The Informant: A Butcher's Boy Novel

I was aware of the Butcher's Boy for many years before allowing myself to be pulled in by the fact that this was an Edgar Award winning novel by a first time published author (pretty sure my facts are correct--or close enough to count as correct). Anyway, I was hooked after page one and by the end was pretty darn sure I'd read the last word on the Butcher's Boy. I mean, who can keep a series going about a non-feeling, clinical-like, loner hit-man? Well, evidently, Thomas Perry can and did. When Sleeping Dogs came out I was in literary-thriller heaven and counted myself lucky that Perry managed a second book on the B Boy. However, last week, I sumbled upon The Informant while browsing. I couldn't hit the select button fast enough. I've been listending to it every spare chance I get and for a third time I am not dissapointed. Neither Perry, nor the Butcher's Boy series has lost a step. If you're familiar with the series, you know what to expect. If you're not, but you like mystery-thrillers, start with the Butcher's Boy first, Sleeping Dogs next and then The Informant. I give this series my highest recommendation. Oh--and I rarely comment on the readers/actors, but Michael Kramer is perfect for this series and this character. You go boy!

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.

This is the most recent in the Butcher's Boy series that Thomas Perry began twenty years ago. He just keeps getting better and better, something I would have thought implausible in 1982. The butcher's boy and Elizabeth Waring are intertwined again, this time with the entire Mafia and the Justice Department. The butcher's boy has angered the Mob, to the point where they all meet in Phoenix to agree to kill him. It is one man against the entire Mob. This may sound like something that Mr. Perry might not be able to pull off, but rest easy. He has become a true master of his craft, and Michael Kramer is once again a master of his. How Mr. Perry gets us to side with a professional hit man is just a remarkable feat, and yet we never question it. I can hardly believe it myself. Again the chapters alternate between the butcher's boy and Elizabeth, and again that is a perfect device to keep us guessing, and to cement the very odd relationship between us and them. The suspense heightens as the story goes along, and it never flags. Once again the butcher's boy accomplishes what sound like superhuman feats, and yet we know that he is not a cartoon character. He is human, flesh and blood. He simply is a master of what he does, just as Mr. Perry is. Each time he does this, I just can't imagine how he will top himself, and each time he does it. Analogies fail me, but Michael Jordan and Joe Montana come to mind. At the end of their games, every single person watching knew what was going to happen, and yet no one could stop it. This may be reaching, but see for yourself. Mr. Perry is truly one of a kind.

The flow of the story was fast paced, but not too much so. There was duel suspense of the Butcher's Boy and the career justice officer.

I enjoyed the characters.

I liked both hero and heroine. They were smart, conflicted and professional.

I just could'nt stop listening. I finished it in 2 days at the detriment of my sleep and work!

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.

A great read. I think this is the best of the Butcher's Boy novels. Perry's characters are so amazingly well portrayed. Bravo!

I loved Butcher's Boy and Sleeping Dogs but this one was a bit disappointing. The first half of the book spends too much time describing events from the earlier books and the current events are not given as much depth as they should. The story just seemed a bit flat and the ending had some really unbelievable details in an already unbelievable story! Of course you will want to listen to it if you have read the first two, but it isn't as good.

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.

I love listening to Thomas Perry books when narrated by Michael Kramer. This is the third book about the Butcher's Boy and I believe a good ending to the Butcher Boy novels.
If you like Thomas Perry books (I can't quite get into the monotonous narration of the Jane Whitefield novels) you must get Metzgers Dog. This is another book where we really get to like the bad guys. It's amazing how Thomas Perry really makes you root for the bad guy, in this case a killer, a terminator, an assassin. As an example, this assassin is actually in love with his wife and is taking revenge on the other bad guys, the mafia.

And as we listen, we're thinking, if the mafia had only left this assassin alone he'd be happily married. To want a killer to stay happily married takes good writing. And Thomas Perry manages to do this with style.

A Good Ending

come on, the Butcher's Boy. His deliberateness in how he approaches his life, the simple black and white way he deals with the attacks on him, yet his appeal is still there for a ruthless killer with little remorse. That complexity of why he protects his wife in the UK and Elizabeth, but has not issues with killing (not wounding) anyone in his way.

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