Metzger's Dog [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Fawcett (1983)
• ASIN: B001E2Z1HU
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)

More About the Author

THOMAS PERRY is the author of 19 novels including the Jane Whitefield series (Vanishing Act, Dance for the Dead, Shadow Woman, The Face Changers, Blood Money and Runner), Death Benefits, and Pursuit, the first recipient of the Gumshoe Award for best novel.
He won the Edgar for The Butcher's Boy, and Metzger's Dog was a New York Times Notable Book. The Independent Mystery Bookseller's Association included Vanishing Act in its "100 Favorite Mysteries of the 20th Century," and Nightlife was a New York Times bestseller. Metzger's Dog was voted one of NPR's 100 Killer Thrillers--Best Thrillers Ever.
Thomas Perry 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 a writer and producer of prime time network television shows. He lives in Southern California.  His website: www.thomasperryauthor.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A really extraordinary talent in current fiction, May 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Metzger's Dog (Paperback)

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.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Drop what you're reading and go find a copy of this book!, January 8, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Columbus, Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Metzger's Dog (Hardcover)

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!

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of the best, July 2, 2003

By 

Jane Bedinger (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Metzger's Dog: A Novel (Paperback)

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.