Review: The Burglar by Thomas Perry

Title: The Burglar

Author: Thomas Perry

Publisher: Mysterious Press

Publishing Date: January 8th, 2019

Pages: 304
Audio Length: 10 Hours

Genre: Mystery Thriller
TW: Murder

Series: Standalone

Source: Audio

 

From Thomas Perry comes a new thriller about an unlikely burglar--a young woman in her 20s--who realizes she must solve a string of murders, or else become the next victim

Elle Stowell is a young woman with an unconventional profession: burglary. But Elle is no petty thief--with just the right combination of smarts, looks, and skills, she can easily stroll through ritzy Bel Air neighborhoods and pick out the perfect home for plucking the most valuable items. This is how Elle has always gotten by--she is good at it, and she thrives on the thrill. But after stumbling upon a grisly triple homicide while stealing from the home of a wealthy art dealer, Elle discovers that she is no longer the only one sneaking around. Somebody is searching for her.
As Elle realizes that her knowledge of the high-profile murder has made her a target, she races to solve the case before becoming the next casualty, using her breaking-and-entering skills to uncover the truth about exactly who the victims were and why someone might have wanted them dead. With high-stakes action and shocking revelations, The Burglar will keep readers on the edge of their seats as they barrel towards the heart-racing conclusion.

What made me pick this book up: 

I don't really know what caught my eye with this one, I think I saw it on someone's blog and I was reading what it's about and the review and it sounds great. 

What did I like about the cover: 

I think it matches pretty well. It's very simple. It's just a cover. Nothing special. 

What made me read this book: 

It sounded really interesting. I love mystery thriller books, and the burglar must solve murder or be murdered definitely caught my attention. 

What did I like the most: 

Like I said, the burglar must solve a murder or be murdered sounded interesting. The burglaring part is interesting enough, then add in the murder, the mystery, the suspense and the thrill of it all. 

This book had me holding my breath, squeezing my phone, zoning out, on the edge of my seat. 

I had NO idea what was going to happen, it wasn't until the BAM was revealed that I finally got it. And that's awesome to me. I don't like figuring it out before it's supposed to be figured out. I want it to be one of those WHAT moments. And this one wasn't really a HUGE what moment, but I still didn't figure out why until the author wanted it to happen. 

So this book wasn't predictable. There was only one part that I was like, oh yep, that's going to happen. But that's okay, it didn't ruin anything for me.

The characters were well written, likable, you could relate with how they were feeling. They didn't feel one dimensional. You felt for them, and wanted them to succeed. 

It took a bit to get going on the book, but I don't feel like it was a bad pace. It was a slow burner, but it wasn't a bad thing with this book. It fit well. 

What didn't I like: 

This book was really hard for me to get into at first. The author describes everything. Where the walls were, where the boards were that she was jumping on, what she could hear, smell, see. It was too much to where I started to zone out when they were describing things. 

I had to listen to the book at 2 speed and gradually listen at a faster speed. 

I haven't read too many adult books, so maybe this is normal to over describe everything, but I feel like the book could have gone without all that. 

That's really the only complaint I have. 

Would I read the rest of the series/more from this author?
Yes! I'm particularly interested in 

I'm really glad I found this book. It was a really well written mystery thriller.

“There was esoteric knowledge to being a burglar—broad areas that took some thought and skill. There was choosing the house, entering the house, and finding the items that were worth taking. Elle Stowell was good at all three."

― Thomas Perry, The Burglar

Thomas Perry is the author of 25 novels. He was born in Tonawanda, New York in 1947. He received a B.A. from Cornell University in 1969 and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Rochester in 1974. He has worked as a park maintenance man, factory laborer, commercial fisherman, university administrator and teacher, and as a writer and producer of prime time network television shows.

He lives in Southern California.
His website is www.thomasperryauthor.com