Thomas Perry

Thomas Edmund Perry (August 7, 1947 – September 15, 2025) was an American mystery and thriller novelist. He received a 1983 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best First Novel for The Butcher's Boy.

Life and career

Thomas Edmund Perry was born in Tonawanda, New York, on August 7, 1947. He received a B.A. from Cornell University in 1969 and his Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Rochester in 1974. He worked as a laborer, maintenance man, commercial fisherman, weapons mechanic, university administrator and teacher, as well as a television writer and producer (Simon & Simon, 21 Jump Street, Star Trek: The Next Generation). Through December 2024, Perry published 31 novels.

Perry lived in Southern California with his wife, author Jo (née Lee). The couple married in 1980 and had two children. He died from an aortic dissection at a hospital in Los Angeles on September 15, 2025, at the age of 78.

Writings

Perry's work covered a variety of fictional suspense starting with The Butcher's Boy, which received a 1983 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best First Novel, followed by Metzger's Dog, Big Fish, Island, and Sleeping Dogs. He then launched the critically acclaimed Jane Whitefield series: Vanishing Act (chosen as one of the "100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century" by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association), Dance for the Dead, Shadow Woman, The Face Changers, Blood Money, Runner, and Poison Flower.

Perry developed a non-series list of mysteries with Death Benefits, Pursuit (which won a Gumshoe Award in 2002), Dead Aim, Night Life, Fidelity, and Strip. The New York Times selected Night Life for its best seller selection. In The Informant, released in 2011, Perry brought back the hit-man character first introduced in The Butcher's Boy and later the protagonist in Sleeping Dogs.

The Informant was awarded the 2012 Barry Award for Best Thriller. Eddie's Boy received the 2021 Barry Award for Best Thriller. In 2021, Vanishing Act was included in Parade's list of "101 Best Mystery Books of All Time".