Thomas Perry (born 1947) is an American mystery and thriller

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

. He received a 1983

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

from the Mystery Writers of America for Best First Novel.

Writings

Perry's work has covered a variety of fictional suspense starting with '' The Butcher's Boy'', which received a 1983

from the

Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the Edgar Award ...

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 The Gumshoe Awards are an American award for popular crime fiction literary works. The Gumshoe Awards are awarded annually by the American Internet magazine ''Mystery Ink'' (not to be confused with Mystery Inc.) to recognize the best achievements ...

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 A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...

s list of "101 Best Mystery Books of All Time".

Biography

Perry was born in

Tonawanda, New York Tonawanda (formally ''City of Tonawanda'') is a city in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 15,130 at the 2010 census. It is at the northern edge of Erie County, south across the Erie Canal (Tonawanda Creek) from North Ton ...

, in 1947. He received a B.A. from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

in 1969 and his Ph.D. in English Literature from the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of Roc ...

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 ''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who operate ...

'', ''

21 Jump Street ''21 Jump Street'' is an American police procedural television series that aired on the Fox network and in first run syndication from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focuses on a squad of youthful-loo ...

'', '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''). Through January 2020, Perry has published 27 novels. He lives in Southern California with his wife, author Jo (née Lee), and their two children.

Bibliography

Butcher's Boy series

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Jane Whitefield series

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Jack Till series

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Stand-alone novels

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References

External links

Official site"The Professional,"
an overview of Perry's work by

Ethan Iverson Ethan Iverson (born February 11, 1973) is a pianist, composer, and critic best known for his work in the avant-garde jazz trio The Bad Plus with bassist Reid Anderson and drummer Dave King. Biography Iverson was born in Menomonie, Wisconsin. ...

Modern Signed Books BlogTalkRadio Interview with Rodger Nichols about Forty Thieves (March 2016)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Thomas 1947 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male novelists American mystery writers American thriller writers Edgar Award winners Writers from California Cornell University alumni People from Tonawanda, New York 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) Barry Award winners