Monday, January 13, 2025

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Pro Bono by Thomas Perry


Thomas Perry is a well-known source of topnotch contemporary suspense and thrillers. He’s received the Edgar Award once and the Barry Award twice and been shortlisted for major awards too many times to count. His latest stand-alone thriller is a fascinating deep dive into banking and investment crime. 

Pro Bono (Mysterious Press, 14 January 2025) introduces Charlie Warren, a lawyer and CPA who specializes in finding money hidden from his clients. He fell into this niche early, as his widowed mother was robbed by an opportunistic second husband while Charlie was in college and Charlie tried unsuccessfully to trace the money Mack Stone took. Now Vesper Ellis retains him for assistance, as she thinks something is wrong with her investment accounts. Withdrawals have been made in her dead husband’s name and balances are not what they should be. Charlie agrees with her assessment; he narrows the inconsistencies to two investment firms and files the papers to ask for a legal accounting of the monetary discrepancies, thereby alerting the senior managers of the stockbrokerages of likely problems. Shortly after the asset management companies acknowledge the requests, Vesper turns up missing and a pair of thugs try hard to keep Charlie from his meeting with one firm’s lawyers.

Charlie has considerable presence of mind when the goons attack, more than I expect most lawyers might have. He also shows himself willing to cut corners in the manner of his illustrious predecessor Perry Mason. He is definitely the lawyer to call in case of trouble.

The story falls naturally into three parts, each showcases a different approach to appropriating money from someone else. I found the tutorials on financial crime absorbing and educational but I think some bits, particularly where the investment company culprits fall out, as thieves inevitably will, could have been tightened up to good effect. The transition from one story line to the next is a little awkward but not enough to disrupt the flow. This thriller could easily be two short stories and one novella with the same main character.

Overall, I loved this book. A well told story with an ingenious plot and original characters. Charlie Warren has series potential but I see the title is listed as a stand-alone. Recommended, especially for fans of legal thrillers and financial mysteries.

 



  • Publisher: Mysterious Press (January 14, 2025)
  • Language: English
  • Hardcover: 360 pages
  • ISBN-10: 1613166168
  • ISBN-13: 978-1613166161

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4gNdmuQ 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025 

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

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