All right. I get it.  Some fiction and perhaps especially mystery/police procedural novels require a suspension of disbelief, but this book overdoes it.  Perry has written 27 novels, and in reviewing the Book Journal, I was surprised to find that I had read eight of them.  His Butcher’s Boy three volume series was followed by two more books featuring Michael Schaeffer, the assassin who tried to retire but kept getting pulled back into nasty business.  ‘The Butcher’s Boy’ won the 1983 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best First Novel, and several of the others in that series have also won awards. I also read ‘The Vanishing Act’, the first of the Jane Whitefield series in which a woman helps innocent people who are being threatened to disappear. That book was chosen as one of the “100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century” by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association and also was included in Parade‘s list of “101 Best Mystery Books of All Time”.^[3]

So clearly, Perry is no slouch.  In addition, he’s turned this book out at the advanced age of 75 so some credit must be given.  On the other hand, the hero in this novel about a private investigator who is recruited by his ex-wife, the U.S. Attorney in Chicago, to see if the mob is gaining a foothold in rural Indiana is a bit too much.  Harry Duncan manages to escape certain death at the hands of the 35 or so hoodlums who have been recruited by a shadowy figure in Chicago no fewer than 20 times in this 394 page novel.  His ability to anticipate the moves of the bad guys begs credibility.  On the other hand, Perry does keep the action moving, creates some memorable characters, and wraps it all up neatly on the final page.

If Perry peeks your interest, I’d suggest skipping this one and going back to ‘Butcher’s Boy’ or ‘The Vanishing Act’ to get to know his work. You won’t be disappointed.