Dead Aim: A Novel (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: self defense camp, self defense school, Santa Barbara, Catherine Broward, Los Angeles (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Though propelled by a tantalizing premise-the investigation of a peculiar suicide-Perry's latest eventually droops under the weight of flat, unengaging characters and predictable plotting. Robert Mallon, a wealthy land developer, has retired early to the gentle climes of Santa Barbara. While he is gazing at the ocean one morning, a young woman, Catherine Broward, calmly walks into the water and disappears under the surf. Mallon rescues her, takes her home, and over the next several hours, the two develop a bond of sorts. Broward won't tell Mallon why she tried to kill herself, but insists she's now OK. The next day, she is found dead in a local park from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Mallon, crushed, wants to know why. He quickly finds several clues-a failed romance, an old murder-yet the most promising lead takes him far into the hills above town, to a self-defense training school, where Broward had spent a month, at great expense, gearing up for some sort of confrontation. On closer inspection, Mallon discovers that the school teaches clients not only how to ward off attackers but how to engage in an ultimate form of excitement-thrill kills. Perry's 13th novel (after the Edgar-winning The Butcher's Boy; etc.) again proves a showcase for his considerable talents-taut prose, finely crafted scenes, solid research. Yet his initially promising plot winds up following the most commonly traveled grooves, concluding with Mallon, hardly a skilled warrior, taking on half a dozen armed, battle-trained killers. It is equally disappointing when, along the way, Perry either kills off or writes out several characters who seem more intriguing than the bland Mallon.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A retired land developer and millionaire, Robert Mallon has been living peacefully in Santa Barbara, CA, for a decade. Then one day on the beach, he meets a young woman whom he saves from suicide. A few hours later, however, she shoots herself, and Robert feels that he should have done more to help her. Guilt drives him to hire his old partner and now a private investigator, Lydia Marks, to help him uncover what motivated Catherine Broward. They find that her last year included time spent at a California ranch specializing in teaching rigorous self-defense. A visit to the ranch is soon followed by an attempt on Robert's life, and he finds himself pursued over Southern California. Perry, an Edgar Award winner and creator of the Jane Whitefield mystery series, never writes the same book twice, and here he chooses a theme that most Americans would probably find implausible. However, in his capable hands the plot becomes totally engrossing and believable. The reader remains gripped in unending suspense and a shocking denouement. For all fiction collections. Jo Ann Vicarel, Cleveland Heights-University Heights P.L., OH
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 378 pages
• Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (February 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812969839
• ISBN-13: 978-0812969832
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #379,881 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #27 in

  Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( P ) > Perry, Thomas

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Substandard Perry, February 22, 2003

By	R. H OAKLEY "roboakley" (Vienna, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dead Aim: A Novel (Hardcover)

Thomas Perry has written a number of excellent thriller; his last one, Pursuit, was well-plotted. Unfortunately, Dead Aim features uninteresting characters, a dubious premise, and an unbelievable ending. The main character, Robert Mallon, is a successful builder forced into an early retirement after a bitter divorce results in him having to sell his business. The plot begins with Mallon saving a woman from committing suicide, only to have her later leave him and finish the job. He eventually discovers that she killed a former boyfriend; she was given training in how to do this from a group of people who run a self-defense camp and who will help their trainees kill people for a fee. Since the trainees kill their victims for a motive (this is not a camp attended by serial killers), one would expect that they would be questioned by the police at some point, and that sooner or later one would give away the scheme. However, nothing like this ever happens.

Not helping matters is that Mallon is a very bland character. A female private detective he hires is more interesting but doesn't survive long enough to carry the book. ....

Let's hope that Perry's next book is a return to form.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay but far from his best, December 17, 2002

By	"jfross4" (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dead Aim: A Novel (Hardcover)

Thomas Perry is one of my favorite authors. At his best, there is no one better. His storylines take you places and show you things you have never even imagined.
Unfortunately, the premise for Dead Aim doesn't stretch credibility, it tears it up into little pieces. Here is what we are expected to swallow:
A month-long "self defense" school for rich people that costs over $1000 a day, where students are screened for revenge issues and those students are discreetly told that they can "hunt" their enemies (or some stranger) for $25,000 a head. For this $25K, the customer gets individual training from several people, who also research the target, set up the spot for killing him, and also kill all witnesses (five in one case we see, four in another) who see the customer make the assassination. This goes on for several YEARS.
We are to believe that this school schedules multiple murders involving rank amateur assassins, and no forensic evidence or routine police investigation work (i.e. who had motive and opportunity) ever trips them up, and NO ONE of these amateurs ever says something to someone who says something to someone else who drops a dime. We haven't seen fiction this implausible since Clancy's Rainbow Six.
Finally, there is one *massive* coincidence near the end that is inexcusable and unnecessary. You'll read it and want to throw the book down.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not up to Thomas Perry's usual high standards, March 2, 2004

By	Larry Gandle (Tampa, Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dead Aim: A Novel (Hardcover)

Robert Mallon, in his forties and retired in affluence for ten years, is stolling along a beach near his home in Santa Barbara, California. He sees a young woman enter the water and not return. He proceeds to save her from drowning. In the few subsequent hours, they develope a relationship. However, the next day, Mallon hears of the young woman's death. He wonders what drove her to suicide and looks into her past. He hires a friend, PI Lydia Marks, to look into this stranger's death. They soon find themselves up against a network of assasins run by a paramilitary leader named Parrish. He inexplicably begins to hunt Mallon in a game to the death.
DEAD AIM is one of the weakest novels written by Thomas Perry in years. The plot lacks any real basis in reality. Mallon is a less than inspirational hero which leads to a lack of reader empathy. Stereotypic characters abound in this predictable and silly tale.