The Old Man by Thomas Perry 2018

Perry once again creates a sympathetic character who manages to maintain your support despite wracking up a large number of casualties among those trying to murder him.   The latter include primarily Libyan thugs, but there’s also a close encounter with an American Army Ranger team though no casualties for either side in that one.

The story is a bit far-fetched about a Libyan strong man’s attempts to assassinate our 60 year old hero more than 30 years after he took back $20 million of American money from him.  The money was intended for Libyan rebels by some shadowy group of US intelligence but the strongman tried to keep it for himself.  Our hero took exception to that, took back the money, and spent the next three decades in his own witness protection program to avoid being killed by either the Libyan or by his own U.S. intelligence employers.

As usual with Perry’s books, once you turn that first page you’re on a roller coaster,page turner and unable to stop reading until it ends, though you realize all along how silly the story is.  One added pleasure in this one is that when the book begins, our hero is living in Norwich, Vermont not that far from our Vermont home.

If you like escape fiction and a rip-roaring yarn, read it.