The Informant

A Butcher's Boy Novel

By: Thomas Perry

Narrated by: Michael Kramer

Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Married and living in England under the name Michael Schaeffer, the assassin known as the Butcher's Boy is the target of a Mafia hit team sent to exact revenge for his deadly campaign against the Balacontano family years earlier. Schaeffer kills all three attackers, but he knows more will come and needs to find whoever sent them to end it once and for all.

Soon Elizabeth Waring, now high up in the Organized Crime Division of the Justice Department, receives a surprise late-night visit from the Butcher's Boy. Knowing she keeps track of the Mafia, he asks her who the three men work for. Not knowing they have been murdered, she gives him a name: Frank Tosca, an aspirant to the Balacontano throne. In exchange, he tells her about a murder Tosca committed over 20 years ago.

So begins a new assault on organized crime, and the uneasy alliance between the Butcher's Boy and Waring, who trade current information for old secrets. As the Butcher's Boy works his way ever closer to his quarry in an effort to protect his new way of life, Waring finds herself in a race against time, either to convince him to become a protected informant or to take him out of commission for good.

Prolong the suspense - listen to Thomas Perry's first two books in this series: The Butcher's Boy and Sleeping Dogs.

©2011 Thomas Perry (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"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)

2nd Sequel to “The Butcher’s Boy”

If you’re considering this book, it’s because you’ve read or listened to the 2 earlier books, “The Butcher’s Boy” and “Sleeping Dogs”. If so, this is a must-read, and very well worth it. Each succeeding book has been a little more fantastical, but both are beautifully written and highly entertaining.

Well balanced

Really would give the story a 4.5. The narrator fit the material perfectly and once again Thomas Perry delivered an excellent story.

Still great, if not my fave of the series.

The Butcher's Boy series is smart, twisty, and impressive in following both our favorite hit man and Elizabeth Waring, but Elizabeth did some really stupid things in this one, which she hasn't before. I see now why the author had her do them, but they annoyed me at the time, which hasn't happened in the other books.

So, not my favorite, but still a worthy story.

We loved this one!

We listened to the three Butcher's Boy books. We loved the first and last one, and the middle one was so-so. What we really liked was the ending of the third book, and the conclusion to the B.B.'s forage into the world. We recommend it!

The Butcher’s Boy

Flawless. It’s pure, intense and exciting. I’ve listened to the three Butcher Boy books over and over. They’re always a treat.

I cannot get enough to the Butcher's Boy

I did not know that I was going to be so taken with these novels when I reluctantly tried the first. Wow was I wrong. For me they have every thing: trade craft; interesting characters; and plenty of action.

There is one further installment and I am to consume them all in just a few weeks.

Great conclusion but sometimes slow going

The last 30 minutes of this novel pushed it from three stars to four stars. Before that, the author seemed to break into the story too many times with flashbacks into the Butcher's Boy previous encounters. It was almost like he was trying to figure out what was going to happen next and killed a little time (no pun intended) with flashbacks. It happened too often. The Butcher's Boy is not very likable but, when compared with the people he goes up against, he's the lesser of the evils. He's all business but he does betray a softer side several times in this story in his encounters with a female Justice Department agent. Except for the frequent flashbacks the story flows well and the conclusion was one that most listeners will approve. I'll probably give Perry and narrator, Kramer, another try with Sleeping Dogs.

Perry is unique

It's hard to describe a Thomas Perry book - especially the Butcher's Boy series. The protagonist is a true anti-hero. You should hate him, but you love him, root for him, are amazed by his skill. This series is amazing. I fear "The Informant" is the last, but maybe ... maybe. Perry is unique, understated, and his writing is brilliant. If you haven't listened to one yet, start with "The Butcher's Boy", then "Sleeping Dogs", and lastly "The Informant". But don't listen to five minutes of the narration and go "this is terrible, there's no affect." Keep on listening and you'll realize you're inside Michael Schaefer's head. And then everything makes sense weirdly.

Even better than book 2

There are several "recaps" of things that happened in earlier books, and perhaps more about the Butcher Boy's childhood than expected - both are well handled and don't feel repetitive. And it means you can enjoy this book without having read either of the other two. though, why you wouldn't want to read the other two is beyond me.

Waring is a more fully fleshed character in this book - more distinctive and developed enough that you become just as concerned about what will happen to her as you are about what will happen to the Butcher's Boy. This was a very pleasant surprise because she seemed to be right on the edge of being a "real" character in the earlier books, and it was nice to see her have a place in this story other than as someone to hinder the Butcher's Boy.

This is the best of the 3 in the series - the characters are all so engaging that it's hard to believe you're not really supposed to be rooting for the Butcher's Boy. If you like this book, you'll probably enjoy Lawrence Block's Keller series. And, maybe, even Lee Child's Jack Reacher books. The "justice" being delivered is similar in them all.

The narration is very good. The story pacing is good - and the end is satisfying. I didn't find it especially gory, considering the subject matter.

Lots of killing

Entertaining book. Not realistic but plenty of action and relatively well written. Will listen to further Perry novels.