I really enjoyed this book. I think it will be a big hit when it is published. Very well written and character development

Okay read. One of my favorite authors. Starts off at a good pace and maintains it until near the end. The end of the read kind of slows down, even was able to skip a page or two. Still enjoyed the book, just a little let down with the writing near the end.

I enjoyed reading The Burglar and getting to know Elle. As a career burglar, Elle is adept at her work. She has a strategy for all situations, it seems. When she accidentally discovers a murder in the home she's burgling, she puts a plan in action, and carries it out, because if she doesn't, she knows she'll be the next one murdered.

This book was fun because it took me into the art dealing world, though I did get a little bogged down with some of the art world information. It was fun because Elle travels around the LA area. It was fun because Elle is smart, and though she's a burglar, I was really pulling for her to overcome and be successful in her mission.

I recommend this book for readers who like a little excitement, and also a satisfying ending.

While this one wasn't quite my taste, I know the mystery readers in my library will be happy to read it. I've gone ahead and added several copies to my purchase list for the branch. Thank you so much for allowing me to read The Burglar by Thoams Perry!

This is my first book by Mr. Perry and I was very pleased. I will read more. This was a fast paced mystery and it kept me engaged from the first page. There are many twists and turns that kept me guessing. Elle is a well developed character and I enjoyed her exploits. Thanks to Mysterious Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you for this ARC!

While I really loved Elle - smart, savvy with incredible survival skills - I wish the story were just a bit more exciting. For such a complex and interesting main character, I would have loved to see her face more.

Slow start but not a bad read!

This novel follows a female burglar who comes upon dead bodies during her burglary of a home. The story is a good story, but could have been a lot better with some improvements to the character and her behavior. For example...after she discovers that someone is out to get her, she runs to a friends house. She does not tell the friend about the situation except to say she needs to get away for awhile, The two go out to a club????
Then when her friend is killed, she returns to the club hoping to find who had been following her. She has no skills other that her burglary skills and yet is trying to find those that are trying to find her,
okay book to read if you suspend most of what you have learned from CSI

Elle makes her living as a burglar. She is a smart, attractive, 20-something burglar, who has never gotten caught for her crimes. She spends her days exercising and staying in shape for her job, and her nights hard at work. Sometimes she has enough money to lay low for a while, but as the book begins, she is in need to replenishing the coffers and thus out she goes. When she breaks into the home of an art dealer, she finds something different than she had planned for... she heads to the master bedroom where people general hide the best of their wealth, and along with lots of art, she finds three people who were murdered in the bed. She also soon discovers that she had better figure out who committed the murders, as her life hands in the balance, as it appears someone is after her, too. This thriller keeps you turning pages, well into the night. You cannot help but root for Elle as she tries to figure out what has happened and how to keep herself safe. This is especially important, as it seems the police are getting no where with figuring out the crime.... even when she sends them the clues she comes into contact with. Elle is not a gal to give up, and she will fight to the bitter end if she has to. The burgler is one of the best thrillers I have read this year. I highly recommend it!

This book was slow to start, but rather interesting once it picked up pace, albeit for a few ‘breather’ moments.

I found the premise and concept to be unique and something I hadn’t really come across before, and was incredibly well-researched, but it left much to be desired in terms of the story and the characterisation.

I struggled to find consistent engagement with the writing as it felt too distanced and too removed from the action to evoke any real feelings; this also goes for the characters, who came across to me as a little 2-Dimensional and I found myself not really caring about their outcomes.

All in all, I didn’t love this book, but I didn’t hate it. Thank you to Thomas Perry, Grove Atlantic, NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a cleverly written story. Such a different take on the whodunit.

I enjoyed this book and would love to know what other escapades Elle could get into.

Was not sure I would like a book with the good guy being a thief but this one got me hooked. Loved the character and her survival instincts even when she did things that made me want to yell at her to stop. Hope this will be a series. the suspense kept me reading late into the night.

So, I liked almost everything about this book.

I loved Elle. She was whip smart and so likable.

I was absolutely fascinated by all the nitty gritty of her burglaries. I mean, this was almost like a manual for the perfect life of crime. Lol – and I say this with all respect – the author would probably be a master criminal if he set his mind to it. This was awesome!

I was a little disappointed by the reason for everything. It fit the lifestyles of our criminals and victims well. I was a very ‘only the rich’ kind of scenario. But…I found it al little…unexciting.

Still, though, I really enjoyed the book. It was a fast and fascinating read and I ended it thinking that it was time very well spent!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

I received this book with the promise I would submit an unbiased review.

This was a very interesting read. I am a fan of mysteries and this was a good one. It follows a young lady burglar and gives you a good look into her insights of a burglary from the choosing, planning, and execution of the robbery. In this case she stumbles into a bigger crime and becomes a target.

She is placed into the unusual situation of trying to help the police and solve the crime on her own. If only for her own safety.

I felt this was a well written and interesting book. It kept your interest and made you look forward to picking it up and continuing your reading. I usually read at night and I looked forward to it for the few days it took to finish. Highly recommend and will look for more from this author.

Do not start this book before bed—you will not get to sleep on time! Very interesting topic and lead character, non-stop action. Very well-researched as always.
Liz willner
Books inc, Berkeley

The Burglar, a murder mystery, follows the day-to-day exploits of Elle Stowell a experienced house burglar in Los Angeles. Stowell looks younger than her age and is able fit right in with the beautiful, fit and energetic women who live in the neighborhoods that she robs. The Burglar is the latest in a series of several books written by Thomas Perry.

Elle Stowell has never been arrested for Burglary in spite of the fact that she has robbed multiple house in well to do neighborhoods of Los Angeles. Things are going well for Stowell until she stumbles onto the scene of a multiple murder and she begins being pursued by someone who must have seen her on site. To save herself she must now use her skills to solve a crime rather than commit one.

Thomas Perry has received numerous accolades for his excellent books, but I expect this one will not be remembered as one of his best. The descriptions of how to break into a house and what to steal are tedious. When Elle is discovered she seems to be able to carry on staying in nice hotels and sleep well while people around her are being murdered. When the murderers are revealed, their motives for committing several crimes seem superficial and opportunistic rather than skillfully planned. Finally how could a security company hired to monitor break-ins not know someone was monitoring their offices for weeks. All this makes the book hard to read.

The book is structurally and grammatically well written and a quick read, but the story line leaves me with no choice but to not recommend this book. I give it a 2 on 5.

I want to thank NetGalley and The Mysterious Press for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

A young - and very clever- burglar breaks into a home in search of cash and jewels and finds three people murdered in bed with a camera rolling. It gets better. She steals the camera, deletes any pictures of herself, breaks in to the house again and replaces the camera. Now she is being hunted by the killers. She launches her own exhaustive investigation while several attempts are made on her life. Well written. Excellent plot o

2.5 stars
A fascinating story poorly told. There is so much extraneous information that has nothing to do with the plot or the characters that it urges one to skip over pages. The main character is inconsistent; a young obsessive compulsive woman burglar who, while touted as highly intelligent, does many dumb, self-destructive things.
With a great deal of tight editing, this would have the potential of a bestseller.

This was an interesting take on the burglar prototype! Young, small and pretty, this burgler was at the top of her game, until she ran into a triple murder in the house she chose to rob. Not only did she not get anything worthwhile, the murderers are now looking for her! Well done and enjoyable read.

2.5 Stars
This book was a disappointment to me, and also somewhat of a surprise. I am usually a fan of Thomas Perry and I love his Jane Whitefield series. I have also enjoyed several of his standalone books. This book though, just about drove me crazy at times. I will admit that the first quarter of the book had my heart racing, but not always in a good way. Even though he created scenes that built up the suspense, at the same time I was pulled out of the story because the MC made such inane decisions. For someone who was purportedly smart and good at her trade, her decision making skills really left something to be desired.

Then, somewhere around the middle of the book, things just slowed down. It took me a while to figure out what it was that the MC was attempting to accomplish, and eventually, I just wanted the book to be over. Whenever that happens, it is not a good experience for me.

Overall, the book was just not believable. The situations that the MC supposedly is able to pull off are just beyond the realm of belief. (she seriously sneaks into the headquarters of a black ops security company and plants all types of surveillance equipment, not once, but twice...and gets away clean...? And why in the world would she go back into the house of a triple murder to RETURN the camera? Why not just send in the tape if she felt the police should see it? )

These types of decisions are difficult to believe and make the reading experience underwhelming.

Thomas Perry’s The Burglar has the potential to be a great page-turning thriller novel. A young woman breaks into a house and stumbles upon a murder scene, and is hunted throughout the book as she tries to track down the killer or killers. But this young woman isn’t stealing on a dare, for fun or even for the first time – she’s a career burglar. While this creates the perfect opening for her knowledge that allows her to keep ahead of the killers, it also kills the opportunity to create that rising sense of panic and paranoia that makes you keep reading. The story is told from a methodical, detached point of view that never made me feel like the protagonist was in serious danger and took away the excitement that’s created from a sense of vulnerability in many other thriller novels.