Forty Thieves

I am a big fan of Mr. Perry so I was very disappointed by this book. His other books have interesting, complex plots and well-developed characters. Forty Thieves isn't like that. It's a lazy book. The bad couple are a dietetic version of a bad couple in one of the Jane Whitefield books. They have the same character flaws, they just aren't as intense. The thieves are one-dimensional and seemed to be just thrown into the story. And the book just stopped. It was as if he looked at the word count and said "OK, it's long enough. I can stop now."So if someone else had written this book, I would have given it 2 stars. If you're a fan of Mr. Perry's, I suggest getting it from the library or waiting until the price goes down.

Mr Perry has written some good books. This isn't one of them. It seemed promising at the beginning, but the author seemed to lose interest somewhere in the middle. The last bit was so spare that I could finish reading it pretty fast, or I would have quit on it. It needs a better plot, some subtlety, decent dialog, skilled narration, and some characters that seem real. I have enjoyed other stories from this author.

This one had some twists and turns that were totally unexpected. Very good development of characters. I loved the private investigator couple and was amused at the subtle way the author showed the difference in the relationship of the PI couple and the criminal couple. Very good read.

A disappointing new series opener from a talented author. The two main couples --- good guys and bad guys -- are predictable, and the ultimate villains are total stereotypes. And this from Tomas perry, one of my favorite authors. He has his usual level of detail, so if you want to learn more about breaking into houses or how the sewer system works, you'll like those parts. I was hoping for a good beach read, and I read it on the beach, but I found it mainly boring.

It starts with a mystery that doesn't turn out to be that interesting and it hinges on whole other groups of people with guns. The mystery isn't solved by good detective work and the main characters disappear for long stretches while we follow the other groups. Lost in all these people's story is the victim, who must have been a bastard anyway, so why go through all the trouble in an itchy switchy way to solve the crime?

A murder seemingly without reason. A husband/wife PI team called in to solve the cold case and a husband/wife assassin team hired to keep the killer's identity from being found out lead to a fast paced game of cat and mouse. The why is as important as the who especially since an international jewel theft ring is involved. Humor and some light banter add to the brisk pace. A real twist at the end.

Perry makes you care about the characters, creates aplausoble story line, and you can immerse yourself. The non character is Los Angeles, drawn as well as Conneley or Chandler. For those who live in Southern CA it is great fun.

Interesting concept and interesting characters, I have the feeling some of them will be back. However too many things do not make sense. The beginning for instance. And the way our heroes go from strength to strength, while the bad guys bite the dust. And the ending is just too much.

Has Thomas Perry started a franchise (like so many other thriller writers)? It's the only way I can rationalize the difference between this and his other books. Usually so deft, well-paced and with well-drawn convincing characters, in this the author fails utterly. It features leaden, on-the-nose dialogue and exposition so clunky it never gets out of first gear. The characters are straight out of Z-list Hollywood screenplays. The opening few chapters made me wonder if there are two Thomas Perrys: one the well-established author with a reputation for exciting well-crafted thrillers; the other a newbie with little understanding of the craft. But no. I checked. Apparently they are one and the same. Which is why I wondering about franchises and ghost writers. I refuse to believe the real TP actually wrote this.I persevered with this but gave up two-thirds of the way through: worn down by the terrible prose, cliches, and cardboard cut-out characters.

Having been a recent convert to Thomas Perry, I was disappointed with this novel. I found that it lacked direction with no enough storyline linked to the victim. The plot at the end of the book seemed rushed as if the author didn't know how to finish it and trying to tie up loose ends in a sentence. I hope that this is a one off as other books by this author have held my attention all the way through.

Another great chase/ mystery from Thomas Perry

Two pairs of killers, one the assassin while the other the good guys, manoeuvre against one another until they come across a gang of Serbian thieves. Everyone is not black and it's the Author's knack that he generates empathy for all his protagonists. The Book is fast paced and keeps the action going till the last page

Perry writes well - great twists, and an unusual plot I loved the story of 40 thieves immigrating to America just to live in peace. The hired killers as sympathetic heroes was also a nice twist. Very readable? Highly recommend.