I admit to a fondness for stories in which a character is on the run, has to hide from bod/good guys and is inventive in how that hiding is achieved and how s/he extricates him/herself from his/her predicament.. (I swear, one of these days, I'm going to switch to the incorrect "their" -- it's so much easier.)

Perry is a master at this type of plot. I enjoyed reading (actually listening to the incomparable Michael Kramer narrate) this mélange of prequel/sequel concerning Eddie's adopted son's dilemma. He's trying to go straight, having married a rich British heiress, but gets spotted by some thug who recognizes him, and he knows he has to nip the problem at its source.

Now I realize he's wealthy, has tons of money, but there is no explanation how he manages to keep well stocked with cash. Can't use ATMs or cash checks etc., because they would allow others, including the cops, to locate his position. So why does he never has money issues? It's those little things that bug me. Personally, I would probably have to go to the bathroom at key times, but the heroes never do. They must have bladders of steel.

I like Perry and have read a lot and will continue to read all of them. ( )

Eddie’s Boy is the fourth in Thomas Perry’s highly acclaimed, though very sporadic (four novels in almost forty years), Butcher’s Boy series. Though I haven’t read any of the three earlier ones, I picked up Eddie’s Boy inspired by the praise the series has garnered over the years. I thank netgalley.com and the publisher, Grove Atlantic, for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
Eddie’s Boy is the Butcher’s Boy, who is no longer a boy at sixty years of age, and his present name is Michael Schaeffer. He is worlds away from his former life as a contract killer, and is spending his days in peace with an affluent, respected woman whom he loves and who loves him back as much. But the idyll is shattered when some assassins attempt to kill him but get killed instead by their target. Now there shall be no peace for Schaeffer until the one who ordered the hit is found, and eliminated. He gets back to America, where it all started about fifty years ago, to end this new menace to his peaceful existence. What follows is the action-packed chase where Schaeffer goes hunting for his nemesis, leaving an impressive count of bodies in his wake, all the while staying one step ahead of the ones who want him, from both the sides of law. Interspersed with this deadly chase are Schaeffer’s reminiscences of his boyhood with Eddie the Butcher whose care and guidance have made him into what he is now.
Perry has created some memorable characters in Schaeffer and Eddie. Schaeffer is physically and mentally agile even at sixty, and gives tough guys half his age a run for their money. He is extremely shrewd, trained so much in the art of killing and not getting killed that it is instinctual. He is resourceful, and is up-to-date on the newer technologies in communication and surveillance that didn’t exist during his heydays! And Eddie is the best mentor one could wish to have, to learn both about life and the taking of it. The character of Elizabeth Waring, the cop who tries but fails to capture Schaeffer, is quite complex and intriguing. However, the other characters, especially of the bad guys, are contrastingly flat.
What I liked more in this novel are the flashbacks, which follow the entertaining times of the boy’s training under the able tutelage of Eddie. The present, though fast-paced and full of action, stretches credibility at many points. Schaeffer seems invincible, able to kill any number of assassins without suffering even minor injuries. He is also able to elude both the law and the lawless repeatedly with ease. There is no convincing explanation for the attempt on Schaeffer’s life in the first place, as he could have been left well alone in his own world far away from the villain’s domain. Even in the seemingly more plausible flashback part, the sequence of the boy’s revenge for Eddie’s death feels quite far-fetched. I also found the climax a bit tame, as I was waiting for a grand showdown after all the build-up.
If we split the life of Eddie’s Boy into two parts, the past is far more enjoyable than the present and for this reason, I would rate it 3.5 out of 5. This will be better enjoyed by fans of Thomas Perry, and those who have read the previous three books in the series. ( )

The fourth book in Perry's Butcher's Boy series. Michael Schaeffer is a long retired contract killer, who worked for the Mafia, trained by guardian Eddie Mastrewski, a Pittsburgh-based butcher. Things have been peaceful since the last book when four assassins try to kill him and wife Meg, at their estate. Michael disposes of them, sends Meg off to visit with friends, and flees to Australia, where further attempts are made on his life, sending him back to the U.S. to put an end to these efforts. The threat seems to center on a Mafia Don, who tried to welch on paying a fee, whom Michael then buried body parts on his property and called the cops. While everyone doubted the Don's guilt, especially Michael's FBI contact, he want to prison and a parole hearing is imminent so there are lots of suspects for who wants Michael dead. For readers of the series, there is way too much backstory, which is good news for those who have not read them. This plot is also way too similar to the last book so 2.5 stars rounded up. ( )

Michael Schaffer is living peacefully in Bath England when in the middle of the night he's awakened by the sound of glass breaking, He grabs his shot gun and kills two intruders inside his home, one outside and the driver of the get away car. He knows it's time for his with to move to safer location as he begins his hunt for other contract hit men sent to kill him as well as the man responsible for sending more killers after him to finish the job. In this gripping, fast paced story we learn more about the Butcher's Boy and the man named Eddie who raise and trained Michael. With all these contract killers on his trail, can the Butcher/s Boy live to reunite with his wife? ( )

Greatest "Hits"
Review of the HighBridge Audio audiobook edition released simultaneously with the Mysterious Press hardcover (Dec. 2020)

Although there have been two other intermediate sequels to crime writer Thomas Perry's breakout hit The Butcher's Boy (1982), Eddie's Boy is actually the most direct sequel as it specifically follows-up on the main conflict of that original story. It does then provide some closure as the likely final bookend to the series.

Eddie's Boy has the now-retired hitman Michael Schaeffer called back into action as new assassins arrive at his English retreat. While he pursues his current antagonists, his memories of growing up under the tutelage of veteran hitman Eddie Mastrewski are constantly with him. Although both Schaeffer and Mastrewski are hitmen for hire, their victims are usually repellant gangsters whose demise is being contracted by rival mobsters. The mercenary anti-heroes come off as efficient professionals in an amoral world.

There is an unrealistic aura to the whole enterprise though, as Schaeffer is allowed to have aged in real time and therefore must be in his mid-60's in the current year. Despite his age and having been presumably out of practice, his skills are undiminished and he is portrayed as being more agile and efficient that the countless minions that he is up against. If you can buy into that premise, Perry's continued skill at writing crafty amoral protagonists will not disappoint you.

The narration by Michael Kramer in all voices was excellent. ( )