3.5 stars. ( )

Enjoyable audiobook! ( )

This is a tale of two married couples: private investigators, former LAPD cops Ronnie and Sid Abel and Nicole and Ed Hoyt, assassins for hire. The Abels are hired by the board of directors of Intercelleron to investigate the murder of one of their scientists, who was found in a storm drain after torrential rain with two bullets in his head. Someone has hired the Hoyts to stop them, even before they get started. Lots of mayhem, but the Abels manage a much better investigation than LAPD, and discover the truth, which is pretty far-fetched. Not as good as the Jane Whitefield series. ( )

I love me some Thomas Perry. I especially love Thomas Perry with entirely new characters. And in this case he's got couples. One white hat couple vs. one black hat couple and he does this new idea total justice. It's a nice nice read from beginning to end. ( )

Thomas Perry can be relied upon to deliver solid mysteries. Although often billed as thrillers, to me they don't fit the description well as the outcome is usually reliably certain. This one was intriguing as it contains two sets, maybe even three, of protagonists. (I began to feel a certain sympathy for the thieves who, after all, were just trying to retire.) One set is the team of ex-cops now searching for the killer of a man who was more (or less, depending on your POV) than appearances. The other set is a pair of assassins who have been hired to kill the first team. It all comes together in a glorious denouement, although frankly the violence and over-specificity of brand-name weapons does nothing for me. Perry's originality and character development, on the other hand, do. Good read. ( )