Review--The Old Man

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The Old ManThe Old Man by Thomas Perry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Back in '94, Gov. "Walkin' Lawton" Chiles became part of Florida Cracker lore when he said to his opponent, "... let me tell you one other thing about the old liberal. The old He-Coon walks just before the light of day.”

The opponent was befuddled, but the old Floridians watching the debate nodded their heads at this sage observation. In Florida folklore, the He-Coon is the wisest member of the pack of raccoons, the oldster who lets the young ones run around and get trapped. The He-Coon waits, biding his time, then saunters off to his den.

This book's about a He-Coon, a man with a "special skill set" who's been living below the radar but his enemies just won't leave him alone. It's book candy for fans of Thomas Perry, especially fans of a certain age who like to see a guy in his sunset years kick butt and take names.

This is one of Perry's stand-along novels, not connected to the fabulous Jane Whitehead series. I highly recommend it, and I look forward to the next book from this author who could teach the young raccoons in writing seminars a thing or two.


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