Metzger's Dog: A Novel

Written by Thomas Perry

Narrated by Michael Kramer

When Leroy "Chinese" Gordon breaks into a professor's lab at the University of Los Angeles, he's after some pharmaceutical cocaine, worth plenty of money. Instead, he finds the papers the professor has compiled for the CIA, which include a blueprint for throwing a large city into chaos. But how is the CIA to be persuaded to pay a suitable ransom, unless of course someone actually uses the plan to throw a large city into chaos-Los Angeles, for instance?

Assigned to cope with the crisis and restore the peace, veteran agent Ben Porterfield steps onto the scene to remind us that the CIA's middle name is, after all, Intelligence. Enlivening the mix are Gordon's beautiful girlfriend, Margaret, his temperamental cat, Dr. Henry Metzger, and Metzger's friend, an enormous half-wild dog with huge teeth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Feb 16, 2009
• ISBN: 9781400180233

Thomas Perry

Thomas Perry is the New York Times bestselling author of nearly thirty novels, including the critically acclaimed Jane Whitefield series, The Old Man, and The Butcher's Boy, which won the Edgar Award. He lives in Southern California. Follow Thomas on Facebook at @ThomasPerryAuthor.

Reviews for Metzger's Dog

[samanthadeirdre · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was originally written in 1983, and it is still funny. It is a crime fiction/spy fiction/caper/humor book. Dr. Henry Metzger, of the title is clearly the smartest and most self-assured character in the book. He is the main character's cat, and yes, he does have his own dog. A giant, drooling, junkyard dog. The main character, Chinese Gordon, is the brains and leader of a group of good-hearted criminals who have decided, through a circuitous chain of events, to blackmail the CIA. While Chinese is the brains of his gang of crooks, his girlfriend, Margaret is clearly the brains behind Chinese. She is delightfully slinky and smart. There aren't too many brains to speak of on the CIA side, with the exception of one old-guard operative who isn't, unfortunately, at the top of the CIA food chain.

Perry's writing has that rollicking, noirish, tough-guy quality that you sometimes find in Elmore Leonard's dialogue. The plot is serpentine, the protagonists are unfailingly cool, and I was halfway through the book before it occurred to me that that technology was way outdated for this to be a contemporary book (I know, librarians are supposed to figure this stuff out faster -- duh). I was impressed that the book has stood the test of time so well. In the audiobook version, Carl Hiaasen provides an intro that I would advise skipping. I highly recommend the book in its original version, though, for a fun, irreverent read.

[tmph_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pretty entertaining. Great characters.

[rwt42 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Quirky, enjoyable "caper" tale that pits the CIA against an unusual band of thieves.An imaginative writer, Perry seems to specialize in "good" bad guys who get away with "it". Hopefully things like this don't happen in real life.

[crazybatcow · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was okay. I wouldn't read it again. And I wouldn't pick up any more books by this author on the basis of this one. But I wouldn't turn away from another book from Perry just because of this either.The plot is complicated... and told from a chopped up perspective... and sorta political in nature... and there's no butt kicking or sex in it so I don't even know why it was on my reading list.Oh well... it was a change of pace, but... I'm done with that pace for now. Back to the good stuff.

[katymelrose · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What's not to love? Metzger's Dog has so many selling points it's hard to define it, but I'll try. Chinese Gordon is a great antihero. The CIA is comprised of 90% absolute idiots. It has horrible animals you can't help but love. There is a great combination of suspense, humor and romance which makes it hard to predict. Essentially, it has everything a reader could ask for.Overall, it is one of my favorite books, if not my absolute favorite.

[dmoliver · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Without question one of my favorite fiction books of all time. Chinese Gordon and his pals should have a series of their own. Of course, he shows up very briefly in "Island", but we want more.