Thomas Perry

Thomas Perry is a novelist who writes mystery fiction. He was born in 1947, in Tonawanda, New York, which is near Buffalo. Perry attended Cornell University and the University of Rochester, where he earned his PhD in Literature. Before becoming a novelist, he wrote and produced several TV shows, including “Star Trek, The Next Generation” and “21 Jump Street.” He is currently living in California with his wife and two daughters.

Perry's first novel, “The Butcher's Boy,” was written in 1983. It received an Edgar Award and a Best First Novel award from the Mystery Writer's Guild of America. He is most famous for his series of books that have Jane Whitfield as the central character. Perry originally wrote five books in that series, each about a year apart. The timing in the books also coincides with the actual amount of time that had passed to write the book. He has recently completed the sixth book in that series, much to his fans appreciation.

Thomas Perry has also written at least 10 other mystery novels, all unrelated to each other or to the Jane Whitfield series. He says that he gets the inspiration for his novels from listening to people talk and to what they have to say to him. He claims to eavesdrop shamelessly, which has caused him to learn incredible things that he could not have learned any other way. Perry also maintains a website where his adoring fans can offer him ideas and stories to be used in his upcoming books.