Forty Thieves

October 5, 2015
Not much fazes the aptly named Abels, husband and wife Sid and Ronnie—sharpshooting retired former LAPD detectives turned PIs—in this propulsive, darkly humorous thriller from Edgar-winner Perry (Strip). Dodging bullets is certainly not what the couple anticipates when they agree to a research corporation’s request to look into to the execution-style shooting murder the previous year of one of their scientists, chemist James Ballantine, whose body was found in a North Hollywood storm drain. But no sooner does Ronnie post a $25,000 reward for information than the fireworks—or more accurately firefights—start. What the Abels don’t know, but readers do, is that they’re dealing with Ed and Nicole Hoyt, sociopathic hired guns based in the San Fernando Valley who aren’t going to let anything get in the way of a lucrative payday. As the likable, series-worthy Abels struggle to survive at least long enough to solve Ballantine’s murder, Perry tosses in several hairpin plot twists that culminate in a satisfyingly surprising conclusion. Agent: Mel Berger, WME.

February 29, 2016
Perry’s novels are enhanced by a sardonic, slyly humorous approach. Reader Berkrot smoothly conveys this with a voice that sounds street-smart but literate, frequently amused and never terribly ruffled, even when the plot takes one of its frequent surprising twists. The novel concerns two married couples. Sid and Ronnie Abel are LAPD detectives turned private sleuths, hired by a corporation to find out who killed one of its scientists. Nicole and Ed Hoyt are assassins hired to stop the Abels’
investigation, who, after several unsuccessful attempts, wind up on their Russian clients’ hit list. Berkrot executes Sid and Ronnie’s rapid-fire exchanges with perfect timing, sounding loving yet critical, exactly what you’d expect from seasoned long-married sleuths. He presents Nichole and Ed with Texan drawls even though the author is vague about their origins, giving them an easy-going geniality that seems off until it’s justified by the ever-inventive plot. As for the cadre of unequivocal Russian villains, they are plentiful, yet Berkrot has devised a distinguishing gravelly croak for each male and an oddly sexy, consonant-rich growl for the group’s ultra-deceptive female. A Grove/Atlantic/Mysterious hardcover.