Thomas Perry, the prolific author of mystery and thriller novels, has died at 78, his publisher, the Mysterious Press, announced on Instagram.
“Tom was a bestselling thriller writer who was beloved by all who knew and worked with him and was part of the Mysterious Press family for a quarter of a century,” the publisher said.
According to a biography on Perry’s website, he was born in Tonawanda, New York, and educated at Cornell University and the University of Rochester. He made his literary debut in 1982 with The Butcher’s Boy, which won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel.
He followed that novel up with dozens more novels, including Sleeping Dogs, Dance for the Dead, Blood Money, Forty Thieves, The Bomb Maker, Murder Book, and, most recently, Pro Bono, published in January.
His 2017 novel, The Old Man, was adapted into a television series starring Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow; it ran on FX from 2022 to 2024. His 2010 novel, Strip, is currently being adapted as a film titled Bear Country, with Derrick Borte directing and Russell Crowe, Nina Dobrev, and Aaron Paul set to star. The Mysterious Press will publish Perry’s The Tree of Light and Flowers next March.
Perry’s admirers paid tribute to him on social media. On the platform X, author Clay Stafford wrote, “His work redefined what a thriller could be: elegant, intelligent, and utterly gripping. He was generous, thoughtful, and quietly brilliant. To speak with him was to learn. To read him was to be changed. The writing world has lost one of its finest voices.”
And radio host Vick Mickunas posted, “I was devastated to hear of the passing of Thomas Perry yesterday. He was an incredible writer and just the sweetest man. Very sad news. My condolences to his wife and children. Damn, this is hard news to take.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
