Fidelity (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: Thomas Perry, Ray Hall, Emily Kramer (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Perry (Silence) explores the psychology of identity through his characters' hidden lives in this solid crime thriller. After L.A. PI Phil Kramer is shot dead as he's getting into his car one night on a quiet street, his wife, Emily, and his staff set out to find whodunit and why. As they dig, Emily discovers Phil had many secrets. Meanwhile, Jerry Hobart, the hired gun, is ordered to kill Emily. Suspicious of his client's motives, Jerry starts investigating his client, who, the reader learns, is Ted Forrest, a wealthy playboy with a secret life. Perry initially shifts between Emily and Jerry's points-of-view as each probes different aspects of the same crime to zero in on Ted's motives. As Ted starts dominating the narrative, the pacing, usually one of Perry's strongest suits, slows, weighed down with too many characters and subplots. Still, Perry intrigues as always with spare, intelligent prose. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Perry remains a kind of literary alchemist, able to mix often-incompatible elements, intricate plotting and subtle characterization, into crime-fiction gold. Here he begins with a gripping set-piece: the murder of private investigator Phil Kramer, who, we quickly learn, kept secrets: from his wife, Emily; from his colleagues in the PI firm he ran; and from the other women in his life. One of those secrets got him killed, and two people are desperate to find out what it was: Phil’s killer, who hopes to use the secret to extort the man who hired him (and has now rehired him to kill Emily, too), and Emily, who needs to understand her husband if she is to save her own life. Perry dexterously juggles point of view between Emily, Phil’s killer, and the man pulling the strings—three unreliable narrators who only know part of the story, forcing us to attempt our own synthesis. But beyond the three-cornered suspense generated by the intricate narrative, Perry gives us three remarkably rich characters, whose multiple shades of gray are delineated so crisply as to form the subtlest of rainbows. This is fine writing from one of crime fiction’s grand masters. --Bill Ott --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; Reprint edition (June 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156033860
• ISBN-13: 978-0156033862
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #212,037 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "He was a credible liar.", May 10, 2008

By	E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Fidelity (Hardcover)

Thomas Perry's "Fidelity" deals with loyalty, not only between husbands and wives but also between business associates. This theme extends even to the relationship between a hit man and his wealthy client. When an unknown assailant guns down Phil Kramer, a California-based PI and the owner of Kramer Investigations, his widow, Emily, learns that her husband of twenty-two years had been hiding some important information from her. He had been raiding the firm's as well as his family's bank accounts. In addition, he would often leave the office for hours at a time without telling anyone where he was going or what he was doing. Had he been cheating on his wife? Could he have been working on a case so sensitive that he did not want to share the details with his employees? Even though the agency is practically bankrupt, a depressed and anxious Emily asks the staff to stay on and help her search the files for some clue as to who might have killed Phil. What Emily does not realize is that meddling in her late husband's affairs will make her a target for someone who prefers his secrets to remain hidden.

Perry is one of the best in the business when it comes to crafting clear and unadorned prose. No words are wasted and the action never flags. He portrays each character's essential nature with deft strokes and his dialogue is smooth and realistic. For the most part, the author avoids clichés and tired formulas. His hit man, Jerry Hobart, isn't your typical killer for hire. He is self-serving and can be cruel, but he has a softer side and is not completely lacking in scruples. Even Phil, who dies on page two, is fleshed out as the novel progresses. Although he was flawed in many ways, Phil had a conscience, and he may have sacrificed his life trying to correct a terrible injustice. Emily is an intelligent, courageous, and sensitive woman who opens up what turns out to be a Pandora's Box; satisfying her curiosity will prove to be extremely costly. Perry's sole misstep is in his over-the-top depiction of the novel's arch villain. The bad guy is a bit too fiendish to be believed and his reckless behavior does not ring completely true. Still, "Fidelity" is a witty, complex, and suspenseful page-turner that will satisfy fans of this prolific and talented author.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perry's superb writing doesn't save this one, May 19, 2008

By	Jerry Saperstein (Evanston, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Fidelity (Hardcover)

It is highly unlikely that an artist like Thomas Perry could write a "bad" novel. But sometimes, even in the best of hands, a novel doesn't turn out the way its creator envisions and I think that is what happened here. "Fidelity", while good, is not up to Perry's usual standard. It is still eminently readable, but lacks the tension that has made so much of Perry's work, like "The Butcher's Boy", so memorable.

Phil Kramer, an old-fashioned private detective who handles undistinguished cases, is shot dead in his car in the middle of the night on a quiet street in the suburbs of Los Angeles.

His widow, Emily is startled to learn that she is virtually penniless because Phil has been consistently withdrawing money from their accounts. The Kramer detective agency has only four people left on the payroll, three detectives and the young, attractive receptionist/secretary.

Poor Emily. Her husband shot dead by person or persons unknown for reasons unkown. Just five years before her teenage son died. But Emily is made of stern stuff: she implores the remaining few people at the agency to stay on and help find Phil Kramer's murderer(s).

Jerry Hobart, the author quickly reveals, is one of the murderers and he is a piece of work. Relentless, merciless, Hobart kills for money nearly all the time and personal reasons some of the time. He is not cheap. But he is surprisingly sentimental, which plays a big part in this story. Shortly after dispatching Phil Kramer, Hobart is given another assignment by his employer: murder Emily Kramer.

Perry weaves a complex tale of love and betrayal, of undiscovered strength and craven weaknesses. Secrets are discovered, other secrets are searched for. The story is so tightly plotted that it would be unfair to give away any of the details, because Perry has a number of suprises tucked away, waiting for the reader.

It is difficult - and it would be unfair - to classify this story in any of the traditional pigeonholes. It is a story of character and characters: Phil and Emily Kramer, the people at the detective agency, Jerry Hobart, the man who employs him to murder and a few other fortunates and unfortunates who stray into the path of these characters.

Perry's storytelling skills are, as usual, excellent. But, alas, these skills cannot overcome a major problem: the inexplicable nature of Jerry Hobart. Hobart is not unlike many other Perry characters: he lives in a world of his own. He isn't crazy: he simply lives by rules entirely his own. It's worked in other Perry novels, but the device falls a bit short here.

It doesn't render the "Fidelity" unreadable or unenjoyable. Far from it. The first-time Perry reader will probably find "Fidelity" excellent. But for those of us who have read Perry's other novels, there is definitely something a bit off in this one. Still enjoyable, but not as taut as his other work.

Jerry

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I had to look back to see if this was the same author I used to like!, September 25, 2008

By	D. Horbury "foleyh" (BANNER ELK, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Fidelity (Hardcover)

This was a really bad book. I would not recommend it to anyone unless someone gives it to you for free.
I skipped over huge portions of it because it was so boring. The characters were underdeveloped, shallow, and there was certainly no suspence.
Worst of all, the reader is suppose to feel sorry for the killer and be happy that he could live happily ever after with just a little remorse for a robbery, but nothing for the murders he cold-bloodly committed. How absurd!