A review by zade
Forty Thieves by Thomas Perry

4.0

This stand-alone novel embodies many of the qualities that make previous Perry novels entertaining. The plot is not terribly complex, but there are enough details and enough interesting characters to give it sufficient depth. Perry has proven in the past that he is quite good at describing the dynamics of couples, whether as protagonists or bad guys. The working couples in previous books have sometimes been a bit over the top (i.e. Earl and Linda in [b:Shadow Woman|451064|Shadow Woman (Jane Whitefield, #3)|Thomas Perry|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320394100s/451064.jpg|226963]), but in [b:Forty Thieves|25779061|Forty Thieves|Thomas Perry|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1447140847s/25779061.jpg|45628604], Perry really hits his stride. Both the protagonists and the antagonists are married couples working together, one a pair of PIs and the other a pair of assassins. What makes the novel work so well is that Perry accentuates the similarities between the couples without losing sight of what makes them different. Although they are working on opposite sides of the case, both couples face similar experiences and reveal similar traits. Even as the reader roots for the PIs to survive and solve the case, Perry makes it impossible to hate the assassins as he draws them as believable people. In fact, he succeeds in making even the "bad guys" who hired the assassins seem human and somewhat sympathetic--no small trick.

Although I am still particularly partial to Perry's Jane Whitefield novels, his stand-alone novels never disappoint either. This is one of the stronger offerings in a generally strong oeuvre.