The Face-Changers

Jane Whitefield #4

by Thomas Perry

Jane Whitefield, legendary half-Indian shadow guide who spirits hunted people away from certain death, has never had a client like Dr. Richard Dahlman. A famous plastic surgeon who has dedicated his life to healing, the good doctor hasn't a clue why stalkers are out for his blood. But he knows Jane Whitefield's name--and that she is his only hope. Once again Jane performs her magic, leading Dahlman in a nightmare flight across America, only a heartbeat ahead of pursuers whose leader is a dead ringer for a raven-haired beauty who has stolen her name, reputation, and techniques--not to save lives, but to destroy them. . . .

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Audiobook

432 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Thomas Perry was the author of 25 novels. He was born in Tonawanda, New York in 1947. He received a B.A. from Cornell University in 1969 and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Rochester in 1974. He had worked as a park maintenance man, factory laborer, commercial fisherman, university administrator and teacher, and as a writer and producer of prime time network television shows.

Thomas Perry lived in Southern California.

Reviews

[Carol Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am whipping through this series too fast! These novels are the kind of delicious suspense stories that I love, but they are too compelling to savor. After reading the Butcher Boy series and the first half of these, I have to say Mr. Perry is somewhat obsessed with disappearing. I hope he won't!

[Brittany McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was possibly the best book in the series so far.

So many different subplots that came back together.

There were some crazy loose ends tied up.

Thomas Perry was on fire with the importance of ancillary characters. Each character in this book was well done in a way that only a gifted author can bring forth to tell a fully immersive story.

While I think the villains' name was dumb when you found out what was going on, it worked for the rest of the book.

It's a great thriller and development of the overall series plot!

4.5 Stars

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really unusual thriller that I really enjoyed. This is actually the 4th in the series of Jane Whitefield novels -- I'll need to find the others in the series. Jane Whitefield is a legendary half-Indian (Seneca) shadow guide who spirits hunted people away from certain death... In this one she is trying to save the life of a prominent doctor who was framed for the murder of one of his colleagues after performing plastic surgery on a man who disappears. A group of baddies are using Jane's MO to con people into giving up their wealth. I found Jane to be a great protagonist and enjoyed how she uses her native American mentality to stay steps ahead of her pursuers. I would give this one a high recommendation!

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a bit uneven. I didn't buy into the original premise, although the end makes more sense of it. Still, it's a stretch & that didn't help with the rest. Much of it was well done, although the gal reading it has horrible male voices. She's perfect for Jane.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable adventure with Jane Whitefield! Not only does she help people "disappear", she is also a great investigator. Although this story was a bit slow at times and really didn't have the "wow factor" that I so enjoy in an ending, still a well laid out story by Thomas Perry. 6 out of 10.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. It is exciting and different from the usual serial killer/police procedural or legal thriller that i often read.

Jane Whitefield is an Indian "guide" who helps people in danger to disappear. This is the fourth book in the series and Jane has almost met her match. Someone is impersonating her for profit. It is taut and tense and Jane must face danger from every direction.

There are many twists and lots of action for thriller fans. The premise is a little wild but Perry makes it so believable the book hangs together. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Carly Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

So we're back on track with this 4th book in the series because Carey himself asks Jane to lead someone he knows to safety. Even though he'd made her promise to never do so again because it's so dangerous and he wouldn't want to lose her.... well of course his friend is worthy of his wife's life! Maybe Mr. Perry has written Carey as such an unlikable character because then Jane's fans have someone to hate? I don't know, but what I do know is that when Jane is describing this guy to herself and thinking, "Gee, Carey is kinda already like this guy in his habits and mannerisms, I bet he'll be a whole lot like him when he's the same age (mid 60's)" all I was thinking was, gee, this guy sounds like Carey already - you mean Carey isn't a 65 year old man?

All in all another fast paced, great read that I thoroughly enjoyed - I just wish Mr. Perry would explain better why Jane is in love with Carey... Okay, enough harping on my single point of contention! I really enjoyed this book a lot better than the 3rd one, so I'll now be continuing on with the 5th.

[Pammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Number 4-- Now we find Mrs. Jane McKinnon apparently enjoying the downtime aspects of semi-retirement....apparently not applying her shadow guide... apparently staying in agreement with promises made to her hubby.
However, Carey actually begs Jane to help his mentor from medical school and she performs her magic once again.
The part where she gets mentor /Doctor Dahlman out of post op surgery and right out the door of the hospital right with a dozen law enforcement folks standing by stretched her capabilities to fly by her seat and ad lib along the way. Even a "believer" like me was saying..."no way".
Aside from those few lapses in faith on my part, it's another cleverly executed winner from Thomas Perry!

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another delightful Jane Whitefield adventure (#4). Once again she has tried unsuccessfully to be a stay-at-home wife, retired from the business of helping desperate people disappear and escape from their pursuers. Her husband asks her to get back in the game to help the surgeon who was his mentor escape from trumped-up murder charges. In the process, she discovers that someone has been using her name and disappearing techniques in a moneymaking scheme that includes blackmail and murder. This time around she's dealing not only with the bad guys, but with the FBI agent pursuing her.

[Jen Shapiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still like the characters and the premise, but I got lost in this story several times.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Face-Changers by Thomas Perry is the 4th book in the Jane Whitefield thriller series. It was excellent. For the uninitiated, Jane used to be a person who helped people in trouble disappear, providing them with new lives, identities, homes, etc. Jane married a surgeon in her home town and he asked her to give up her career because he was worried about her safety.

Things change when Carey treats his mentor Doctor Dahlman for a gunshot wound. The doctor is suspected of murdering another doctor who worked with him. He asks Carey to help him find Jane Whitefield, not knowing that Jane and Carey are married. Carey asks Jane to help Dahlman escape. This starts a chain of events that turns this into a fascinating chase across the US, as Jane and Dahlman try to avoid people trying to kill him and also avoid the FBI and police who want to capture him.

There are so many neat twists in this story. Who are the Face Changers? Why are they imitating Jane? I'll let you discover how this works out. Jane is a wonderful character, smart, resourceful, matter-of-fact, somewhat mystical. She is a Seneca woman who sees native spirits, has visions. The story progresses at a steady pace. It seems dry at times but it's just the methodical way Jane approaches each situation. There is so much going on and Jane manages to wade into the midst of it and make decisions that will affect her life with Carey, the lives of the runner(s) she's trying to help and also her very life itself. I was pleasantly surprised by this story. It was a pleasure to read. Most enjoyable. (4.5 stars)

[L.G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3 stars

Jane Whitefield has worked as a "guide" for over a decade, helping people in danger disappear. Now she has promised her new husband, Dr. Carey McKinnon, that she will never work again. But then Carey's mentor, a famous plastic surgeon, seeks him out, desperate and pursued, wounded and wanted for murder. Carey asks Jane to perform her dangerous magic one last time. But as Jane tries to save her husband's friend, she uncovers the perverse activities of the Face Changers: Using Jane Whitefield's name, reputation and techniques, they are destroying human lives rather than saving them.

I found Jane to be more likable in this book than in Book #3. I didn't think that the storyline (of the Face-Changer characters) was fully concluded and would have appreciated more detail into the wrapping up of the "bad guys" before the ending of the book. It felt as if 50 pages had been torn out of the manuscript prior to publication.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole "person goes into hiding after something bad" realm usually focuses on the person, or the people searching for them. Perry takes a different angle here and really goes deep on the ones that help someone hide. I didn't realized this was a bit of a series till now, and definitely see myself checking out another of the stories as Jane Whitefield's perspective, skills, thinking and whole persona is what made this story a great read. This is one where it's hard to go into any detail without ruining things a bit, but it's just a really good suspense read that does a good job of keeping the action moving while a lot of the plot is really just 'taking the next clever step' but all the parties involved.

[Douglas Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent thriller with this unique hero. Jane continues to surprise as a character, and the plot for this one is satisfyingly complex and unpredictable in its twists and turns and the challenges thrown at her. The only complaint I have with the book is the same one I've had since the character of her boyfriend now husband Carey was introduced, namely that character. He's bland and boring, and their relationship is not believable. It's impossible to see Jane settling for this guy or that kind of life.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've unintentionally taken a nearly six-year break from this series. This installment has a nice twist: Jane attempted to retire from helping people run, but someone else is pretending to her and scamming desperate would-be clients. The development of the scam and her investigation of it was fun, although the ending felt comparatively rushed.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. But then I love the idea of Jane.

When Jane agreed to be Mrs McKinnon, she pledged to give up her previous life of helping people vanish. Just too dangerous a thing to do if at the end of the day you have a man you love waiting at home for you.

But then, when her husband, Dr. Carey McKinnon begs her to hide Dr Richard Dahlmann, a world renowned surgeon and lecturer and his personal hero, she sees how much the man means to Carey and agrees. Thus begins a journey over several states, to ultimately secure temporary safety for the man Carey cares so much for. On the other hand, Dr Dahlmann is a tough nut, he honestly believes his reputation will save him from the charge of murdering his business partner and fights Jane's efforts. And then there's the connections Jane hasn't used for several years who have died or changed, how much can she trust them now?

When Jane realizes that her identity has been co-opted in her absence from the rescuing game, she knows she has several fronts to fight on and fight she does.

I really enjoyed the spiritual part of Jane's identity, the path she took and the support and love she gives to her husband. It's a bit odd to think of her as a married woman, especially to Carey who seems to incredibly innocent, but it works.

Thoroughly enjoyed the journey and look forward to the next one.

[Sandy Nucelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating character Jane Whitefield. The authors detailed scenes are totally engaging. I have read two in this series and intend to complete by summers end.

[Pattyh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Jane Whitfield series is one of the best you can read. Although this book is written before technology like cell phones etc it is still relevant and full of fascinating twists and turns. Jane helps people disappear and she is a person extremely intelligent and well versed in this type of covert activity
Well done 5 big stars

[Hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars - good read, but uneven flow: sparking, then stalling, then rushing to wrap everything up

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing, overlong and boring. How did this reach 9 installments? Not sure I will make it to book 5.

[Kendall Bortle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best of the series so far omg!!!!!!

[Lisa H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as Shadow Woman, IMO - about halfway through the book, it seemed to become sort of mechanical, less personally involving -- difficult to grasp what Jane's plan was, and care what happened to any of the other characters. Still a fascinating concept, and Perry's got to have a twisty mind to plot out all the pitfalls he puts in Jane's way, and the very ordinary ways she gets out of them (not ordinary in my life, thank goodness, but "ordinary" as in "not requiring superhero skills.")

I really do wonder what Perry's life must have been like at some point - or who he hangs out with when researching his books - to know the kind of realistic details he includes about the underworld Jane travels through at times: because while I'm sure people exist out there who traffic in new identities, and probably some as shady/scary/paranoid as The Face-Changers' "Sid", I'm grateful I will never (I hope) have to do business with them.

[David Freas · Rating 2 out of 5]

It has been several years since I read a book in this series. The last one I read--Blood Money--left me cold for a reason I can't remember. Perhaps I had OD'd on them having read three of them one after the other. I picked this one up on a whim. It was good except for a few small points.
One is Perry's tendency to 'head hop' from one character to another in a chapter, usually at the end but sometimes in the middle. Finding myself suddenly in a new person's head for a few paragraphs after being in a different character's for almost the entire scene took me out of the flow of the story.
The other thing is the ending. We don't really see Jane Whitfield actually resolving the problem that set the novel in motion. We're told it's solved in a sort of 'Oh, yeah, and by the way everything worked out okay' quick exchange of dialog in the last chapter. That dropped the novel from 'I liked it' to 'It was ok' in my opinion.

[Richard Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane has been "retired" for a year when Carey calls on her to help an old friend and mentor who had been accused of murdering a colleague.

A hugely complicated plot, but it all comes together in the end.

A couple of worrisome logical bumps early on — a dead man in the hospital just happens to have a shoe-shine kit amongst his belongings? — the police leave a car unlocked with the keys in the ignition and a loaded shotgun in the rack by the driver's seat? — the FBI are willing to maintain a 24/7 surveillance operation for months at a time to catch a single murder suspect? A bit of EBS (Energizer Bunny Syndrome) comes into play. All forgivable in the end.

Read-aloud #23 for 2015

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane is happily married and has helped no one disappear in a year until a former mentor of her husband, Carey comes needing help. Dr. Dahlmanis accused of killing his partner and several people who helped him operate and change the face of a man who has disappeared. When Jane steps into help, she finds that someone else named Jane is helping people disappear for money. The people disappearing were usually wealthy and had committed some kind of crime. Dahlman does not have a very winning personality, but Jane helps him to solve the crime and keep him safe.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thomas Perry is one of my all-time favorite writers. His non-Jane Whitefield thrillers are among the best. The first three Jane Whitefields are good. This one is just way way too long. By about 100-150 pages too long. There are so many unneeded digressions, so much minute detail, that whatever suspense starts to build is flattened. Just as some people can't see the forest through the trees, you can lose the plot through all the tiny details. The next two Whitefields are about the same length as this one.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this runner series and I wish there was a Jane Whitefield tv series! Well there is in my mind!
This one was not 5 stars because at times I felt it went a little off and unbelievable but still a great story!

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

The least favorite of the Whitefield novels finds a redundant tale of bore. 2 of 10 stars

[Julie Kellner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Totally addicted to the Jane Whitefield series full of action

[Mike Billington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane Whitefield, who once helped people in danger disappear from their enemies, is happily married and has been out of that game for a year - much to the delight (and relief) of her husband who, truth be told, never liked the fact that she was almost constantly exposed to life-threatening situations.
It's perhaps ironic, then, that he is the one who gets her back into it when he begs her to help an old friend and mentor who has been wrongly accused of murder disappear. She agrees even though doing so puts her freedom - and her life - in very real danger as she dodges back and forth across the country while being pursued by a relentless FBI agent and a gang of shadowy killers who have been impersonating her for money.
Author Thomas Perry's novels about Jane - a Seneca woman from Western New York - are all marked by complex plots but in this, his fourth novel featuring her, he has outdone himself. There are double crosses, false friends, loyal allies, and hidden agendas throughout the narrative that make this a great read for those who enjoy three-dimensional stories.
Perry has a real knack for describing the places that Jane and her companions travel to and his strong narrative voice keeps the reader engaged throughout this novel.
The real reason I like this and his other novels about Jane Whitefield, however, is the way he has drawn her. Perry pays attention to his secondary characters, making them more than shadows that exist only for Jane to react to, and his villains are very nicely imagined, but she is the star of his stories because she is both unique and authentic. She is, for example, smart and tough - smart enough and tough enough to know that she is not Superwoman and can't physically defeat bigger, stronger opponents in hand-to-hand combat. She uses her brains, her natural instincts, a deep well of courage, and a strong sense of justice to survive her adventures. That makes her a truly memorable character.
An excellent story and a truly wonderful heroine make this a bona-fide 5-star read.