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A review by angelakay
Fidelity by Thomas Perry
4.0
I wish I could remember where I ran across this book or why it's been on my "to read" list for three years, which is frankly the only reason I can think of why I'd ever pick it up. Generally I avoid the mystery-suspense-thriller genre because they tend to be variations on the same ten stories and rife with predictable tropes, stereotypical characters, and absolutely painful writing, especially the dialogue.
Fidelity was great fun, though, and after the first couple of chapters I didn't want to put it down. Sure, the characters are echoes of the archetypes you find in mystery/noir/etc, but more complex and less predictable. "Good" people sometimes do sketchy things. "Bad" people have redeeming qualities. Relationships are complicated all around. The writing is clear and illuminating and the dialogue doesn't try to get too clever and witty (the downfall of many a book with otherwise cool stories & characters). While the story wasn't bizarrely unique, it was interesting enough to keep me guessing almost to the end. Quick, entertaining, believable, & well-written. Take it to the beach or on a plane.
Fidelity was great fun, though, and after the first couple of chapters I didn't want to put it down. Sure, the characters are echoes of the archetypes you find in mystery/noir/etc, but more complex and less predictable. "Good" people sometimes do sketchy things. "Bad" people have redeeming qualities. Relationships are complicated all around. The writing is clear and illuminating and the dialogue doesn't try to get too clever and witty (the downfall of many a book with otherwise cool stories & characters). While the story wasn't bizarrely unique, it was interesting enough to keep me guessing almost to the end. Quick, entertaining, believable, & well-written. Take it to the beach or on a plane.