Thomas Perry

Thomas Perry (born 1947) is an American mystery and thriller novelist. He received a 1983 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best First Novel.

Perry's work has covered a variety of fictional suspense starting with The Butcher's Boy, which received a 1983 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America 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 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's list of "101 Best Mystery Books of All Time".

Perry was born in Tonawanda, New York, in 1947. He received a B.A. from Cornell University in 1969 and his Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Rochester 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, 21 Jump Street, 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.

Butcher's Boy series

• Perry, Thomas (1982). The Butcher's Boy. Scribner's. ISBN 0-684-17455-3.
• Perry, Thomas (1992). Sleeping Dogs. Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-41064-5.
• Perry, Thomas (2011). The Informant. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-547-56933-8.
• Perry, Thomas (2020). Eddie's Boy. Mysterious Press. ISBN 978-0802157775.

Jane Whitefield series

• Perry, Thomas (1995). Vanishing Act. Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-43536-5.
• Perry, Thomas (1996). Dance for the Dead. Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-44911-9.
• Perry, Thomas (1997). Shadow Woman. Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-45302-4.
• Perry, Thomas (1998). The Face-Changers. Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-45303-1.
• Perry, Thomas (1999). Blood Money. Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-45304-8.
• Perry, Thomas (2009). Runner. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-15-101528-3.
• Perry, Thomas (2012). Poison Flower. Mysterious Press. ISBN 978-0-8021-2605-4.
• Perry, Thomas (2014). A String of Beads. Grove/Atlantic, Incorporated. ISBN 978-0-8021-2329-9.
• Perry, Thomas (2021). The Left-Handed Twin. National Geographic Books. ISBN 978-1-61316-259-0.

Jack Till series

• Perry, Thomas (2007). Silence. Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-15-101289-3.
• Perry, Thomas (2013). The Boyfriend. Grove. ISBN 978-0-8021-2606-1.

Stand-alone novels

• Perry, Thomas (1983). Metzger's Dog. Scribner. ISBN 978-0-6841-7948-3.
• Perry, Thomas (1985). Big Fish. Scribner. ISBN 978-0-684-18367-1.
• Perry, Thomas (1987). Island. Putnam. ISBN 978-0-399-13327-5.
• Perry, Thomas (2001). Death Benefits. Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-45305-5.
• Pursuit. 2001. ISBN 978-0-679-45306-2.
• Perry, Thomas (2002). Dead Aim. Random House. ISBN 1-4000-6003-6.
• Perry, Thomas (2006). Nightlife. Random House. ISBN 1-4000-6004-4.
• Perry, Thomas (2008). Fidelity. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-15-101292-3.
• Perry, Thomas (2010). Strip. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-15-101522-1.
• Perry, Thomas (2016). Forty Thieves. Mysterious Press. ISBN 978-0-8021-2452-4.
• Perry, Thomas (2017). The Old Man. Mysterious Press. ISBN 978-0802125866.
• Perry, Thomas (2018). The Bomb Maker. Mysterious Press. ISBN 978-0802127488.
• Perry, Thomas (2019). The Burglar. Grove Atlantic. ISBN 978-0802129000.
• Perry, Thomas (2020). A Small Town. Mysterious Press. ISBN 978-0802148063.
• Perry, Thomas (2023). Murder Book. National Geographic Books. ISBN 978-1-61316-383-2.
• Perry, Thomas (2024). Hero. Mysterious Press. ISBN 978-1613164778.