Customer Reviews

Peril

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

 

 

Thomas H. Cook is a genius. I do not recall saying that about any other writer I have ever reviewed. There are some fine writers out there whose work is consistently excellent. They are highly regarded by all who read the genre. Writers such as James Lee Burke, Mike Connelly, Dennis Lehane and others who write a superior novel in a style easily distinguished from others. However, Tom Cook not only writes a novel as good as any of the others, but, his style changes from one book to the next. Perhaps this is why he is not as wildly popular as some others. One never knows what to expect. Tom Cook has gone through phases where books consecutively written are somewhat similar in style and tone, such as the great BREAKHEART HILL or the Edgar winning, THE CHATHAM SCHOOL AFFAIR- historical dramas evaluating love and loss. Now he is in a phase of writing modern crime novels.
PERIL concerns Sara Labriola, wife of a mobster's son. She leaves her husband, Tony, to start a new life away from her husband and especially away from her father in law, Leonardo. She lives with fears unknown to us and wants nothing more than to disappear. However, Leonardo refuses to let her run away and insists on having her found and punished. To accomplish this task he enlists his henchman, Caruso. Tony, fearing what his evil father will do to Sara, if found, hires his own man to find her. So the novel becomes a game of several cats and only one mouse.
The novel has a unique structure. It is told from the viewpoint of seven to eight different characters. Initially, each story is unique and quite disjointed. However, as we proceed through the novel, the individual stories get shorter and shorter thereby quickening the pacing and eventually as all comes together in the end flows from one narrative to the next. It is a unique structure and quite ingenious. The only weakness in the novel is the somewhat stereotypic depiction of the evil Leo Labriola and the ludicrous coincidence of Sara's choice of a bar to work in. Truly breathtaking.

Tremendous work once again by Thomas H. Cook.

I especially liked the book design - no chapters. It was broken into five acts which made the story so much more fluid.

The story added up at all ends. The characters were vibrant and alive. The ending was fantastic. That's where so many good mysteries fall off - the ending. Not with Cook. He nails the story from beginning to end.

Cook has a special way of exposing the darker side of humanity. He takes good advantage of that gift. That is one of the many reasons he is my hands-down favorite author.

Only recently did I come upon Thomas Cook. I just happened to
pick out CHATHAM SCHOOL AFFAIR, and as the saying goes, I
couldn't put it down. Now I have just finished PERIL. I sailed through
it with just as much enthusiasm despite the fact that the story's
presentation is markedly different from CHATHAM SCHOOL'S. PERIL'S
content is grittier too. Other reviewers have set out enough of the
story's carcass for anyone who wants to know something of how it will
look. Therefore I am limiting this to praising Cook's PERIL for its
excellence. Cook is a master at character development and clarity.
And he achieves these results while at the same time not burdening
readers with wordiness.

I am not one to praise a book because of its complexity or high
degree of challenge to the reader. Nor do I seek out works of simple
escapism to dive into. Instead I seek literature that captures my
attention fast and holds it, without my having to work myself into a state
of mental exhaustion. So far Thomas Cook has met my requirements
expertly. I am very glad to have stumbled on to Cook. I relish the
knowledge that he has written a substantial body of work to
entertain me in future.

Sara Labriola has had enough of abuse. Gathering up her courage, she runs away from her husband, his abusive father, and everything she owns. She has a dream of creating a new life in New York--a dream that isn't really formed, doesn't make a lot of sense, and that she doesn't dare believe that she deserves. But one thing is certain--she can't go back to the life she formerly led. Unfortunately for Sara, her father-in-law has other plans. Leo Labriola is a minor mobster who demands respect and knows that a woman's place is exactly where the dominant male puts her. In his family, he is dominant. It doesn't matter that Sara's husband, Tony, wants Sara left alone. Leo intends to have her found--and punished.

Private detective Stark has a recurring nightmare--that he'll lead another killer to his victim. And something about this case doesn't feel right. His nightmare is sending all sorts of warnings, but he trusts his partner and Mortimer is telling him that this is a simple deal. But Mortimer is lying--in debt to the mob for gambling losses and willing to say anything to get himself out of trouble.

Author Thomas H. Cook starts powerfully. Sara's terror, springing from her current situation and from long-past rapes and victimization, is horribly real painful. Leo Labriola's sidekick, Caruso is also well depicted--torn between fear and admiration for the man who took him in and whom, he hopes, will some day make him a made man in the mob--some day trust him to kill.

Cook's strong beginning doesn't quite carry through to the rest of the novel. There is too much coincidence in the discovery of Sara's hiding place and some characters, especially Stark, are just not that interesting. Still, Cook's writing is strong enough to pull the reader in and it certainly kept me engrossed from the fascinating beginning through the foreshadowed but still unexpected end.

I couldn't agree more with "avidreader". Peril is unrecognisable as Thomas H. Cook novel. The prevous books I've read, The Chatham School Affair, Evidence of Blood, Mortal Memory, and Instruments of Night are the work of a master storyteller. They are filled with atmosphere, empathy, and often sadness, but written with a wonderfully engaging style that few authors can imitate. Then along comes Peril - a plot full of cliches, caricatures and coincidences. Hopefully its just an experiment and we'll soon have the "real" Thomas H. Cook back writing great stuff again.

Yet another great story by Cook - this one not as dark as previous works. I liked the way each chapter is from one of the characters point of view - it gives the reader different perspectives of the same scene. Very, very fast read - a change from past Thomas Cook novels. Only minor problems are characters: one is WAY over-the-top (the bad guy), while another is under-developed (the heroine). Otherwise, a terrific book for a short weekend.

I've read several of Thomas Cook's books, including THE CHATHAM SCHOOL AFFAIR and RED LEAVES, both well-written, insightful page-turners (putting aside the obvious flaw in RED LEAVES).

Short of a mental breakdown, there is no way the author of the above outstanding novels (and others) could have penned this sophomoric book. Populated by wooden characters; infused with barren description; steeped in empty, simple and inane dialogue; the book reads like the work of a middle-schooler.

I quite liked this book. A bit different than his others - not quite as intricately plotted, i didn't think. But it is still very engrossing and engaging. I read it almost solid thru one lazy Sunday afternoon - couldn't wait to learn how it turned out.

The style takes a bit of getting used to - the story is told as a series of short vignettes by all (or most) of the characters. They each tell a piece and the pieces build to a dramatic conclusion. It works very well - once you get used to it. It's an effective mechanism for telling the same story from different vantage points.

The ending is excellent - a happy one for a change. And the reveal at the end that pulls it all together is quite surprising - I had not thought of it.

While the story generally hangs together nicely, there is one aspect of it that is a real stretch and that is how everyone ends up in the same place at the same time. They need to for the story to work, but the odds are pretty astronomical. But if you can get past that, the rest works.

Thanks for the synopsis Harriet! I am sure all those people who are considering buying the book will appreciate your summing up of Peril - you have saved these people a lot of money - now they don't have to buy the book since you tell them practically everything that happens (like you do in all your reviews)

I just want to ask the brilliant author: Why?? This book is a departure from the writing and storytelling in his previous books. He has impressed me tremendously so this book was a real letdown. In fact, I decided half way through I didn't want to finish it, I just didn't enjoy anything about it. There are multiple characters, with the author flipping back and forth. Sadly, none of the characters are worthy of spending time with...and the storyline is....well, boring. I just wonder where this book came from, did Mr. Cook decide to experiment with a new style? I was befuddled by his partnership book with Larry King, which was also very bad. If this was the first book I ever read by this author, I would never read him again.