The Boyfriend

Starred review from January 28, 2013
This highly original and clever thriller from Edgar-winner Perry (Strip) focuses on Jack Till, a retired LAPD homicide detective turned PI, who prefers routine cases that keep him close to his grown daughter with Down syndrome. Reluctantly, Till agrees to investigate the recent murder of a high-class prostitute for her distraught parents. Toiling through the myriad sex market Web sites, Till sees a pattern across the country—attractive escorts who resemble each other, quietly killed in their homes. Till suspects the women were killed by a hit man, 28-year-old Joey Moreland, who insinuates himself into their lives as a boyfriend, then moves on after murdering them. Perry again proves himself a master stylist and plotter, as he effortlessly builds suspense and delves deeply into his characters, showing Till’s cunning and how Moreland grew up to be a soulless killer. Agent: Robert Lescher, Lescher & Lescher, Ltd.

March 15, 2013

Private investigator Jack Till is hired by the parents of Catherine Hamilton to find her killer. Once a Los Angeles homicide detective, Till is a gutsy, no-nonsense PI who knows the ropes, but has a soft side when it comes to his daughter Holly, who has Down Syndrome. He relentlessly pursues leads to find Catherine's killer, stepping into the sordid territory of high-priced call girls, from Los Angeles to Phoenix to Boston to Miami. Before long, he discovers that it isn't just a case of call girls being murdered by their clients. The pattern is in the girls' looks, all beautiful strawberry blondes, and in a custom-made necklace and anklet each of the dead girls was wearing. Should he be looking for a serial killer? He uncovers yet another twist. This killer, a loner named Joey Moreland, is actually using the call girls as cover for his real job--hit man. The chase is on, and the action ramps up as Till matches wits with a killer who changes identities, knows how to disappear, and has been trained by a paramilitary recluse named Holcomb. VERDICT Perry, the Edgar-winning author of 21 novels (Butcher's Boy), has delivered another fast-paced thriller with unpredictable twists and turns. A guaranteed winner.--Donna Bettencourt, Mesa Cty. P.L., Grand Junction, CO

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