Preview
  • The Informant

  • A Butcher's Boy Novel
  • By: Thomas Perry
  • Narrated by: Michael Kramer
  • Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,624 ratings)

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The Informant

By: Thomas Perry
Narrated by: Michael Kramer
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Publisher's summary

Married and living in England under the name Michael Schaeffer, the assassin known as the Butcher's Boy is the target of a Mafia hit team sent to exact revenge for his deadly campaign against the Balacontano family years earlier. Schaeffer kills all three attackers, but he knows more will come and needs to find whoever sent them to end it once and for all.

Soon Elizabeth Waring, now high up in the Organized Crime Division of the Justice Department, receives a surprise late-night visit from the Butcher's Boy. Knowing she keeps track of the Mafia, he asks her who the three men work for. Not knowing they have been murdered, she gives him a name: Frank Tosca, an aspirant to the Balacontano throne. In exchange, he tells her about a murder Tosca committed over 20 years ago.

So begins a new assault on organized crime, and the uneasy alliance between the Butcher's Boy and Waring, who trade current information for old secrets. As the Butcher's Boy works his way ever closer to his quarry in an effort to protect his new way of life, Waring finds herself in a race against time, either to convince him to become a protected informant or to take him out of commission for good.

Prolong the suspense - listen to Thomas Perry's first two books in this series: The Butcher's Boy and Sleeping Dogs.
©2011 Thomas Perry (P)2011 Tantor
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Editorial reviews

Thomas Perry won the 1983 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best First Novel with his debut of The Butcher's Boy. In this long-anticipated third installment, the mafia hitman emerges from retirement to tie up the loose ends of a score he thought was settled 10 years before. Also returning is Elizabeth Waring, who's been moving up the ladder in the Department of Justice by stepping on the toes of organized crime.

Fans of the audiobook series can breathe a sigh of relief, as Michael Kramer continues his fine work narrating the ruthlessly efficient assassin's bloody march toward freedom. Raspy and gruff without any cheesy wise guy embellishment, Kramer's smooth rumble makes for a slick Butcher's Boy who is clearly a head and shoulders above the slimy Cosa Nostra soldiers sent to dispatch him. He goes to Waring to update his intel on the whereabouts of the under-boss who sent the henchmen, giving her some 20-year-old dirt on the older generation in exchange. As the Butcher's Boy steadily murders first the clowns sent to catch him, then the bosses that sent the clowns, Waring races against the rising body count to either turn the Butcher's Boy into a Justice Department informant or just turn him in.

Kramer has a finely tuned ear for Perry's pacing, and falls lock-step into the rhythms of this righteous killing spree. Sure, the Butcher's Boy has murdered untold numbers of people on behalf of the mob, but all he wants now is freedom from the mob. Michael Kramer finds space to make him respectable and even likable. Thomas Perry has updated the character for middle age without making him any less clever or more insecure. The author and the character both have their priorities in the right place, forgoing glamorous punch lines for the perfect kill shot and showing a willingness to sacrifice everything for the goal at hand, perhaps even Elizabeth Waring. Megan Volpert

Critic reviews

"Perry offers a compelling, rapid-fire plot, credible Mafia and FBI secondary characters, an indictment of self-serving officialdom, and the old soul-shattering moral dilemma: what is truth?" ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about The Informant

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

the butcher's boy is back

boy this is good! If you are a Thomas Perry fan this is so worth it!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A fun read

The butcher boy is an unforgettable character. There is something fascinating about assassin stories and here is one you can root for, albeit in a semi-guilty way. The book is well written, chilling and humorous at the same time, fast paced and original. I enjoyed each one in the series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Riveting....Again!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Informant to be better than the print version?

Without a doubt. Michael Kramer is a fantastic performer.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Constantly on the edge of my seat. This is the third and last in The Butcher's Boy series and I was on the edge of my seat throughout the first two books....and was the same here. Listened for hours at a time. It is a very detailed and tightly woven plot and every thought and action of the assassin is performed.

Have you listened to any of Michael Kramer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Have not heard Michael Kramer before, but I have listened to all three of The Butcher's Boy series and Kramer is at the top of my list. Will seek him out now.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It kept me riveted for hours.

Any additional comments?

Do not miss even one of The Butcher's Boy series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Give me more!

Great story. Great performance.. Now I have check out the first two in the series.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Fun ride

Quite entertaining with good narration. Fast paced and to-the-point. I gave it 4 stars because, frankly, this isn't literature. The writing played fairly fast and loose with the logistics of his endeavors, but still enough was there for me to think "ah hah" or "oh, yeah". Good character development which makes this story very engaging.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Wow!

Mr Perry is a genius. No character of his enters without a backstory even if the Butcher’s Boy expedites them. Narrator is excellent. Tough to do a mafioso voice then switch effortlessly to a woman’s. One left in the series. I will be very sad. Clearly the best series I have ever read. Just boffo

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Would now like a couple prequels.

Solid story. A couple of telegraphed outcomes of some sticky situations, but enjoyed the book to the end. I put 50k miles on my car each year and look for stories that keep me intrigued and awake. This kept me intrigued.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

First read of T Perry, and can't wait for more

I am going to start buying other Thomas Perry books after this one. The story, based on a hit man with whom I had total empathy (he takes out bad guys right?), moves along at a brisk pace and develops the two main characters wonderfully. Michael Kramer has an interesting narration: he delivers his words in almost a monotone that is totally effecting. He lets the words and the story move the listener along. I loved the way he delivered the story! This is a fast paced book, I found I liked both main characters considerably, they were intelligent, wily, and resourceful, and Kramer's narration makes this a total winner.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

awesome book

I could not put this book down. beautifully written action packed loved every minute of it

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Hope this isn't the last Butcher's Boy novel

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, absolutely .Love Michael Kramer's performance. He even does the women's voices well

What other book might you compare The Informant to and why?

Thrillers are not my normal go-to reads, but I listened to Fidelity first and that got me interested in both Thomas Perry's work and Michael Kramer's narration

Have you listened to any of Michael Kramer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Have only heard him reading Thomas Perry novels. This compares equally well as the rest

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no- 2 sittings but very late at night

Any additional comments?

I am so pleased to have found a "new" author (for me) and have been recommending him to everyone I know that is interested in a well rounded book. The Butcher's Boy is The Perfect Novel

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