The Old Man

Thomas Perry

Jan 2017 · Grove/Atlantic, Inc.

About this ebook

Now an original series from FX starring Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow, and Amy Brenneman: a retired intelligence officer living off the grid is caught in “[a] harrowing hunt-and-hide adventure” (The New York Times).

To all appearances, Dan Chase is a harmless retiree in Vermont with two big mutts and a grown daughter he keeps in touch with by phone. But most sixty-year-old widowers don’t have multiple driver’s licenses, savings stockpiled in banks across the country, or two Beretta Nanos stashed in the spare bedroom closet. Most have not spent decades on the run.

Thirty-five years ago, as a young army intelligence hotshot, Chase was sent to Libya to covertly assist a rebel army. When the plan turned sour, Chase acted according to his conscience—and triggered consequences he never could have anticipated. To this day, someone still wants him dead. And just when he thought he was finally safe, Chase is confronted with the history he spent much of his life trying to escape.

Edgar Award–winning author Thomas Perry writes thrillers that move “almost faster than a speeding bullet” (Wall Street Journal). The Old Man is his latest whip-smart standalone novel, and has been adapted into a critically acclaimed television series starring Jeff Bridges as retired CIA Agent Dan Chase.

“Perry drives deep into Jack Reacher territory in this stand-alone [novel] . . . Swift, unsentimental, and deeply satisfying.” —Kirkus Reviews

Ratings and reviews

Dan Chase is always on guard…always on the run – needing to hide out from the government that betrayed him so many years ago. Armed with multiple aliases and the paperwork to back them up, Dan is always ready to move at a moment’s notice. It’s been awhile since he has had to move on, but one fateful night, his safe house has been discovered and his life threatened, so with his two trusty, adorable dogs, Dan Chase must run yet again. This my dear reader is just the beginning of an action-packed thriller that will have you turning each page in a feverish attempt to find out what will happen to this man and to see if he will be able to spend the rest of his life enjoying the retirement he so desperately deserves or end in a horrible death. The Old Man was my first experience witnessing the amazing talent of Thomas Perry, and I can’t believe I have waited so long in discovering this author. The Old Man is a non-stop thriller that had me in its grips the entire time. Perry’s writing technique drew me into the story with its descriptive writing and well-developed characters and the action ensured that I wouldn’t put this book down even for a second. This fast paced thriller took me on an amazingly crazy ride with its suspenseful, engaging plot that was filled with so many twists and turns, it had me mesmerized throughout. The narration…. The Old Man is narrated by Peter Berkrot and I thought he did an excellent job narrating this book. At first, I didn’t think I was going enjoy this performance because of the voice of the main character, but as I continued with the story, it was apparent that this was the perfect choice for this novel. With his gruff and gravelly voice, I could totally picture the ‘old man’ perfectly in my mind. The other characters ‘voices’ were satisfactory, but the female voices lacked just a bit – but I suppose it is somewhat difficult for a male to sound like a female. Despite that, I think Mr. Berkrot did a fantastic job with this story. The production quality was top-notch and the pacing was just right. Overall, I was quite pleased with this performance and thought it added a lot to the story. In conclusion…… I thoroughly enjoyed The Old Man and although I really would have liked to know what happened to some of the secondary characters, the ending was satisfactory and ended on a happy note. The action was exciting and intense which kept me on my toes throughout. I wanted the story to go on, and was extremely sad when I got to the last page – wanting, no NEEDING more. With this first introduction of Perry’s writing, I will definitely be purchasing all of his previous novels….I just have to find a way to pay for them all! But I MUST have them! Fans of fast-paced, high-stakes action thrillers will LOVE The Old Man and this is one book that I would highly recommend! Story – 4.75 Performance – 4.5 Overall - 4.62

Much better than the show… read in under a day

a good read

About the author

Thomas Perry is the bestselling author of over twenty novels, including the critically acclaimed Jane Whitefield series, The Old Man, and The Butcher’s Boy, which won the Edgar Award. He lives in Southern California.