Thomas Perry (1947-2025) is one of my favourite writers.

I’m working backwards, reading more of his older books.

Pursuit (2021)is a standalone suspense novel that follows a high-stakes “cat-and-mouse” hunt across the United States between a relentless investigator and a professional hitman. 

That aspect of the book was fantastic. Good guy and bad guy at the top of their games.

It got slow and dull when each had a problematic romantic relationship.

Plot Summary

The story begins with a brutal mass murder at a restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, where thirteen people are found dead. When local police are unable to find a suspect or motive, forensics expert Daniel Milliken determines the crime was the work of a highly skilled professional.

Milliken connects the father of one victim with Roy Prescott, an enigmatic specialist known for finding people who don’t want to be found.  

Prescott identifies his target as James Varney, a sociopathic hired gun who is as methodical and deadly as Prescott himself. To catch him, Prescott must goad Varney into believing he has to kill Prescott, turning the pursuit into a deadly game where only one can survive.