Silence

by Thomas Perry

Book Overview

"Perry is the grand poobah of the running-away narrative . . . and he's at the top of his cat-and-mouse game in Silence." -- The New York Times Book ReviewSix years ago, Jack Till helped Wendy Harper... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 015101289X
• ISBN13: 9780151012893
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 439 Pages
• Weight: 1.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.5" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Suspense thru out

I've read a lot of Thomas Perry's books and this was the first one of the series that features Jack Till! About 440 pages of trilling suspense! You won't be disappointed with this book! Claudia

Stop Analyzing and Enjoy!

One of the best suspense novels ever. Sit back and enjoy. I challenge you to put this book down. One terrific read. Practically read it in one sitting. My first Thomas Perry novel and a winner it certainly is.

I might want to dissappear too

Mr. Perry's latest put me in mind of the great (part) Native American dissappearance artist he has written so much about. Since I REALLY miss her it was a welcome part of the plot. A former cop, now private detective, helps a woman hide herself from a murdering music executive (who knew?)who kills her friend by accident. When her old boyfriend and ex-business partner gets accused of murdering her (a dastardly ploy to bring her out of hiding), the PI has a case of conscience (and the hots) and goes looking for her. Well, he convinces her to come back to give evidence that she is not dead to free the old boyfriend. Cue the assassins, who try to kill her and the PI at every turn. This is one of Mr. Perry's rich and varied character driven plots and you get to see into the psyches of all involved, which is what drives the book. From an insecure (and deranged) ex-porn star now assassin wife to an assassin husband team of two, to the really sociopathic music exec ("prince of darkness"), and the lonely ex-cop, this is a page turner! A must read.

What a great book

This is my first time reading a book by Thomas Perry. It was a real page turner. The suspense keeps building and I had to keep reading page after page, I could not put the book down. I need to read his other books now. If you like thrillers with interesting characters and fast paced books, pick this one up.

"Silence" is Golden

I exerted self-discipline for as long as I could by letting "Silence" sit on my desk. I knew that once I started it, nothing else would capture my attention - my artwork would suffer, my cat family would be neglected, and no one would get supper on time. I was right - when I picked it up, it has been difficult for me to set it down for anything. The character development in this book is incredible - both the good guys and the bad guys. I've always had sympathy for Perry's killers (his antiheroes) as well as for his heroes. This is as true with "Silence" as it was with "Butcher's Boy" and "Sleeping Dogs." Sylvie and Paul are amazing. I am delighted he did not let as much time pass since writing his previous book (the also awesome "Nightlife"). I look forward to Perry's next tome.

Marriage can be murder.

Thomas Perry's "Silence" starts with a bang when Wendy Harper, co-owner of a trendy Los Angeles restaurant, leaves work well after midnight. Upon arriving home, she is attacked by a man with a baseball bat who nearly beats her to death. Wendy knows who is behind the attack, and she decides that it would be prudent to leave the past behind and start fresh somewhere else under an assumed name. She hires forty-year old private investigator Jack Till, a former cop with twenty years on the force, to help her establish a new identity. For six years, there is silence. Suddenly, everything changes when Eric Fuller, Wendy's former partner and boyfriend, is falsely accused of murdering Wendy to collect on her life insurance policy. Till decides that, in good conscience, he must find Wendy and convince her to come forward to save Eric from prosecution. However, since the person who tried to kill Wendy is still at large, she might be reluctant to once again make herself a target. "Silence" is an entertaining psychological thriller with a lively cast of characters, a serpentine plot, and a particularly cold-blooded husband and wife hit team. Sylvie and Paul Turner, who have been married for fifteen years, are sociopaths who kill for money and thrills; their efficiency and meticulous attention to detail have earned them a devoted clientele. However, they are paranoid and tend to find fault with one another; their marriage is, in some ways, more hellish than heavenly. A wealthy and powerful individual has hired the Turners to lure Wendy out of hiding and finish her off. If Jack convinces Wendy to reveal herself, she may very well be the Turners' next victim. Jack Till has been lonely for a long time. His wife left him after she gave birth to a little girl, Holly, who has Down syndrome. Jack is devoted to his daughter; she has developed into a self-sufficient, happy, and productive young woman. However, he has never remarried and although he was attracted to Wendy when she first appealed to him for help, he never acted on his feelings. He uses his savvy as an investigator to locate Wendy and they reconnect emotionally, but Till has his hands full staying one step ahead of their clever, ruthless, and determined pursuers. Perry steadily ratchets up the suspense as Till and Wendy attempt to evade the relentless Turners. Till is uneasy because he suspects that there is a great deal more to Wendy's story than she is willing to reveal. Who exactly wants her dead and why? Jack suspects that she is hiding vital information from him. Meanwhile, Sylvie and Paul become irritable when killing Wendy proves to be more difficult than they anticipated. Thomas Perry explores the unfortunate choices that people make and their attempts to redeem themselves before it is too late. He provides the back stories of both the heroes and their adversaries and skillfully fleshes out their personalities and motives. Everything comes to a head in a wild and exciting conclusion that is