by
Thomas Perry
ISBN: 0804113874 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com
An excellent, taut story of a woman's personal skill and courage and her struggle against murderous criminals.
Reviewed by David on June 05, 1998
Genre: Mystery (Suspense, Amerind)
Synopsis: Jane Whitefield is a tough, capable woman who helps people on the run hide from abusive husbands, former partners in crime, and so on. Driven by compassion and her love of excitement, she can rarely refuse a good story. When a handsome former cop on the run from a well-laid frame talks her into helping him vanish, she discovers that he was neither honest nor well-intentioned, and her trust turns into a deadly mistake.
Full Review: Jane, who is very good at what he does, rarely makes mistakes. If found by their persuers, her clients will suffer or die for her errors in judgement. However, this time, she made a costly mistake against an expert—someone who is better at his job of hunting than she is at hiding.
The deadly consequenes of the mistake, and her struggle to rectify it, as she turns from hiding to fighting, make for a fascinating plotline.
Jane is a very attractive character. She is stubborn, capable, passionate and intelligent. Her suspiciousness is matched by her compassion for the victims, and her superb self-confidence pulls her through fear and despair.
This is the best book I've read from Perry since The Butcher's Boy. His theme of the individual, outlaw struggle of personal honor against greed and cruelty creates another superb tale.
Overall: 7; Plot: 7.5; Characters: 8; Style: 6; World-building: 5; Originality: 6;
Ivy Books, April 1996, Mass-market
ISBN: 0804113874 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com