Sleeping Dogs

By: Thomas Perry

Narrated by: Michael Kramer

Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

He came to England to rest. He calls himself Michael Shaeffer, says he's a retired American businessman. He goes to the races, dates a kinky aristocrat, and sleeps with dozens of weapons. Ten years ago it was different. Then, he was the Butcher's Boy, the highly skilled mob hit man who pulled a slaughter job on some double-crossing clients and started a mob war. Ever since, there's been a price on his head. Now, after a decade, they've found him.

The Butcher's Boy escapes back to the States with more reasons to kill. Until the odds turn terrifyingly against him...until the Mafia, the cops, the FBI, and the damn Justice Department want his hide...until he's locked into a cross-country odyssey of fear and death that could tear his world to pieces.

©2008 Thomas Perry (P)2009 Tantor

Definitely read The Butcher's Boy First

Really good book; events that happened in the Butcher's Boy are referred to and summarized, but you really need to have read that book. Both are great. I couldn't quite believe this one ended as it did, and yet in retrospect I don't know how else it could have ended. I recommend it - so long as you read BB's first.

Fast paced and well written

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes... depending on the friend. I didn't need to have read any of the previous "Butcher's Boy" stories to find this book lots of fun.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters were developed early and none of the back-story was badly inserted (many authors don't master this)

Which character – as performed by Michael Kramer – was your favorite?

The Butcher's boy, by any other name.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but not mandatory.

Any additional comments?

This was the first book I read of this series, and was excited to read the others; unfortunately the prior books did not measure up.

A dark comedy of errors

This is what thrillers look like when they grow up. Dark, sardonic, very funny; full of well-grounded movement; a solid idea of how the world works; wonderful characters, some of whom you end up caring about a great deal. To see just how well Thomas Perry does all this, compare it with one of the cheap knock offs, say Tom Woods' The Killer.

I've read the novel several times, and if the narrator wasn't right, I wouldn't have touched the audiobook. Michael Kramer gives the kind of reading that works so well you can't imagine doing it any other way.

Entertaining

Very good pulp fiction with over the top action. Need to leave reality behind and just enjoy the excitement. I have next in series in my library.

The assassin is back!

Thomas Perry gives us an assassin that you want to root for! The man is a killing machine, and you hoping he gets away, one more time. You cheer for the bad guy as he goes through his adventure, one close call after another all the way to the ending.

I wanted to like it

I really wanted to like this book after reading The Butcher's boy. I really liked that book. I think i liked Butcher's Boy because the main character spent so much time with the female character (cant remember names). I felt invested in those two characters in the first book of this series. But Sleeping Dogs had nothing similar. The whole book was about the main character, whose name changes in the book, evading others and taking out those who wanted to take his life. It was about how he plotted each event and a lot about how he thought and planned. But there were so many different characters. I had to keep replaying sections because I would ask myself "who is this guy?" I didn't feel invested in any of the characters in the book and it seemed boring. I had a hard time paying attention. It just wasn't for me.

The Lone Ranger Rides Again

This is the second in the series beginning with Perry’s novel ‘The Butcher’s Boy’. Same high quality writing that awarded Perry the Edgar Prize for ‘The Butcher’s Boy’. An amazing attention to details that do not distract but enhance the story.

"Utterly unpredictable"

That's the title of my review of Thomas Perry's first novel, THE BUTCHER'S BOY. SLEEPING DOGS is the sequel.

This book is every bit as well-written as the first and only slightly less surprising. I think that's because THE BUTCHER'S BOY is (as far as I know) unique in mystery fiction. "Slightly less surprising" is still very high praise.

I listened to THE BUTCHER'S BOY and SLEEPING DOGS back to back. The finale of SLEEPING DOGS strikes me as perfect. See if you don't agree.

Still Great

Resd once, listened once. Still great read. Perry has a great way to tell a story.

Great followup to the first in the series.

I really enjoyed the series from The Butcher's Boy thru The Informant. I consider this series a must for every library. He presents a cold blooded killer as likable. Michael Kramer is a treat to listen to, he makes the book come alive. I wish Thomas Perry would write another in this series. I would suggest he drop back to the early days when Eddie took in the boy and bring us forward to the first in the series. I failed to find fault with some inaccuracies of reality for instance "door locks", give me a break, it is a great series. Do some of these critics not watch movies? Do they hold politicians to this same standard? I think not!!!!