Customer Reviews: Read 13 more reviews...
 preposterous plot August 18, 2008
I've read everything Tom Perry has written since the inaugural Butcher's Boy and I keep reading him because of his clever writing style and his careful grasp of the procedural, whether the procedure is hiding people or finding people or just killing them expertly. But the final mystery of Fidelity, once revealed, is so preposterous that I almost stopped reading. We are expected to believe that skilled private eye Kramer was hired by a rich psycho to find and return his runaway "daughter" and that Kramer never bothered to confirm that his client actually had a daughter, never consulted other law enforcement for leads, and when he found the "daughter," failed to discover that she was actually an underage girl his client had been bonking. Perry gives the impression of having lost his way in the plot and going to desperate measures to tie up loose ends.
 A great read! July 19, 2008
I have been a long time fan of Thomas Perry, and Fidelity continues in his unique style. He is a master of character, suspense and clever plot twists. Excellent story telling - I couldn't put it down.
Calling this book "Pulp" is an undeserved compliment July 18, 2008
Way, way too much narrative -- and boring narrative -- and too little dialogue -- and boring dialogue at that. It would seem to me that Mr. Perry is way way over-hyped. This is the last Perry book I'll read, and I'm probably not qualified to write this review, as it took me about 30 minutes to read it. I started skimming because I was mildly -- very very mildly -- interested in the plot ... and kept skimming faster and faster. Basically, a waste of my time. Very amateur-ish. I'd give it a "No Star" if that rating were available.
Not Believable July 9, 2008
I am a Thomas Perry fan. i enjoyed Butcher Boy and Silence. He is the best around at making a killer interesting and even sympathetic. Unfortunately Jerry Hobart is the only interesting character in this book. As other reviewers have stated the book does not make sense. Following the old adage when you have nothing good to say say nothing I will stop the review now.
 Fidelity July 4, 2008
Thomas Perry's newest novel is riveting from the first page - or, more accurately, the second page, for that's when Phil Kramer is murdered in an ambush. Kramer, a 45-year-old LA p.i., leaves behind a wife, Emily, who in short order discovers that in the last year of his life, her husband has left her virtually penniless, with only several hundred dollars left in personal and business bank accounts. Emily is clueless, as are, literally, the police.
This narrative line is juxtaposed with one which introduces Jerry Hobart, the man who was paid to kill Kramer. But nothing that happens after that point can be anticipated by the reader. These story lines do not stay separate for long, as all too soon Jerry is brought within Emily's orbit, in ominous fashion.
The author, with the attention to detail that is the hallmark of his novels, has again delivered one that is original and wholly absorbing, as Emily tries to uncover the truth behind her husband's killing. She, and the reader, are wholly unprepared for the answers. In addition to giving us a suspenseful book [so much so that the conclusion is nearly anticlimactic], the author presents, in various guises, the question as to the degree of responsibility that fidelity imposes and, conversely, how much is that responsibility diminished when the fidelity is no longer there. A real page-turner, and recommended.
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