storm Prey. I chose this book, which came out in 2010, because it's recent, because it includes both Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers, and because I haven't yet read the book that came out in May, Buried Prey. But you can choose from any of his 40 others, and it will be well worth your time.

From the Inside Flap:

The Butcher’s Boy is back. Thomas Perry’s vengeful assassin, who turned on his Mafia clients and helped his author win an Edgar Award in 1983, has been quiet for a decade. Now, one of crime fiction’s most memorable killers has returned to play a deadly psychological game with Elizabeth Waring, the only Justice Department official who ever believed he existed.

The Butcher’s Boy knows Waring can help him hunt down the Mafia boss who sent a team of hit men to kill him — and in return he offers her key information that will help her crack an unsolved murder. So begins a new assault on organized crime and an uneasy alliance between opposite sides of the law. As the Butcher’s Boy works his way ever closer to his deadly enemy in an effort to kill him first, Waring is in a desperate struggle, either to force her unlikely ally to become a protected informant, or to take him out of commission for good.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0547737432
• ISBN 13: 9780547737430
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336