Book Info
Hardcover, 304 pages
Expected publication: January 8th 2019 by Mysterious Press
ISBN 0802129005 (ISBN13: 9780802129000)
Other Editions None found
Source:Netgalley EARC

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From the New York Times bestselling author Thomas Perry, "who can be depended upon to deliver high-voltage shocks" (Stephen King), comes a new thriller about an unlikely burglar--a young woman in her 20s--who realizes she must solve a string of murders, or else become the next victim

Elle Stowell is a young woman with an unconventional profession: burglary. But Elle is no petty thief--with just the right combination of smarts, looks, and skills, she can easily stroll through ritzy Bel Air neighborhoods and pick out the perfect home for plucking the most valuable items. This is how Elle has always gotten by--she is good at it, and she thrives on the thrill. But after stumbling upon a grisly triple homicide while stealing from the home of a wealthy art dealer, Elle discovers that she is no longer the only one sneaking around. Somebody is searching for her.

As Elle realizes that her knowledge of the high-profile murder has made her a target, she races to solve the case before becoming the next casualty, using her breaking-and-entering skills to uncover the truth about exactly who the victims were and why someone might have wanted them dead. With high-stakes action and shocking revelations, The Burglar will keep readers on the edge of their seats as they barrel towards the heart-racing conclusion.

My Thoughts


Elle Stowell is a different kind of character than I usually read.

Her chosen profession of Burglar is one that intrigued me from the get-go when it was introduced in the book synopsis. Elle's skill set is a combination of things that go hand in hand with a lot of luck in my opinion.

That is until with one fateful job her luck goes south and she finds herself on the defensive against an unknown entity who wants her silenced for reasons unknown to Elle. Reasons she has to uncover before it is too late.

When I started this book it became apparent that Elle was one of the rare book characters whose chosen profession being that of a professional thief was not going to get in the way of liking her, for the most part anyway.

When the hows and whys were unveiled in the story plot it became more imperative to me to finish the book sooner then later, which I did with great satisfaction.

Kind of like Cary Grants character, John Robie in the movie To Catch A Thief , Elle remains someone that appeals even while one does not agree with her way of life.

The story has a few suspenseful moments that pass by and are gone too quickly and the mystery elements are wrapped up too quickly as well but as this was an easy read those particular items are easily forgiven.

The author is new-to-me but is one I would like to read more of in future if get the chance.

[EArc from Netgalley]


On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

Over the years I’ve been aware of books by Thomas Perry and always wanted to read one. For some unknown reason I just never picked one up.
When I saw Mr. Perry’s latest release, I was excited, here was my chance! The premise grabbed my attention right away!

Elle is living the life of a cat burglar in Los Angeles. No fly-by-night operation… she’s has been doing it for years. Expertly slipping in and out of empty homes as fast as possible. And with all that experience, she knows all the best hiding spots for cash...and maybe a few other gems along the way.

Though Elle may have wanted to do a little more reconnaissance for her next job. Turns out her latest target home wasn’t empty! As she enters what she believes to be the bedroom, Elle is shocked to see three naked people on the bed. And they aren’t moving - each shot once in the head.
While backing out of the room she notices a camera set up... and still recording!

Soon Elle is running for her life. She just doesn’t have a clue who she’s running from! Can she turn the tables and find the person responsible before they find her?

Though this may be an all out thrill ride for some readers, I just lacked the connection to Elle. And was left wanting more from her character...and maybe even the storyline itself. I am glad I finally had the opportunity to read a Thomas Perry book, and though this may not have been the perfect fit for me I will still be searching out his next release.

A buddy read with Susanne,☃️

Thank you to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic Mysterious Press and Thomas Perry for an ARC to read and review

When an unlikely burglar stumbles upon a murder scene life gets very complicated. Non stop action from start to finish keeps the reader on their toes. Elle is a formable opponent and manages to keep one step ahead, but just how long can she keep up the pace? Would love to see more of Elle in future books!

I enjoy Thomas Perry and I expect his books to be somewhat short on character development, but have a rapid and deep plot and be extremely entertaining, and this book delivered that for me. I received the book from Netgalley and it was a rapid read about, Elle, the burglar who uncovers a mystery while in the midst of her routine work. The pace was rapid and the story compelling.

3 Stars.

Elle is not just your ordinary gal. She’s fit, smart and she knows how to make a quick get away. Her career is one most people would never admit to, yet all of her closest friends know about it. She’s a burglar and she quite good at it.

On what she thinks will be a routine burglary, Elle happens upon a crime scene. Once she discovers it, her life is in danger. From then on it’s a game of cat and mouse. Elle is being chased - but by whom: cops or criminals?

In “The Burglar,” Elle is constantly on the move, thus as you can imagine this is a fast-paced read with several intriguing twists. While I don’t recommend a life of crime, “The Burglar” by Thomas Perry appears to have a lot of pointers for those of you interested in learning the art of theft!

This was a buddy read with Ms. Kaceey! :)

Thank you to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic and Thomas Perry for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on Goodreads and NetGalley.

Thomas Perry is a master of character study particularly of professional outlaws who are the protagonists of his creations. The Burglar is a wonderful story of a female burglar, Elle, who finds a triple homicide while on a job. The story is full of characters all looking to make a score. Elle tries to help the police solve the homicides without revealing herself. Eventually, she uncovers the truth, and the ending will leave you very satisfied.

A really good book and I think it will appeal to people who like an easy read. It’s an interesting story with the burglar being a woman who needs to live and focuses on the very rich. Tense and a page turner. Ask for it for Christmas.

In the crime fiction genre, few authors are as well known as Thomas Perry and few books are written as intelligently as those he has authored. Fans of his anti-hero thrillers are in for a treat with Perry's newest, The Burglar.

Elle is a unique burglar. She takes great care to blend into her surroundings, often appearing as a wealthy sorority girl just out for a run. She scopes out the houses meticulously, insuring that there will be no mistakes and no one home to create violence for anyone. Her newest mark should have been an easy one - she was sure no one was home and hadn't been there for a few days. However, once inside she doesn't find an empty home but rather three dead bodies. Covering her tracks, she thinks she has escaped a problem, instead someone now is stalking her! Unable to go to the police for help, Elle realizes that she has to solve the murders herself and catch the killer(s) before they catch and kill her. 

The premise for The Burglar has been written in both books and movie scripts. What sets this one apart from all others is Elle - a woman, obviously - and the skillful, methodical writing of Perry that takes what could be a ho-hum mystery to the next level of edge-of-your-seat thriller. Yes, this is a game of cat and mouse, but Perry works in so many twists and little puzzles throughout the book so that the reader stays engaged from start to end. I also thoroughly enjoy books that feature an anti-hero rather than focusing on the same cop-detective-gumshoe theme. In all, The Burglar is one of the best suspense/crime/thrillers I've read in quite a long time. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy any of these genres. 

The e-book will be available in January, 2019 or you can purchase the physical book now. Either way, I'm sure you will enjoy this thrilling read. 

Thank you to #Netgalley, #ThomasPerry and #GroveAtlanticMysteriousPress for my copy of this engaging read.

The Burglar by Thomas Perry

When I saw the cover and read the excerpt on what this book was about I was really excited to read it. I was given this book as an ARC but that does not effect or influence this review in anyway. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a semi thrilling murder mystery. I have to say that this book fell flat for me. Please do not misunderstand this a good book it just did not live up to what I thought it would be. With that being said I give this book a 2.5 out 5 rating.
The Burglar follows the day to day life of Elle Stowell. Who is a beautiful woman that is in shape and quick on her feet but makes her living by robbing from rich people. She is able to easily get away with this because she fits in the women that would normally be seen in the neighborhood she robs. Things fit that fan when Elle breaks in to a house and finds dead bodies instead of money. She becomes paranoid that someone is following her. Then the people in her life start dying. So, she decides to figure out who wants her dead and who killed her friends. Long story short she figures it out. The ending was what it was (that’s the best I can say). It lacked everything and left you with more questions that you probably do not want the answers to because it will be over explained.
The book although well written gives way more details than necessary. For instance, Elles finds handguns in a house she’s robbing, we are given details about the make, model, and ammo. When she tries to lose the car that is tailing her the route she takes is detailed every time. It just seemed cumbersome to read and I tended to skip over it. I had to put this book down a few times and walk away before returning to it. That’s how annoyed I was with the over detailing for no good reason. The details did not add (it did add to my patience).
The book is structurally and grammatically well written which is appreciated. If you are interested in an over detailed mystery novel but otherwise pretty decent mystery this is the book for you.

I have loved Perry’s Jane Whitefield series, but felt this book fell short of his capabilities in plot and writing. Although well researched, there was nothing that elevated this above an average crime thriller.

The Burglar is the first book that I have read by Thomas Perry. I can’t wait to read more of hos work. He filled the book with twist and turns that left me wandering how the book would end. Elle was a interesting character who was a criminal, but to my amazement I found myself rooting for her continually.
I highly recommend this book.

I thought this book was very original.I didn't expect to like the main character ,her job did put me off her to a certain extent,but she won me over,and I was rooting for her.I thought the plot was interesting,with some unexpected twists.I did think it was over long especially towards the end I was very keen to find out how it was all going to work out and got a bit impatient.That could have just been me having no patience though ,and I still enjoyed the book.Thanks to the publishers and netgalley for an ARC.

First thank you NetGalley for a free copy to review and all comment are my own. This was my first book by Thomas Perry and I enjoyed the writing overall. The book really was a page turner throughout the story although there were some parts that were longer than I felt was needed. I will pick up other books by this author to enjoy.

This is a real page turner of a book, with a most unusual central character. Elle Stowell is a 24 year old house burglar,who jogs around wealthy neighbourhoods looking for empty, rich and expensive properties to rob. She is also extremely athletic, fit and resourceful,and leaves nothing to chance,her surveillance technique is first class. So, when she breaks into a property and finds three dead, naked bodies that have been engaged in a sexual act, she is taken aback. When Elle suspects there is a video camera recording both herself and all previous activities,she becomes an unwilling witness to murder.
Elle is soon literally running for her life, as she is pursued by large black SUV's, that contain people who like to kill in order to protect criminal activities, and as the body count mounts, the tension increases. At times I was acutely aware of holding my breath and willing Elle to survive the many attempts to silence her. Who knew it was possible to root for a burglar to triumph against all odds?
Elle is determined to track down the killers and hand over evidence in an attempt to avenge the death of her closest friend, and to protect her own life.
This book is brilliantly written and so suspenseful! It is very fast paced, tense and full of action. It is the sort of book you enjoy too much to finish! One of the best thrillers I have read this year, a real pleasure to review!
I have left a copy of this review on Goodreads and have given it a five star rating. Thank you for such an entertaining read.

Elle, the main character in this fast paced murder mystery, is a burglar with some ethics. While not especially likeable, the reader may feel some sympathy for her circumstances and life choices. It is certainly an interesting career choice for an attractive, athletic 20 something, to which her looks and skills are benefits.
As she goes about her daily work, she discovers a murder scene with very interesting details, including the video camera, still running. To preserve her own identity she lifts the camera, and the true action begins. Elle must discover the killers before they identify her, and a race to come out alive ensues.
The plot is engaging and the action keeps the story line moving. Elle is not your typical female protagonist, instead breaks some stereotypes along the way. She may not give you a warm fuzzy feeling, but you'll admire her tenacity and resilience.
Thomas Perry has delivered a winner once again.

This is my first read by Thomas Perry and I have to say that I was shocked at the writing. The detail that Thomas Perry gives you while describing scenes and the way that this character, Elle gets into houses that she sets out to burglarize makes you feel that you are right there with her trying to sneak in undetected too. I was drawn into this book from the very beginning and it kept me on the edge of my seat wondering how all this was going to end for Elle. I highly recommend this read for anyone who likes suspense as well as detective style stories.

Elle is a young lady that makes a living being a burglar. Elle is smart about the way that she cases her houses. She will dress in the ritzy clothing to fit in with the neighborhood she is in and act like she is just a college age girl home for a visit. Elle never goes straight to the house she is wanting to hit, she will watch it and find out what is going on with it first. Very smart at the way that she goes about being undetected.

When Elle goes in to a particular house, she gets more than what she ever thought was possible with this burglary. Elle stumbles upon a triple homicide. She luckily notices the video recorder that is set up in the room and takes it with her so that she is not seen on the video, but what will she find on the recorder? Will she be able to erase the possibility of her being seen on the tape? Is the feed sent to another place for someone else to see? What is Elle going to do about all of this? She never intended to get caught up in this mess.

As the story goes on, Elle gets more and more paranoid about the video. Things start happening that makes her think someone is following her. Who could it be though? What do they want from her? You have to read this one to find out what is going on with Elle. It is too good to spoil!

The research that Thomas Perry had to do to be able to write this story the way he did had to have been extensive. Being so detailed makes it so much better for the reader too in my opinion. Really a great read!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all the opinions are my own. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!

I would like to thank Mysterious Press and the Netgalley website for this partnership.

One of Thomas Perry's best thrillers.

We find the pretty Elle there who burglarizes all the places she can. Except that her life will change completely when she comes across a triple homicide at a rich merchant's house. She's going to be looking for and trying to solve this investigation before she's the next target.

I immediately hooked on the captivating, addictive story full of suspense and twists and turns. Looking forward to reading another book by this author.

This is a crime book with a difference. I read lots and lots of mystery novels so it can be quite entertaining to come across something that's different. To begin with our main character is a criminal herself - a burglar who is good at what she does and feels absolutely no remorse about taking what doesn't belong to her. No mention at all of thinking about how to get into the mainstream of life. Okay, so I put those things behind me in order to read the book.

The story has very little dialogue and I think this kept Elle at arm's length so I didn't feel I knew her much better at the end of the story than when I had first begun to read. This very young criminal (24 years old) also seems to let way too many people know how she makes a living which in turn makes it very easy for the truly criminal types to find her when they start looking. LA is a pretty big city but those people had no problems finding her first thing. Elle had stumbled on a murder scene when she broke into a house and the group responsible for the crime now intend to shut her up by killing her.

This story was not as good as I had hoped it would be. I read thriller novels all the time where the protagonist is able to extricate themselves from impossible situations but, for some reason, it just felt off when Elle kept performing these miracles. Almost as if she wasn't quite hardened or damaged enough to have had that much experience of something like an organized group trying to kill her. I don't expect to read any other books about Elle the Miraculous Burglar because the author wasn't able to make me care about her or her next job, no matter how many car chases she might be involved in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic, Mysterious Press for an eGalley of this novel.

Thomas Perry's latest thriller. He is one of the best writers in the genre with many books to his credit that are on my list to regularly re read. The Burglar is a stand alone novel and both exciting and scary. It is very much a novel of Los Angeles (As was his previous novel, The Bomb Maker). His books are great regardless of where he sets them but I was particularly pleased with the local color in this one. Four stars instead of five only because I am grading him against himself and he has a few books that are even better than this.

This book was interesting, but a bit disappointing compared to the hype in my mind. The reason behind the murders - it wasn't as exciting as I hoped for. I found myself hoping this book would be something I couldn't put down because it started out with so much promise and energy, but then I found myself just skimming the book and reading only the dialogue.