Book Talk: Thomas Perry, ‘Silence’

It’s been several years since I read a Thomas Perry novel. I don’t know why it’s been that long. I’ve enjoyed a number of his thrillers. Sometimes, I find an author who is new to me, like the book, and then read more of her or his works, forgetting my old favorites. That may be what happened in this case. 

When I checked a list of Perry’s works, I found that I’d read a couple of books in a series, but not in order and not the first of the series. So, I ordered Book Number 1, “Silence” (2007, 448 pages in hardback edition). After reading the first 50 or so pages, I ordered Book #2.

In “Silence,” Perry introduces us to Jack Till, a retired LA cop-turned-private detective. Six years ago, when he was still “on the job,” Wendy Harper had been attacked with a baseball bat. Although Jack suspected that she knew or could identify her attacker, he realized that she was scared witless. Because she’d been tagged for death, Jack helped her to disappear from the LA scene.