Thomas Perry

Thomas Perry was born in Tonawanda, New York, in 1947. He is best known as an American mystery writer. Mr. Perry received his Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Rochester. Before becoming a successful author, Perry gained experience working a large variety of jobs. He worked as an angler, laborer, weapons mechanic, and maintenance man. He also wrote scripts for several TV series. Some of the series he has written for include Simon and Simon, 21 Jump Street, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. When researching his novels, he says the best research is to listen to other people‘s conversations. He calls himself a “shameless eavesdropper.”

The Butcher’s Boy was Perry’s first novel, and it won the first Gumshoe Award as well as The Edgar Award. The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association has chosen his Jane Whitefield series as one of the top 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century. He has written six Jane Whitefield novels along with eleven other novels.

Perry is a bearded, mild mannered man who lives in California with his wife and two daughters. The Jane Whitefield series revolves around a tall, beautiful “Shadow Guide” from the Seneca Indian Tribe. She uses her powers to relocate people marked for death, establishing new lives and ending their previous identity. She is shocked to find that there is a woman who looks much like her, and that this woman has stolen her identity and uses the same cunning to hunt down people and kill them.