Thomas Perry (author)

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 for The Butcher's Boy.

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. Eddie's Boy received the 2021 Barry Award for Best Thriller. In 2021, Vanishing Act was included in Parade's list of "101 Best Mystery Books of All Time".

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 December 2024, Perry has published 31 novels. He lives in Southern California with his wife, author Jo (née Lee), and their two children.

Bibliography

Year	Title	Publisher	Series	ISBN
1982	The Butcher's Boy	Scribner	Butcher's Boy	Template:ISBNT
1983	Metzger's Dog	Scribner		Template:ISBNT
1985	Big Fish	Scribner		Template:ISBNT
1987	Island	Putnam		Template:ISBNT
1992	Sleeping Dogs	Random House	Butcher's Boy	Template:ISBNT
1995	Vanishing Act	Random House	Jane Whitefield	Template:ISBNT
1996	Dance for the Dead	Random House	Jane Whitefield	Template:ISBNT
1997	Shadow Woman	Random House	Jane Whitefield	Template:ISBNT
1998	The Face-Changers	Random House	Jane Whitefield	Template:ISBNT
1999	Blood Money	Random House	Jane Whitefield	Template:ISBNT
2001	Pursuit	Random House		Template:ISBNT
2001	Death Benefits	Random House		Template:ISBNT
2002	Dead Aim	Random House		Template:ISBNT
2006	Nightlife	Random House		Template:ISBNT
2007	Silence	Harcourt	Jack Till	Template:ISBNT
2008	Fidelity	Harcourt		Template:ISBNT
2009	Runner	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt	Jane Whitefield	Template:ISBNT
2010	Strip	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt		Template:ISBNT
2011	The Informant	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt	Butcher's Boy	Template:ISBNT
2012	Poison Flower	Mysterious Press	Jane Whitefield	Template:ISBNT
2013	The Boyfriend	Grove	Jack Till	Template:ISBNT
2014	A String of Beads	Grove	Jane Whitefield	Template:ISBNT
2016	Forty Thieves	Mysterious Press		Template:ISBNT
2017	The Old Man	Mysterious Press		Template:ISBNT
2018	The Bomb Maker	Mysterious Press		Template:ISBNT
2019	The Burglar	Grove		Template:ISBNT
2020	A Small Town	Mysterious Press		Template:ISBNT
2020	Eddie's Boy	Mysterious Press	Butcher's Boy	Template:ISBNT
2021	The Left-Handed Twin	National Geographic Books	Jane Whitefield	Template:ISBNT
2023	Murder Book	National Geographic Books		Template:ISBNT
2024	Hero	Mysterious Press		Template:ISBNT
2025	Pro Bono	Mysterious Press		Template:ISBNT
Feb 24, 2026 (announced)	The Tree of Life and Flowers	Mysterious Press	Jane Whitefield	Template:ISBNT

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)