Rating: 
Summary: A Good Read
Review: Another winner from Thomas Perry. The hero comes from an unexpected source and by the end has found his true calling. I would like to see more of John Walker from Mr. Perry. John Walker is a character to rival Jane Whitefield.
Rating: 
Summary: A return to the early Perry
Review: As a fan of Thomas Perry's early books, I enjoy the Jane Whitfield series, but prefer what seems to be a return to his earlier type of stories in Death Benefits. The twists and turns keep you guessing and his wry humor keeps the book entertaining. You begin to feel a bit like Perry's young protoge in the book, behind at first, but anticipating the next turn by the end.
Rating:
Summary: Perry's Winner Sans Whitefield
Review: As a mystery author with my first novel in its initial release, I am a great admirer of the works of Thomas Perry, especially his Jane Whitefield series. DEATH BENEFITS does not feature Perry's popular Seneca lead, yet it is a true winner nevertheless. DEATH BENEFITS involves an ordinary man who discovers talents and abilities within himself that he was unaware that he possessed when he finds himself placed in a fresh and dangerous role. John Walker is drafted from his routine job by a shadowy Max Stillman to investigate insurance fraud against McClaren Life and Casualty. Together, the men track their prime suspect .... They eventually travel to other locales and uncover a series of crimes with roots planted long ago. John Walker is a fascinating character and perhaps he will return in future Perry books.
Rating:
Summary: New characters -same great writing!
Review: Being a fan of Thomas Perry's Jane Whitfield, I was prepared for disappointment. Oh ye of liitle faith! Perry's new characters, Walker and Stillman are great! I hope this won't be a one shot book with these characters. It is complete in itself, but for lovers of series with the same characters, one can only hope that this was their debut. A combination of murder, suspense and a surprising ending. Couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: A page turner!
Review: Death Benefits by Thomas Perry Random House 2001While I am more familiar with Perry's Jane Whitfield series, which by the way are excellent, this mystery is rich in excitement, detail and well-developed characters. A scam has been perpetuated against the McClaren Insurance company and Max Stillman, an insurance investigator, picks John Walker to help him because John had been very close to Ellen Snyder, a woman who has also disappeared. In their search for Ellen and some leads about the missing 10 million they encounter several bad guys and get roughed up and a computer specialist who can seemingly get into any data base. When a hurricane hits Florida, John is not only caught in the midst of it but uncovers a thread of the scam they are investigating. Several clever deductions lead John Max and Mary Catherine Casey ( John's new girl friend) to a small New Hampshire town that proves to be the base of a much larger scam than they started with. The last 100 pages of the mystery are a real screamer and will keep you reading late into the night as John, Max and Mary struggle to save their lives and return with the story. Once again Thomas Perry has not disappointed me. The only tiny point of criticism is that John's relationship with Max seems much too unlikely. He follows Max with too obligingly. Never-the-less and excellent read.
Rating: 
Summary: I read the whole thing, and can't believe I did
Review: First let's get one thing straight: I'm a Thomas Perry fan. I like just about everything he's written and I've yet to read Butcher's Boy which I understand is his best. But Death Benefits is not up to his usual standard. I had this one figured out way before the characters had even a clue. The ending was that predictable except for my question: Where did the FBI suddenly come from? No one, not even Thomas Perry, can make the insurance industry remotely interesting. Inside job? He only presented us with two possibles. If it was an inside job...had to be one of 'em. But if it was an inside job, why weren't these two main characters followed and taken out before they could follow their plodding way to the end? Why at one point did Serena, the computer hacker, know that the FBI wasn't getting anywhere, and later had no information on the FBI at all, especially that they were right behind them, ready to step in and save their little tushies? By the way, I know such criminal enterprises exist (not exactly in this form though) and it would have been interesting to get inside this one and see how it works. The denouement didn't explain all of the tidbits the author dropped along the way: Why 27 cops? What went on in that New Systems building? What kept the criminal enterprise together? Was McClaren Insurance the only company targeted? If not, didn't anyone else notice the scam? Are we really supposed to believe that no one in the county ever wondered about, and did a news story on, this enterprise? If so, Perry doesn't understand anything about how governments interact (the states with the counties and the counties with the cities), how people gossip, and how reporters get their story ideas. Not good, not good at all.
Rating:
Summary: Terrible Ending, Engaging Book
Review: Having read and loved Thomas Perry's Jane Whitfield novels, I was enticed by the reviews here to try Death Benefits. This book starts slow but gains speed quickly. I found myself totally involved, entertained and delighted with this story throughout. The problem, as another reviewer pointed out, is the last 75 or so pages. The ending is so implausible that I wanted to put it down. I had to remind myself how great the first part of the book was. So I highly recommend it. Despite the disappointing conclusion, it's definitely worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Zero
Review: How has this nil plot, nil writing, infinite bore has ever been published is a sad testimony of US publishing and book reviewing.
Rating: 
Summary: Not up to his standards
Review: I agree with those that liked the characters of John Walker and Max Stillman as well as the premise of this novel. As the characters worked their way through the puzzle of how somebody was defrauding McLaren Life and Casualty out of millions of dollars the intrigue gets more complex, interesting and very dangerous. However, the answer to the puzzle struck me as so implausable that after following what had become a real head scratching story, I could not help but wonder why the author had chosen to go there. I have enjoyed all of the Jane Whitefield books and am still looking for a copy of The Butcher's Boy, but this book is simply not up to what I have come to expect from this author. It deserves a better ending.
Rating:
Summary: a disappointing finish but worth reading anyway
Review: I am a longtime fan of Thomas Perry's Jane Whitfield series. His new book, while not one of the series, is quite entertaining and one of the best reads this past year. The story grabs your interest from page one and keeps going at a very quick pace up until the last 100 pages. I thought the book lost its momentum and the ending was not only unplausible, but too long. Not what you'd expect from Thomas Perry. In any case he is still one of the finest suspense/mystery writers working today, and this book makes for a great escape! The story would translate very well to film. Give it a try. Then, pick up Shadow Woman or Dance for the Dead from the Jane Whitfield series. 2 of his very best!
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