Scan barcode
imbookingit's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
The thriller/adventure side was great, but the characters all felt flat.
The thriller/adventure side was great, but the characters all felt flat.
3no7's review against another edition
5.0
“The Boyfriend” by Thomas Perry opens as readers look in on Catherine Hamilton and her friends.
Catherine has a job that pays well, but one that would perhaps shock her friends, or perhaps not. Joey, her new boyfriend, also has a job that would astonish Catherine’s friends, and even Catherine herself finds it surprising in a most alarming way.
Jack Till is a retired homicide detective, currently working as a private investigator. Readers get a sense of Jack right from the start. He needs money and to get it he needs a case. The parents of a girl who had been murdered bring him that case. They want answers, and they will pay what it costs to get those answers, now.
Till is a complex, multi-faceted character. Readers see the personal side of Till through his relationship with his daughter, but, he has another side as well. He has been hunting killers for a long time, and he has learned patience. Most people do not understand patience.
The narrative focuses on Till and the investigative process as he pursues the killer. Tension steadily builds page after page as readers and Till unravel a tangled string of clues, encounter dead ends, and meet the dead themselves. Till travels, waits, watches, and listens until he learns everything there is to know about this killer. There is an occasional chapter from a different perspective to give the reader background, insights, and other information that Till has yet to uncover.
“The Boyfriend” is a compelling story with not just twists and turns, but with sharp diversions, unexpected deviations, and a bombshell ending. This book keeps readers glued to the pages.
“Three young women who were sophisticated, graceful, and just reaching the late peak of their beauty, they would have made a wonderful painting—one head light blond, one strawberry red, one coal black.”
Catherine has a job that pays well, but one that would perhaps shock her friends, or perhaps not. Joey, her new boyfriend, also has a job that would astonish Catherine’s friends, and even Catherine herself finds it surprising in a most alarming way.
Jack Till is a retired homicide detective, currently working as a private investigator. Readers get a sense of Jack right from the start. He needs money and to get it he needs a case. The parents of a girl who had been murdered bring him that case. They want answers, and they will pay what it costs to get those answers, now.
Till is a complex, multi-faceted character. Readers see the personal side of Till through his relationship with his daughter, but, he has another side as well. He has been hunting killers for a long time, and he has learned patience. Most people do not understand patience.
The narrative focuses on Till and the investigative process as he pursues the killer. Tension steadily builds page after page as readers and Till unravel a tangled string of clues, encounter dead ends, and meet the dead themselves. Till travels, waits, watches, and listens until he learns everything there is to know about this killer. There is an occasional chapter from a different perspective to give the reader background, insights, and other information that Till has yet to uncover.
“The Boyfriend” is a compelling story with not just twists and turns, but with sharp diversions, unexpected deviations, and a bombshell ending. This book keeps readers glued to the pages.
ericwelch's review against another edition
4.0
I do like Thomas Perry. I've read most of his other books (both the Butcher's Boy and Jane Whitfield series are excellent) and was pleased to get this one as an advanced reader copy. It introduces a new character, Jack Till, ex-homicide detective, who is hired (for a considerable amount of money, which, given what they already know about their daughter, surprised me they would want to discover more,) to find the killer of their high-priced escort daughter, Catherine.
The Boyfriend has all the ingredients of a first rate thriller: a competent assassin, beautiful escorts who are getting killed as cover for the assassin's work (we learn this, and the identity of the killer, early in the book so it's not a spoiler,) and a driven P.I., an ex-homicide cop. The chase is on. This book does not disappoint and lives up to Perry's other books. Very enjoyable.
One mild complaint. It would seem that each new detective has to have some personal travail. In Jack's case, it's his Down Syndrome daughter with whom he has a charming relationship, but about whom he is totally freaked out paranoid that some monster he put in jail years before will take the trouble to hunt down and harm. I long for the days of just a good-old investigatory police procedural or detective story that focuses on the investigation without unnecessary and unrealistic baggage of dysfunctional families, personal threats to families, etc.
Thanks to the publisher for sending me a free copy in return for my always independent reviews.
The Boyfriend has all the ingredients of a first rate thriller: a competent assassin, beautiful escorts who are getting killed as cover for the assassin's work (we learn this, and the identity of the killer, early in the book so it's not a spoiler,) and a driven P.I., an ex-homicide cop. The chase is on. This book does not disappoint and lives up to Perry's other books. Very enjoyable.
One mild complaint. It would seem that each new detective has to have some personal travail. In Jack's case, it's his Down Syndrome daughter with whom he has a charming relationship, but about whom he is totally freaked out paranoid that some monster he put in jail years before will take the trouble to hunt down and harm. I long for the days of just a good-old investigatory police procedural or detective story that focuses on the investigation without unnecessary and unrealistic baggage of dysfunctional families, personal threats to families, etc.
Thanks to the publisher for sending me a free copy in return for my always independent reviews.
kempfme's review
4.0
I received this book in exchange for a honest review from NetGalley.
Detective Jack Till is investigating the death of a call girl and finds himself on the trail of a hired serial killer.
This is my first read from Thomas, even though this is the second in a series, it was a great story that could stand on it's own. I really enjoyed the detail into how each character did their training or research. Even though there was great detail, Perry wrote the story in a way that it was still an easy page turner.
Detective Jack Till is investigating the death of a call girl and finds himself on the trail of a hired serial killer.
This is my first read from Thomas, even though this is the second in a series, it was a great story that could stand on it's own. I really enjoyed the detail into how each character did their training or research. Even though there was great detail, Perry wrote the story in a way that it was still an easy page turner.
hcq's review
3.0
Good, methodical thriller, as I expect from Perry. I like the idea of a guy who's careful about one thing, but gets tripped up by failing to notice his own pattern within a pattern.
Unfortunately, the ending seemed a bit weak. Maybe I'm just on a bad roll, but it's the third book in a row I've read where there's plenty of buildup, pace, and then...bang, we're done.
Again, I'm left thinking, "wait, that was it?"
Unfortunately, the ending seemed a bit weak. Maybe I'm just on a bad roll, but it's the third book in a row I've read where there's plenty of buildup, pace, and then...bang, we're done.
Again, I'm left thinking, "wait, that was it?"
vkemp's review
4.0
This is the second book of feature Jack Till after the 2008's Silence. After being a homicide detective for years, Jack retired and started as a P.I. He has a grown daughter with Down's Syndrome, Holly and their relationship is wonderful. Holly lives is a group home and has a job working with a florist; she is trying to set her dad up with the florist. Jack is hired by the parents of a woman who was murdered. She was an escort who worked off the Internet and no one can figure out why she was killed. Jack is able to track five more murders across the country using the same M.O. because three of the women wear the same custom piece of jewelry in their pictures. Then he is able to tie together the murders of prominent figures in each city. Simultaneously, the reader learns about The Boyfriend who targets the escorts and the important men. Till is on the hunt for a clever and ruthless assassin. A very entertaining read with an interesting protagonist.
judya's review
3.0
If you're fond of the thrillers of the 1970s, this is a throwback to that style of mystery. The main P.I. is rather likable, the villain rather evil, and it's rather a good book.
hazelbright's review
5.0
Suspenseful and believable, this followup Jack Till would be fine as a standalone, but I really don't know why anyone would miss the opportunity to read anything Perry has ever written.
More...