Customer Reviews

Metzger's Dog: A Novel

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Metger's Dog is one of the finest novels I have read in quite a while -- and working in publishing (don't hold it against me) I see hundreds a year. There are moments in this narrative, many moments, when the reader realizes he has placed his or her attention in expert hands. Humor and seriousness are expertly blended. Perry is a subtle observer of people and of life. The character of Chinese Gordon is revealed only on the very last pages of the book ( and never fully), and rarely have I seen such judicious treatment of a CIA type as with Perry's creation of the character Porterfield. Good and evil are carefully intertwined in this text -- all of the characters trouble these moral boundaries. Even Gravirjas (sp?), a drug boss, is admirable in his assessment of circumstances, in his reasoning and objectivity given the life he leads, the hand he holds. His fatal mistake would have been impossible for him to grasp ahead of time -- circumstances just got way beyond what he knew.

In fact, only Poterfield and Chinese Gordon, the two main characters, are up to the chess board in this plot. And like two generals from opposing armies, they walk away respecting each other, though perhaps not equally.

The name "Metzger's Dog" is a metaphor -- the dog in the novel, a vicious animal, has been salvaged from a junkyard and tamed. At the end of the novel, this dog is given the name Porterfield.

In this story it is ultimately the CIA that has been tamed. The details of how this is achieved hold up to any test for authenticity.

My favorite of Perry's books, this non-stop tale of Chinese Gordon and his confederates kept me laughing and left me awestruck. I cannot believe no one has made a movie yet of this book! How often do you get to pull for the bad guys and hate the good guys, and laugh about it the whole time? What I particularly like about Perry's work is that he never finds it necessary to reveal every detail of a character's history, only what is needed to make the plot tick along. Inevitably, his characters remain in my mind long after I've finished the book, musing over how Chinese got his name (his name is Leroy), why his cat is named Dr. Henry Metzger, and how did he meet his girlfriend who is the PERFECT girlfriend for a former mercenary. Questions only Mr. Perry has the answer to, and I hope someday to encounter Chinese in print once again -- so I can ask some new questions!

Thomas Perry's early books are masterpieces and thank goodness the publishers have yielded to public pressure and made them available again. This is a delicious confection. Metzger's Dog has everything Perry is famous for -- violence, humanity, irony -- and unlike some authors, he carries through right up to the last scene. It's got the attention to details, strategic thinking, and casual violence of "tough" thrillers, mixed with an upbeat affection for life that makes it three-dimensional and unforgettable. You never want it to end; you never want to say goodbye to the characters. Now, join me in a moment of prayer that the publishers will reissue "Big Fish", another great book that should never have gone out of print.

Thomas Perry's body of work is so original, so imaginative, that I'm surprized all his novels don't win Edgar awards. Bravo to the publishers for making his early work available; it's a joy to see where many of the themes that govern his later work took root.

Metzger's Dog is peopled with the full-bodied characters you expect from Perry, along with irony, humor, and bursts of unexpected violence. Setting the CIA and a gang of thieves on a level playing field, and getting the reader to root for the gang of thieves is deft writing, indeed.

Another word about Perry's use of violence. Given his plot lines, you'd expect a lot of it. Well, there's a lot of implied violence, and you expect it at every turn, yet he usually manages to shock you when it finally, and rarely, appears.

Thomas Perry gets my vote as one of the best mystery/suspense writers of the century. --

I have a taste for books that are both funny and intense, and for that reason this is perhaps my favorite of all Perry's books. Years ago, I read sections of it (the parts about Chinese Gordon, his friends, and their adventures) out loud to my then ten year old son. (I thought the other sections weren't suitable for a child, so I censored them.) He howled with laughter, and both of us were awed by the scenes in which a few men completely, bloodlessly, shut Los Angeles down. What a glorious idea. Another reviewer is quite right -- this book would make a great "caper" movie. Where's the Rat Pack when you need them?

Glad this has been republished-- I read it in the early 80s when it was first published and I've been a confirmed Thomas Perry fan since. This loose-jointed thriller has everything: laughs, tension, and brilliantly quirky plotting. Perry makes it look easy, and he's only gotten better over the years.

Read this and then ask yourself: Why hasn't it been filmed? I think I may know: it's been ripped off so many times that producers think it won't fly. Too bad, since it did it first and best. Read it! Still a rollickingly great novel and the perfect book for a vacation.

I have my original copy of this novel, and re-read it every few years. It is the best he has written. Funny (very), and what a plot. Do not miss this read. You will thank me.

I loved this book, that I will say first of all. I am an avid reader and I frequently look for authors that I'm not familiar with to read so I look towards people who have won the Edgar Award for a guide since I am a fan of mystery/ thriller genre and I was already sold on this book when I saw that then intro was written by Carl Hiassen, an author who can do little wrong in my book. This book manages to combine deftly paced humor and action with smartly written characters. Chinese Gordon, the criminal mastermind is anything but yet he is a wonderfully sympathetic character as opposed to the C.I.A. which you delightfully root against. The book is so good you don't want to put it down. It's just quite simply a wonderful combination of humor and thriller that works so well that you will be sad to see it end.

This "caper' novel from the early 1980s holds up very well. It's one of those books where the division is not between the good guys and the bad guys but between the smart guys and the dumb guys. It is joyfully ammoral and you feel perfectly free to root for the smart guys, even if they are thieves and killers.
A motely crowd of three Vietnam vets and one girlfriend hatch a plot to "liberate" a kilo of cocaine from a university lab. At the same time, one of them snatches a bunch of papers that turn out to be sensitive CIA-funded documents that reveal evil experiments in mind control in Latin America.
The [...] who run the CIA are convinced they're dealing with an urban terrorist group.
The plot gets a bit complicated at times with all the double and triple-crossing that goes on but is never less than entertaining. The characters of the main protagonists are sharp and likeable and the writing is breezy and alert.
The Metzger of the book's title is a sharply-drawn character that happens to be a cat. It befriends a massive, slobbering dog, also vividly drawn.
There's a sense of innocence about this pre-9/11 book regarding the ease with which the characters penetrate sensitive locations. For example, the protagonists are able to knock out the entire Los Angeles electricity system with indecent ease.
All in all, an entertaining read.

Having loved Perry's Jane Whitefield books, and been dazzled by their pace and that of a couple of subsequent works of Perry's, I was intrigued to pick up this well-reviewed early work. Metzger is, surprisingly, the name of our protagonist's cat! His human `Chinese' Gordon, is a rather petty criminal who stumbles onto a major opportunity. Blackmailing the CIA? Gonna try, anyway. Bring in Latino Mafia-like members as allies? OK, but how long will it last? Do all this while upsetting the workings of a city the size of Los Angeles? Pick a couple of vulnerable spots and attack them. Gordon and his cronies are easy to root for 'bad guys'. The CIA agents are a pleasantly varied lot. The action rolls past you like Gordon's van well over the speed limit. Wonderful fun, particularly if you live in and/or know the Los Angeles area as I do. Add my five stars to all of the others. Great pace, funny and sometimes violent scenes, a great moll for Gordon, a winner for Perry like so many of his others.