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Jane Whitefield #9
The Left-Handed Twin
Jane Whitefield helps people disappear. Fearing for their lives, fleeing dangerous situations, her clients come to her when they need to vanish completely—to assume a new identity and establish a new life somewhere they won’t be found. And when people are desperate enough to need her services, they come to the old house in rural western New York where Jane was raised to begin their escape.
It’s there that, one spring night, Jane finds a young woman fresh from LA with a whole lot of trouble behind her. After she cheated on her boyfriend, he dragged her to the home of the offending man and made her watch as he killed him. She testified against the boyfriend, but a bribed jury acquitted him, and now he’s free and trying to find and kill her.
Jane agrees to help, and it soon becomes clear that outsmarting the murderous boyfriend is not beyond Jane’s skills. But the boyfriend has some new members of a Russian organized crime brotherhood. When they learn that Sara is traveling with a tall, dark-haired woman who disappears people, the Russians become increasingly interested in helping the boyfriend find the duo. They’ve heard rumors that such a woman existed—and believe that, if forcibly extracted, the knowledge she has of past clients could be worth millions.
Thus begins a bloodthirsty chase that winds through the cities of the northeast before finally plunging into Maine’s Hundred Mile Wilderness. But in a pursuit where nothing can be trusted, one thing is only one party—Jane or her pursuers—will emerge alive.
It’s there that, one spring night, Jane finds a young woman fresh from LA with a whole lot of trouble behind her. After she cheated on her boyfriend, he dragged her to the home of the offending man and made her watch as he killed him. She testified against the boyfriend, but a bribed jury acquitted him, and now he’s free and trying to find and kill her.
Jane agrees to help, and it soon becomes clear that outsmarting the murderous boyfriend is not beyond Jane’s skills. But the boyfriend has some new members of a Russian organized crime brotherhood. When they learn that Sara is traveling with a tall, dark-haired woman who disappears people, the Russians become increasingly interested in helping the boyfriend find the duo. They’ve heard rumors that such a woman existed—and believe that, if forcibly extracted, the knowledge she has of past clients could be worth millions.
Thus begins a bloodthirsty chase that winds through the cities of the northeast before finally plunging into Maine’s Hundred Mile Wilderness. But in a pursuit where nothing can be trusted, one thing is only one party—Jane or her pursuers—will emerge alive.
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 16, 2021
392 people are currently reading
1296 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Perry
93 books1,707 followersThomas 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.
Thomas Perry lived in Southern California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 465 reviews
January 24, 2022
3.5 The Jane Whitefield series was the one that started me reading Thomas Perry. It has been though, seven years since his last book in this series. Jane, part Seneca, has through the years helped people, vulnerable people, men and women alike, disappear. People such as abused wives, people who testified against someone who now is out to seek revenge and others. In this outing the latter reason applies though Jane's situation is markedly different. Now married she helps very few, her marriage and love for her husband, has her less willing to risk her safety. Though she has been remarkably successful through the years it has not always gone smoothly, and her life has been in question more than once.
Then a friend asks for a favor. Help a young woman who had testified against her boyfriend whom has been found not guilty in a murder and now wants revenge. So once again Jane is off. Soon it becomes apparent that this is not a simple case and her very life may be at risk. I enjoyed her antics on the Appalachian trail where she highlights her very able skill set. That Jane falls into the category of kick-ass heroines is without question and had this ended after that, my rating would have been higher. Sometimes less is more and what comes after is overkill, straining my credibility.
Still, this is an interesting series and one I will continue to read. Fascinating characters and the many reasons people need to disappear are intriguing as is reading about a woman who has such amazing skill sets.
Then a friend asks for a favor. Help a young woman who had testified against her boyfriend whom has been found not guilty in a murder and now wants revenge. So once again Jane is off. Soon it becomes apparent that this is not a simple case and her very life may be at risk. I enjoyed her antics on the Appalachian trail where she highlights her very able skill set. That Jane falls into the category of kick-ass heroines is without question and had this ended after that, my rating would have been higher. Sometimes less is more and what comes after is overkill, straining my credibility.
Still, this is an interesting series and one I will continue to read. Fascinating characters and the many reasons people need to disappear are intriguing as is reading about a woman who has such amazing skill sets.
March 14, 2022
Author Perry has delivered much better than this less than average effort for him. An all out assault against our heroine with a mediocre end. 4 of 10 stars
November 23, 2021
I have a number of questions, but first and foremost, how is this the 9th (NINTH!) book in a series? How is anyone enjoying one of these enough to read 8 more? I am truly shocked. Also, this book reads as a potential standalone so I was flummoxed when I looked at Goodreads and saw this was #9 in the Jane Whitefield series.
Anyway, moving on from that. I’ve never done this before, but I feel this book warrants it. Let’s break down this down a bit.
Writing: I have never highlighted so many passages in a book for being straight up ridiculous. I felt like I was reading a transcript of someone’s day - we get every minute and mundane detail of Jane’s planning and thought processes, and every other characters’ every move, but it doesn’t eventually build to anything terribly exciting. For example, “Magda went to the rear door and sat in the back seat, but slid over to let Albert get in beside her. Albert had assumed she would sit in front beside Yevgeny.” These sentences add nothing to the book and could’ve easily been removed with no effect to the book. Where is the editor and why are they not picking up on these literal pages of fluff? The book also attempts to be deep beyond its abilities, for example in this strange metaphor about a romantic relationship being like Adam and Eve: “You just have to not let the snake in. Over time you would get even happier and love each other more and more until you died. The problem is that the snake was there at the beginning. The snake is you.” Blarhhhhh. Sentence structure, tense, and word choice all need help. Or here, where the author contradicts himself: “his compositions had been compared to the work of classical composers and to the most pure and time-burnished old folk ballads and been called ‘incomparable’”…Soooo I’m being made to read descriptions of what this persons work is being compared to, but then being told it was called “incomparable”. Was it compared, or was it incomparable?? Again, WHERE is the editor??? Someone should be picking this stuff up, it’s child’s play. My largest gripe was that the author writes about things they clearly know nothing about in excruciating detail, making it that much more clear that they have no clue what they’re writing about. This becomes clear when Anne goes on for literal pages about her lavish LA lifestyle of everyday partying…here’s one line that will show you what I mean: “people, many of them dressed in expensive, fashionable clothes”…if the people are dressed fashionably and you can tell their clothes are expensive, DESCRIBE THEM TO ME so I believe it! Anne was supposed to have spent years of her life partying in LA, but her descriptions of LA parties were so ridiculous (because of the way the author wrote them) that it negatively affected her credibility as a character.
Characters: Flat and uninteresting. The idea of Jane is more enticing than Jane herself. The other characters were the same. Magda had promise and I liked that she had her code of honor that she lived by, but ultimately the characters just did not bring this story to life because the writing and dialogue dragged them down.
Dialogue: Major issues here. Especially Jane, which is related to her character altogether. She was clearly meant to be quite blunt, and that’s fine if it’s pulled off properly. But it wasn’t. For example, Jane says at one point “I should have been smarter about people”. What? Is that even a sentence? Smarter about people? Jane also had a habit of saying “that’s true” at bizarre and inappropriate times, for example when she’s having a dream-conversation with one of her runners who ended up dead: “it’s just lucky you only got me killed and not both of us” “that’s true” like what? That’s a totally unrealistic way of responding. Overall, the dialogue was overpowering (seriously, sometimes just WALLS of text, page after page of nonstop monologues and dialogues. I was out of breath just reading them in my head!)
Relationships: Jane’s relationship with her husband (among others) is extremely strange, and the ending is highly confusing given that I was convinced she was in her 40s? Basically the poor writing puts the credibility of all the characters and their relationships into question.
You may think I’m being harsh, but I honestly think the editor did the author a major disservice here. The book could’ve been half as long and way more impactful with some serious edits.
Overall, 2/5 because I think the storyline and plot had promise if the writing had some major tweaks. Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review, sorry it isn’t a better one.
Anyway, moving on from that. I’ve never done this before, but I feel this book warrants it. Let’s break down this down a bit.
Writing: I have never highlighted so many passages in a book for being straight up ridiculous. I felt like I was reading a transcript of someone’s day - we get every minute and mundane detail of Jane’s planning and thought processes, and every other characters’ every move, but it doesn’t eventually build to anything terribly exciting. For example, “Magda went to the rear door and sat in the back seat, but slid over to let Albert get in beside her. Albert had assumed she would sit in front beside Yevgeny.” These sentences add nothing to the book and could’ve easily been removed with no effect to the book. Where is the editor and why are they not picking up on these literal pages of fluff? The book also attempts to be deep beyond its abilities, for example in this strange metaphor about a romantic relationship being like Adam and Eve: “You just have to not let the snake in. Over time you would get even happier and love each other more and more until you died. The problem is that the snake was there at the beginning. The snake is you.” Blarhhhhh. Sentence structure, tense, and word choice all need help. Or here, where the author contradicts himself: “his compositions had been compared to the work of classical composers and to the most pure and time-burnished old folk ballads and been called ‘incomparable’”…Soooo I’m being made to read descriptions of what this persons work is being compared to, but then being told it was called “incomparable”. Was it compared, or was it incomparable?? Again, WHERE is the editor??? Someone should be picking this stuff up, it’s child’s play. My largest gripe was that the author writes about things they clearly know nothing about in excruciating detail, making it that much more clear that they have no clue what they’re writing about. This becomes clear when Anne goes on for literal pages about her lavish LA lifestyle of everyday partying…here’s one line that will show you what I mean: “people, many of them dressed in expensive, fashionable clothes”…if the people are dressed fashionably and you can tell their clothes are expensive, DESCRIBE THEM TO ME so I believe it! Anne was supposed to have spent years of her life partying in LA, but her descriptions of LA parties were so ridiculous (because of the way the author wrote them) that it negatively affected her credibility as a character.
Characters: Flat and uninteresting. The idea of Jane is more enticing than Jane herself. The other characters were the same. Magda had promise and I liked that she had her code of honor that she lived by, but ultimately the characters just did not bring this story to life because the writing and dialogue dragged them down.
Dialogue: Major issues here. Especially Jane, which is related to her character altogether. She was clearly meant to be quite blunt, and that’s fine if it’s pulled off properly. But it wasn’t. For example, Jane says at one point “I should have been smarter about people”. What? Is that even a sentence? Smarter about people? Jane also had a habit of saying “that’s true” at bizarre and inappropriate times, for example when she’s having a dream-conversation with one of her runners who ended up dead: “it’s just lucky you only got me killed and not both of us” “that’s true” like what? That’s a totally unrealistic way of responding. Overall, the dialogue was overpowering (seriously, sometimes just WALLS of text, page after page of nonstop monologues and dialogues. I was out of breath just reading them in my head!)
Relationships: Jane’s relationship with her husband (among others) is extremely strange, and the ending is highly confusing given that I was convinced she was in her 40s? Basically the poor writing puts the credibility of all the characters and their relationships into question.
You may think I’m being harsh, but I honestly think the editor did the author a major disservice here. The book could’ve been half as long and way more impactful with some serious edits.
Overall, 2/5 because I think the storyline and plot had promise if the writing had some major tweaks. Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review, sorry it isn’t a better one.
Read
September 6, 2022The Hook - Several years ago I read a few of the Jane Whitefield series. It originally appealed to me on two levels, first that the character would help persons living with violence, domestic or otherwise, who needed to disappear to survive, secondly that Jane, a Native American, would share her culture, through history and lore in its pages.
The title, The Left-Handed Twin, book 9, with it's significance, caught my eye and I decided on the spot to listen even though it was out of order. No matter. It worked well as a standalone with the background I had.
The Line - ”Waste was incompatible with gratitude."
The Sinker - As expected, Jane Whitefield hits the ground running when she visits her original homestead, not the one she shares with her surgeon husband. Finding what could be an intruder, one that could possibly be an enemy sent to do her harm, Jane cautiously interrogates the young woman as to who sent her and for what purpose. A bit reluctant at first to help this woman disappear, Jane is soon wholly on board. Fast paced as always. Joyce Bean confidently narrates the professional Jane Whitefield as you'd expect her to be. Bean's voice is able to change the timbre of Jane's client, Sara, to bring that character to life realistically.
Overall a fair addition to the series. Some think this could be the last in the series. This is not the impression I was left with.
The title, The Left-Handed Twin, book 9, with it's significance, caught my eye and I decided on the spot to listen even though it was out of order. No matter. It worked well as a standalone with the background I had.
The Line - ”Waste was incompatible with gratitude."
The Sinker - As expected, Jane Whitefield hits the ground running when she visits her original homestead, not the one she shares with her surgeon husband. Finding what could be an intruder, one that could possibly be an enemy sent to do her harm, Jane cautiously interrogates the young woman as to who sent her and for what purpose. A bit reluctant at first to help this woman disappear, Jane is soon wholly on board. Fast paced as always. Joyce Bean confidently narrates the professional Jane Whitefield as you'd expect her to be. Bean's voice is able to change the timbre of Jane's client, Sara, to bring that character to life realistically.
Overall a fair addition to the series. Some think this could be the last in the series. This is not the impression I was left with.
October 11, 2021
I jumped into this series at the ninth book. I have not read any of the previous books in the series, nor have I read anything else the author has written. This could be read as a standalone, but I think it would be better to read the series in order. As a first time reader of this one, I was a bit regretful that I'd not read the previous books to give some kind of context for the way Jane acts the way she does. She's a guide, helping people disappear (said people are called 'runners').
We open with Jane driving to her original family home from the home she shares with her surgeon husband, and it seems every piece of road she travels is explained to us. If you're a regular reader of my reviews, you'll know that a pet peeve of mine is overly detailed descriptions of where the characters are traveling, what roads they're taking, if they turn off any side roads, and so forth. There is a TON of this in this book. Once Jane gets what she needs, she heads home.
Jane travels again to what is basically her safe house and finds a young woman there. She'd slept with someone other than her boyfriend Albert. Albert drags her along and shoots the man dead in front of her. Albert is arrested and Sara is advised to testify against him. Inexplicably, Albert beats the charge and starts his pursuit of Sara. When his efforts to find and kill her are fruitless, he turns to a friend of his for some suggestions about how to go about catching her. Said friend introduces him to the Russian mafia - and they want Albert to join them in hunting - not Sara, however. They want Jane. If they happen to find Sara, he can do what he wants with he, but the primary mission is to find and kidnap Jane so she can be sold o the highest bidder.
It's at this point the story really gets moving: a cat and mouse game between Jane (trying to find a place where Sara (now Anne) can call home) and the Russians (local crews trying to track them down). Eventually, we wind up with Jane on the most dangerous portion of the Appalachian Trail.
Issue: Jane, it is said, has conducted over a hundred escapes. Yet it didn't occur to her that maybe the bad guys keep catching up because of a GPS tracking device, a lojack tied to the battery, or Onstar? Her plan also has a hole in it that I won't detail here, and on the Trail, it takes her quite a bit of time to start playing offense versus defense.
Eventually, we wind up back at Jane's safe house, where we get to see a very inventive solution to an almost impossible problem.
Issue: the writing. Repetitive, often stilted, and a lot of short, declarative sentences: Jane went to Target. Jane bought x, y, and z. Jane spread out he poncho. Jane fell asleep. Jane ate (food). Jane urinated. It really had a "See Spot run" to it.
Issue: we don't get much about the runner in this one. We do get quite a lot about Albert.All we really know is that she went to a lot of parties the the elite A listers attended. I won't ding the book for that, as the blurb for it suggests that the focus should all be on Jane.
Overall: three out of five stars.
Thanks to Mysterious Press an NetGalley for the reading copy.
We open with Jane driving to her original family home from the home she shares with her surgeon husband, and it seems every piece of road she travels is explained to us. If you're a regular reader of my reviews, you'll know that a pet peeve of mine is overly detailed descriptions of where the characters are traveling, what roads they're taking, if they turn off any side roads, and so forth. There is a TON of this in this book. Once Jane gets what she needs, she heads home.
Jane travels again to what is basically her safe house and finds a young woman there. She'd slept with someone other than her boyfriend Albert. Albert drags her along and shoots the man dead in front of her. Albert is arrested and Sara is advised to testify against him. Inexplicably, Albert beats the charge and starts his pursuit of Sara. When his efforts to find and kill her are fruitless, he turns to a friend of his for some suggestions about how to go about catching her. Said friend introduces him to the Russian mafia - and they want Albert to join them in hunting - not Sara, however. They want Jane. If they happen to find Sara, he can do what he wants with he, but the primary mission is to find and kidnap Jane so she can be sold o the highest bidder.
It's at this point the story really gets moving: a cat and mouse game between Jane (trying to find a place where Sara (now Anne) can call home) and the Russians (local crews trying to track them down). Eventually, we wind up with Jane on the most dangerous portion of the Appalachian Trail.
Issue: Jane, it is said, has conducted over a hundred escapes. Yet it didn't occur to her that maybe the bad guys keep catching up because of a GPS tracking device, a lojack tied to the battery, or Onstar? Her plan also has a hole in it that I won't detail here, and on the Trail, it takes her quite a bit of time to start playing offense versus defense.
Eventually, we wind up back at Jane's safe house, where we get to see a very inventive solution to an almost impossible problem.
Issue: the writing. Repetitive, often stilted, and a lot of short, declarative sentences: Jane went to Target. Jane bought x, y, and z. Jane spread out he poncho. Jane fell asleep. Jane ate (food). Jane urinated. It really had a "See Spot run" to it.
Issue: we don't get much about the runner in this one. We do get quite a lot about Albert.All we really know is that she went to a lot of parties the the elite A listers attended. I won't ding the book for that, as the blurb for it suggests that the focus should all be on Jane.
Overall: three out of five stars.
Thanks to Mysterious Press an NetGalley for the reading copy.
November 16, 2021
Jane Whitefield is a rescue specialist. She's the go-to person for people who want to disappear for a variety of reasons .... to escape an abusive relationship ... a dysfunctional family .. escaping before they are killed. Jane helps them vanish entirely ... furnishing new identities and establishing residence in far away places.
A knock on the door one night reveals a young woman fearful for her life. She cheated on her boyfriend, and when he found out he did the unthinkable. He dragged her to the home of the man and made her watch as the boyfriend murdered the man who dared to touch his girlfriend. She testified against the boyfriend, but a bribed jury acquitted him, and now he’s free and trying to find and kill her.
She agrees to help the young woman, but there's a problem. Not only is her ex-boyfriend looking for her, his new friends are members of a Russian organized crime organization who also are looking for Jane. Her knowledge of past clients could be worth a lot of money .. and they want as much as they can get.
BOOK BLURB: Thus begins a bloodthirsty chase that winds through the cities of the northeast before finally plunging into Maine’s Hundred Mile Wilderness. But in a pursuit where nothing can be trusted, one thing is certain: only one party—Jane or her pursuers—will emerge alive.
As are all the books in this series, this is well - written, action-packed, and a real page turner. Whitefield is a great character that brings depth to the exciting story line. Although 9th in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone.
Many thanks to the author / Mysterious Press / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
A knock on the door one night reveals a young woman fearful for her life. She cheated on her boyfriend, and when he found out he did the unthinkable. He dragged her to the home of the man and made her watch as the boyfriend murdered the man who dared to touch his girlfriend. She testified against the boyfriend, but a bribed jury acquitted him, and now he’s free and trying to find and kill her.
She agrees to help the young woman, but there's a problem. Not only is her ex-boyfriend looking for her, his new friends are members of a Russian organized crime organization who also are looking for Jane. Her knowledge of past clients could be worth a lot of money .. and they want as much as they can get.
BOOK BLURB: Thus begins a bloodthirsty chase that winds through the cities of the northeast before finally plunging into Maine’s Hundred Mile Wilderness. But in a pursuit where nothing can be trusted, one thing is certain: only one party—Jane or her pursuers—will emerge alive.
As are all the books in this series, this is well - written, action-packed, and a real page turner. Whitefield is a great character that brings depth to the exciting story line. Although 9th in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone.
Many thanks to the author / Mysterious Press / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
November 21, 2021
Protection, untraceable, hunted, discovered
“The Left-Handed Twin” is part of the “Jane Whitefield” series, but as a new reader, I had no trouble following the compelling and unusual narrative. This is Jane’s story in her voice. Jane McKinnon is married to Carey McKinnon, MD, Buffalo General Hospital; for the thirty years before that, she was Jane Whitefield, and occasionally, she is again. Jane Whitefield is a fixer, a solver of problems for those who have no one else. She provides protection that is private, focused, and untraceable. She helps people disappear; she takes the endangered out of existence and gives them a second chance at life. New name, new face, new everything, Jane has the connections to make it happen seamlessly.
The tone of Jane’s narrative is all-knowing, all observing, and ever on guard. She is confident, disciplined, and intense, suspicious of everyone and everything. She is prepared and focused on the end game. The plot is dominated by Jane’s mindset, planning, evaluating, and acting. There is very little conversation.
Readers are also taken into the other half of the story, given a different perspective of the same events, because with any escape, also has the hunters, the vengeful, the rich, the dangerous, the enemies. They were tied to that other person, the person who is now “gone,” thanks to Jane.
“The Left-Handed Twin” is really three intertwined stories, Jane and her husband, Jane and her work, and Jane and her enemies, separate yet connected with problems and complications that must be resolved. I received a review copy of “The Left-Handed Twin” from Thomas Perry and Mysterious Press. I now wonder about that “previous” Jane did; I will have to go back to the other eight books to find out.
“The Left-Handed Twin” is part of the “Jane Whitefield” series, but as a new reader, I had no trouble following the compelling and unusual narrative. This is Jane’s story in her voice. Jane McKinnon is married to Carey McKinnon, MD, Buffalo General Hospital; for the thirty years before that, she was Jane Whitefield, and occasionally, she is again. Jane Whitefield is a fixer, a solver of problems for those who have no one else. She provides protection that is private, focused, and untraceable. She helps people disappear; she takes the endangered out of existence and gives them a second chance at life. New name, new face, new everything, Jane has the connections to make it happen seamlessly.
The tone of Jane’s narrative is all-knowing, all observing, and ever on guard. She is confident, disciplined, and intense, suspicious of everyone and everything. She is prepared and focused on the end game. The plot is dominated by Jane’s mindset, planning, evaluating, and acting. There is very little conversation.
Readers are also taken into the other half of the story, given a different perspective of the same events, because with any escape, also has the hunters, the vengeful, the rich, the dangerous, the enemies. They were tied to that other person, the person who is now “gone,” thanks to Jane.
“The Left-Handed Twin” is really three intertwined stories, Jane and her husband, Jane and her work, and Jane and her enemies, separate yet connected with problems and complications that must be resolved. I received a review copy of “The Left-Handed Twin” from Thomas Perry and Mysterious Press. I now wonder about that “previous” Jane did; I will have to go back to the other eight books to find out.
September 25, 2021
Thank you W W Norton and Net Galley for Advanced Reader Copy that allowed me to read the latest book featuring one of my favorite characters, Jane Whitefield. I could not put the book down once started as it delivers masterfully created plotting along with extreme action as one expects from Jane on one of her missions. We visit California, Boston and get to spend time on the northern reaches of the Appalachian Trail where Jane's wilderness skills are put to the test. There are some very determined Russian criminals who want to see Jane captured and/or dead.
Fantastic read!
Fantastic read!
July 30, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Perry for the opportunity to read and review "The Left-Handed Twin" from W. W. Norton & Company. This is the latest in the Jane Whitefield stories and the most fraught with danger.
Having read a number of the other books - and fully intending to read all those I've missed - I was eager to read the latest, and happy with NetGalley's and the publisher's approval for the opportunity.
Jane is happy with her husband and her life, but when she makes a trip to her 'safe house' to check on things, she is startled to find an intruder - someone who has been sent to her by one of her legal contacts because she needs to disappear or be in danger of death.
Against all odds, her boyfriend - who was charged with murdering a man that she cheated on him with, in her presence - has been acquitted of the murder and has set out to wreak his revenge on her. But when Jane successfully helps her disappear, the ex- teams up with a Russian mobster with a vendetta against 'the woman who makes people disappear'.
And this begins a frantic chase along the worst part of the Appalachian Trail - the Hundred Mile Wilderness of Maine; Jane is being pursued by the Russian mob, and it will take all of her skill to come out of this alive. But when she is finally captured, beaten, tortured and threatened with death, all alone Jane resorts to the ultimate means of escape.
This is possibly one of the best in the series, and highly recommended.
Having read a number of the other books - and fully intending to read all those I've missed - I was eager to read the latest, and happy with NetGalley's and the publisher's approval for the opportunity.
Jane is happy with her husband and her life, but when she makes a trip to her 'safe house' to check on things, she is startled to find an intruder - someone who has been sent to her by one of her legal contacts because she needs to disappear or be in danger of death.
Against all odds, her boyfriend - who was charged with murdering a man that she cheated on him with, in her presence - has been acquitted of the murder and has set out to wreak his revenge on her. But when Jane successfully helps her disappear, the ex- teams up with a Russian mobster with a vendetta against 'the woman who makes people disappear'.
And this begins a frantic chase along the worst part of the Appalachian Trail - the Hundred Mile Wilderness of Maine; Jane is being pursued by the Russian mob, and it will take all of her skill to come out of this alive. But when she is finally captured, beaten, tortured and threatened with death, all alone Jane resorts to the ultimate means of escape.
This is possibly one of the best in the series, and highly recommended.
May 19, 2022
I tried to read this, but Jane is not my favorite character & this was just too much of the same thing that's been done in 8 previous books. I took a break, read a different book & came back to this one. Then i took another break & finally decided I'm not going to bother with it. Too many books, too little time left.
April 13, 2025
While I am glad that Thomas Perry came back to give us an end to Jane Whitefield, I always thought that once everything was over, they would get new identities and start new lives to be safe.
I'm glad that Jane got the main thing she was wishing for.
I like this one, but I kept waiting for there to be more, especially when Sara was somewhat of a suspect; that would have been awesomely diabolical.
I will miss Jane, but continuing the series would only end in her eventual death.
4 Stars
I'm glad that Jane got the main thing she was wishing for.
I like this one, but I kept waiting for there to be more, especially when Sara was somewhat of a suspect; that would have been awesomely diabolical.
I will miss Jane, but continuing the series would only end in her eventual death.
4 Stars
March 22, 2022
I'm not deeply disappointed in The Left-Handed Twin, because my expectations for Thomas Perry novels are no longer very high. After I finish one, I tell myself "This is the last one I'll read," but it turns out I'm a sucker for novels about how people get out of dangerous situations and how they get "disappeared" from one life into another. Perry is a wooden writer - he writes serviceable sentences that adequately communicate the action going on, but he's a huge fan of nouns and verbs and generally a stranger to adjectives. You'll know in great detail what a character is doing, but you won't see it written in any beautiful use of the English language. Great detail? Let me illustrate: in a sentence late in the book Perry writes "He put his room key card on the dresser, went to the door, and stepped outside." I found myself yelling to my husband that I didn't care where he put that damn room key card - it's a detail that's totally immaterial to the story, neither enhances it or advances it. Perry's writing is typically full of that kind of mundane, unnecessary, and boring detail. What I've said so far applies to any Thomas Perry novel, but now it's time to talk about the elephants in the room for this novel. The Big Hole in this story (and I don't think it's quite a spoiler) is Jane not changing her own distinctive appearance - she roams all over New England with the young woman she's disappearing whose appearance Jane HAS arranged to be altered. The baddies are circulating photos of the pair, and yet Jane doesn't do anything to change her own appearance. What was Perry thinking?! That's the big hole, but I was also deeply disturbed about the murder of a woman who briefly helps Jane. There's considerable text in the book about why Jane helps people disappear, essentially they're not evil and haven't done anything bad enough to justify them being murdered by their pursuers. Jane doesn't waste a thought on the death of this helpful woman, and I consider that a real failure on the part of the author. I've always loved the Jane Whitefield character, but I hope that Perry has written his last Whitefield novel because he hasn't done Jane any favors in this one.
July 22, 2021
3.75 stars
I was thrilled to see that there was an ARC available for this next book in the Jane Whitefield series. I have read every book so far - I think there have been 8 previous books - and I have even read the standalones by Mr. Perry. He has not disappointed me yet.
With that being said, this was a different book. From the beginning, it was like there was a different feel, almost a different flow to this book. Jane seemed...well, ..... just "off". I'm really not sure how else to say it. One of the things we learn VERY quickly in this series is that Jane is EXTREMELY good at what she does. What she does is "take people out of the world" and boy oh boy does she have a lot of experience doing it. There is never a "textbook" case and things always seem to go sideways just at the wrong time. But, even with all of the unexpected emergencies, she is always prepared, always one step ahead of the bad guys. Normally.
Without going into spoilers, I never really felt like there was a rhythm to this story. The flow was more of fits and starts. The bad guys, well something about that didn't gel either and Jane just seemed to be off of her game (I know I said that before but it is just so unusual it warrants another mention.) There are similarities to a previous book and long time readers will see that immediately. That is not a bad thing, just an observation.
I think the thing that left me the most unsettled was the ending. The circle is not really closed. I mean, it sort of is, but not in a way that leaves the reader (and that would be me) with the type of closure we have come to expect. Because of that, when we get a wonderful piece of news, I couldn't help but have my first thought be..."uh oh, the timing on this is not great..."
Would I recommend this book? Of course. Even when Mr. Perry is not at the top of his game, he is still loads above most authors. Part of me is nervous about what is to come, the other part of me can not wait. Not too many authors can make me feel this way :)
I was thrilled to see that there was an ARC available for this next book in the Jane Whitefield series. I have read every book so far - I think there have been 8 previous books - and I have even read the standalones by Mr. Perry. He has not disappointed me yet.
With that being said, this was a different book. From the beginning, it was like there was a different feel, almost a different flow to this book. Jane seemed...well, ..... just "off". I'm really not sure how else to say it. One of the things we learn VERY quickly in this series is that Jane is EXTREMELY good at what she does. What she does is "take people out of the world" and boy oh boy does she have a lot of experience doing it. There is never a "textbook" case and things always seem to go sideways just at the wrong time. But, even with all of the unexpected emergencies, she is always prepared, always one step ahead of the bad guys. Normally.
Without going into spoilers, I never really felt like there was a rhythm to this story. The flow was more of fits and starts. The bad guys, well something about that didn't gel either and Jane just seemed to be off of her game (I know I said that before but it is just so unusual it warrants another mention.) There are similarities to a previous book and long time readers will see that immediately. That is not a bad thing, just an observation.
I think the thing that left me the most unsettled was the ending. The circle is not really closed. I mean, it sort of is, but not in a way that leaves the reader (and that would be me) with the type of closure we have come to expect. Because of that, when we get a wonderful piece of news, I couldn't help but have my first thought be..."uh oh, the timing on this is not great..."
Would I recommend this book? Of course. Even when Mr. Perry is not at the top of his game, he is still loads above most authors. Part of me is nervous about what is to come, the other part of me can not wait. Not too many authors can make me feel this way :)
January 18, 2022
Jane vs. the братва́*
Review of the Highbridge Audio audiobook edition (January 11, 2022) of the original Mysterious Press hardcover (November 16, 2021)
The Left-Handed Twin marks the return of Thomas Perry's most unique protagonist, Jane Whitefield, after an absence of 7+ years since A String of Beads (2014). After that length of time, fans would have imagined the character to have been retired, a plot point that actually suited her fictional arc of domesticity with her husband Dr. Carey McKinnon.
Whitefield is a citizen vigilante, but not the sort that seeks vengeance or justice on behalf of innocents. Instead she is in the underground world of assisting those victims or potential victims to hide from their pursuers. This enters the world of false identities and false documentation and often fatal self-defense, which makes Whitefield just as much of a criminal as actual villains in the eyes of the authorities.
The Left-Handed Twin doesn't miss a beat and there is no sense of the character having aged 7+ years in the interim. She is again called upon to assist a potential victim by someone from her network of past clients. The time-gap in the publishing world does require author Perry to give a greater degree of back story to Jane's previous cases, which would be spoilers if you haven't read them already. The case from Vanishing Act (Jane Whitefield #1) (1995) is described the most.
The new foes are the most dangerous yet, as the pursuer enlists the aid of Russian organized crime in America to hunt down a person who testified against them in court. The Bratva see this as an opportunity for financial gain if they can sell Whitefield's knowledge of all her past clients who are under her own personal "witness protection." The final showdown is the most harrowing of Whitefield's ordeals that I've ever read.
Trivia and Links
* Bratva (Russian for Brotherhood, a nickname for international Russian organized crime)
Favourite Jane Whitefield dialogue:
Review of the Highbridge Audio audiobook edition (January 11, 2022) of the original Mysterious Press hardcover (November 16, 2021)
While the religious system of the Iroquois taught the existence of the Great Spirit Ha-wen-ne-yu, it also recognized the personal existence of an Evil Spirit, Ha-ne-go-ate-geh, the Evil-minded. According to the legend of their finite origin, they were brothers, born at the same birth, and destined to an endless existence. - Lewis H. Morgan, League of the Ho-De-No-Sau-Nee or Iroquois (1851) (used as the epigraph for The Left-Handed Twin)
The Left-Handed Twin marks the return of Thomas Perry's most unique protagonist, Jane Whitefield, after an absence of 7+ years since A String of Beads (2014). After that length of time, fans would have imagined the character to have been retired, a plot point that actually suited her fictional arc of domesticity with her husband Dr. Carey McKinnon.
Whitefield is a citizen vigilante, but not the sort that seeks vengeance or justice on behalf of innocents. Instead she is in the underground world of assisting those victims or potential victims to hide from their pursuers. This enters the world of false identities and false documentation and often fatal self-defense, which makes Whitefield just as much of a criminal as actual villains in the eyes of the authorities.
"I’ve been taking people away from the messes they’ve made of their lives for a long time. Everybody who has come to me had somebody who wanted to kill him. Most of those killers are still out there looking. What most are looking for right now is the person who took their victim away. So the most dangerous thing you’ve done so far is to come near me. Before anything else happens, take time to think about that. I’m going to put some money on the table. If you decide to leave before I come back tomorrow, keep it. If you’re still here we’ll start making plans." - excerpt from The Left-Handed Twin (Jane Whitefield #9) (2021)
The Left-Handed Twin doesn't miss a beat and there is no sense of the character having aged 7+ years in the interim. She is again called upon to assist a potential victim by someone from her network of past clients. The time-gap in the publishing world does require author Perry to give a greater degree of back story to Jane's previous cases, which would be spoilers if you haven't read them already. The case from Vanishing Act (Jane Whitefield #1) (1995) is described the most.
The new foes are the most dangerous yet, as the pursuer enlists the aid of Russian organized crime in America to hunt down a person who testified against them in court. The Bratva see this as an opportunity for financial gain if they can sell Whitefield's knowledge of all her past clients who are under her own personal "witness protection." The final showdown is the most harrowing of Whitefield's ordeals that I've ever read.
Trivia and Links
* Bratva (Russian for Brotherhood, a nickname for international Russian organized crime)
Favourite Jane Whitefield dialogue:
She shrugged. "I'm not saying you're in the best possible position, but there are worse."
"What's worse than being chased by professional killers?"
She thought for a moment. "I guess the worst is if you've committed some really awful crime and people know about it."
"What would you do for a person like that?"
"Nothing," she said. - excerpt from Shadow Woman (Jane Whitefield #3)
April 30, 2023
I was thrilled when I got this copy from goodreads giveaway. (I know they probably wanted me to read last month but it was holidays and busy time)
But maybe the average person would not make it 5 stars, it is readable and can understand the backstory without reading the previous Jane books but my only complaint is, for us "jane" fans, this books spent a lot of time on her past.
BUT---the story was great, I love the chase scenes in cars and by foot, I play it out all in my head.
This character would make a great tv series-PLEASE someone make that happen.
until then maybe the author can not retire her just yet but I did love this ending!
I recommend all Thomas Perry books that I have read. I give them all 4-5 stars and I keep these books-no donating because I have read some more than once.
Thank you for the book
But maybe the average person would not make it 5 stars, it is readable and can understand the backstory without reading the previous Jane books but my only complaint is, for us "jane" fans, this books spent a lot of time on her past.
BUT---the story was great, I love the chase scenes in cars and by foot, I play it out all in my head.
This character would make a great tv series-PLEASE someone make that happen.
until then maybe the author can not retire her just yet but I did love this ending!
I recommend all Thomas Perry books that I have read. I give them all 4-5 stars and I keep these books-no donating because I have read some more than once.
Thank you for the book
July 14, 2022
3.5 stars. I have thoroughly enjoyed the eight previous Jane Whitefield books, but this latest one just felt a bit lacking as to the exciting plotting and excellent writing in the other books. Perry still does write so good from the female protagonist point of view so I will continue to read him in the future.
July 31, 2023
Mmmmm, the author slipped a little on my female heroine-Jane Whitefield, with an awful plot- Russian assassin’s, the Appalachian Trail, the poor “runner” and above all- just disappointed with the writing!
October 2, 2021
Thank you to netgalley, W.W. Norton & Co and Thomas Perry for the ARC of The Left-Handed Twin to read, enjoy and review. And thank you to Thomas Perry for bringing Jane Whitefield back! The books featuring Jane are possibly my favorite series, but I never turn down any Thomas Perry book. I find Jane fascinating, such an interesting woman. Jane helps people disappear. People on the run from the mob, a stalker, an abusive partner. In this book she finds out that she is the one who needs to disappear and that is where the tension ramps up. I could not believe how anxious I got while reading the second half of this book. I’d pick it up and read 2 pages and then put it down. I wasn’t sure if it was because I didn’t want the book to end or because I didn’t want to know what was going to happen to Jane. What a thrilling ride! I may need to reread all the Jane Whitefield books, just to fall in love with reading a great story again.
December 15, 2021
While this is not a perfect book by any means, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love that Thomas Perry has made Jane Whitefield such a brilliant heroine, capable of taking on multiple bad guys single-handedly a la Jack Reacher but with more finesse. I also enjoy the way he brings in Jane’s Native culture.
This book pits Jane against Russian mobsters who decide they want her more than they want the young woman she is trying to help escape from the ex-boyfriend who wants to kill her. They think capturing and torturing Jane would be lucrative since she presumably could be coerced into revealing the new identities of people she has helped disappear. Much of the chase takes place in the Maine wilderness and is reminiscent of an earlier book in the series. (Get some tips for your next backcountry adventure!) The most suspenseful part is set in Jane’s childhood home, but I can’t say more without revealing too much.
This book pits Jane against Russian mobsters who decide they want her more than they want the young woman she is trying to help escape from the ex-boyfriend who wants to kill her. They think capturing and torturing Jane would be lucrative since she presumably could be coerced into revealing the new identities of people she has helped disappear. Much of the chase takes place in the Maine wilderness and is reminiscent of an earlier book in the series. (Get some tips for your next backcountry adventure!) The most suspenseful part is set in Jane’s childhood home, but I can’t say more without revealing too much.
February 16, 2022
I was disappointed in the book. I thought the ending was terrible. The beginning was slow. The middle was OK. There is a skill to writing a book series. Each book has to have enough details that if you are reading the 8th book first, you are at home with the characters. At the same time, your faithful readers can't have so much material repeated as to become boring. Thomas Perry didn't get it right and bored me. I knew 75% of the first 100 pages before I opened the book. I am still not certain the point of Jane Whitefield getting married was. Her husband has had little to do with the books. I have read nearly every book that Thomas Perry has written. Sometimes they are great (though not often enough) and sometimes they are very poor. This one wasn't a good one.
January 18, 2022
Loved the premise (Jane is an expert at 'hiding' people who need to escape abusers, murderers, the Mob, etc.) but this book didn't hold my interest. There's way too much telling and not enough showing. On top of that, the telling is full of boring minutiae that add nothing to the plot. The character of the 'runner' isn't developed at all; the dialogue is wooden; the bad guys have amazing resources in the hunt for Jane and the runner; Jane isn't particularly likeable...and on and on. I'll stop there, wondering why I'm giving this 2 stars.
November 9, 2021
After a long break, Jane is back- and now she has to save herself. Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier books in this stellar series because Perry does a great job of weaving in the backstory of Jane, who helps people disappear. She's got a good life with her husband Carey, a physician, but she's always on tenterhooks, waiting for the next person to come along. In this case, it's Sara, who testified against her scummy boyfriend who was subsequently found not guilty of murder. What neither of them could have predicted is that he would go to a Russian gangster for help finding her or the reach of the Russian network. Jane finds herself going off the grid on the Appalachian trail while being pursued by four well trained men. If some of it seems a bit implausible, well, it's not (although Jane' skills with fishhooks and line are...). It's a well paced page turner with some twists and surprises. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. And then there's the ending.....
March 25, 2022
Jane Whitefield makes people disappear with a new identity and new life. Sara Doughton needs to disappear but in the process attracts the attention of the Russian mob. And the mob wants Jane. Fascinating Seneca history blends to make this a thrilling novel.
December 4, 2021
THE LEFT-HANDED TWIN is the ninth novel in the critically acclaimed Jane Whitefield series from author Thomas Perry. Jane, a woman of Native American descent, has a particular skillset which she excels at. She helps people disappear. Typically, she is dealing with people desperate to escape a potentially deadly situation who have chosen to avoid WITSEC and instead seek out Jane and trusting their lives to her.
Actually, once a person finds Jane Whitefield, they soon realize they will have to literally lose themselves --- their name, past, and all relationships --- before she will invest her time and abilities to help them start over as someone else. She was the last Whitefield to have lived on the Tonawanda reservation in Upstate New York and she has never forgotten what she learned there.
Jane is still living in Upstate New York with her husband Carey and has a fairly standard existence until a lost soul turns up at her doorstep needing her assistance. A twenty-two-year-old young woman named Sara Doughton does just that and is desperate for Jane’s help. Sara testified against her violent ex-boyfriend, Albert McKeith, in a murder case. Unfortunately, he was acquitted by a bribed jury due to his ties with the Russian mob. Now, Sara fears for her life as a result of her betrayal of Albert and needs to disappear.
Jane first verifies all of what Sara has told her with lawyer Elizabeth Howarth and she finds everything Sara mentioned to be the truth. Jane is now ready to invest whatever time is necessary to help out her client, who she refers to as ‘runners,’ to create a new life and disappear somewhere. This will not be easy as both Albert’s friends and the Russian mob that he utilizes are on Jane and Sara practically from the get-go. There are thrilling chase scenes on the highways of New York State that will test all of Jane’s guile and creative driving to escape from.
The pair eventually land in central New York at the home of the contact she uses primarily for creating new identities. Sara is told to hand over her purse as any remnant of Sara Doughton will be erased permanently as she must now get used to life as Anne Preston Bailey. Thomas Perry even switches to just referring to Sara as ‘Anne’ from this point on in the novel which I found authentic and very immersive. The action in the meantime switches between Jane and Anne and the vengeful Albert. We see as Albert makes a deal with the devil, in this case in the form of Russian mob boss Mr. Porchen.
Porchen’s minions appear to be endless, and they are all expert trackers which keeps the suspense in THE LEFT-HANDED TWIN consistently at an uncomfortably elevated level. The novel takes its name from the Native American parable of the right-handed-twin Hawenneyu, the Creator, and Hanegoategeh, the left-handed-twin and the Destroyer. This situation for Jane involving her new runner Anne will exist on the fine line between the twins with a lean towards the left and complete destruction.
Jane and Anne traverse New York State eventually landing briefly in Manhattan with members of the Russian mob seemingly at every turn they make. Several automobile switches and other forms of transportation play into their subterfuge as they desperately attempt to stay one step ahead of the seemingly endless army of Russians on their tail. Eventually, they get to Boston where Anne is finally placed and left on her own. The trouble now is that the Russians are still after both her and Jane and Jane is far easier target to locate.
To escape and potentially end this chase scenario, Jane drives to the northern stretch of the two-thousand-mile trial in Maine in the shadow of Mount Katahdin. This move is not lost on the Russians as four of the best trackers they can find are sent into the same mountain trail to end Jane’s life. What transpires next is some of the most thrilling fiction you will read this year. Jane Whitfield is such a unique and richly drawn protagonist that you cannot help but root for her and THE LEFT-HANDED TWIN may very well be the premiere entry in this series.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
Actually, once a person finds Jane Whitefield, they soon realize they will have to literally lose themselves --- their name, past, and all relationships --- before she will invest her time and abilities to help them start over as someone else. She was the last Whitefield to have lived on the Tonawanda reservation in Upstate New York and she has never forgotten what she learned there.
Jane is still living in Upstate New York with her husband Carey and has a fairly standard existence until a lost soul turns up at her doorstep needing her assistance. A twenty-two-year-old young woman named Sara Doughton does just that and is desperate for Jane’s help. Sara testified against her violent ex-boyfriend, Albert McKeith, in a murder case. Unfortunately, he was acquitted by a bribed jury due to his ties with the Russian mob. Now, Sara fears for her life as a result of her betrayal of Albert and needs to disappear.
Jane first verifies all of what Sara has told her with lawyer Elizabeth Howarth and she finds everything Sara mentioned to be the truth. Jane is now ready to invest whatever time is necessary to help out her client, who she refers to as ‘runners,’ to create a new life and disappear somewhere. This will not be easy as both Albert’s friends and the Russian mob that he utilizes are on Jane and Sara practically from the get-go. There are thrilling chase scenes on the highways of New York State that will test all of Jane’s guile and creative driving to escape from.
The pair eventually land in central New York at the home of the contact she uses primarily for creating new identities. Sara is told to hand over her purse as any remnant of Sara Doughton will be erased permanently as she must now get used to life as Anne Preston Bailey. Thomas Perry even switches to just referring to Sara as ‘Anne’ from this point on in the novel which I found authentic and very immersive. The action in the meantime switches between Jane and Anne and the vengeful Albert. We see as Albert makes a deal with the devil, in this case in the form of Russian mob boss Mr. Porchen.
Porchen’s minions appear to be endless, and they are all expert trackers which keeps the suspense in THE LEFT-HANDED TWIN consistently at an uncomfortably elevated level. The novel takes its name from the Native American parable of the right-handed-twin Hawenneyu, the Creator, and Hanegoategeh, the left-handed-twin and the Destroyer. This situation for Jane involving her new runner Anne will exist on the fine line between the twins with a lean towards the left and complete destruction.
Jane and Anne traverse New York State eventually landing briefly in Manhattan with members of the Russian mob seemingly at every turn they make. Several automobile switches and other forms of transportation play into their subterfuge as they desperately attempt to stay one step ahead of the seemingly endless army of Russians on their tail. Eventually, they get to Boston where Anne is finally placed and left on her own. The trouble now is that the Russians are still after both her and Jane and Jane is far easier target to locate.
To escape and potentially end this chase scenario, Jane drives to the northern stretch of the two-thousand-mile trial in Maine in the shadow of Mount Katahdin. This move is not lost on the Russians as four of the best trackers they can find are sent into the same mountain trail to end Jane’s life. What transpires next is some of the most thrilling fiction you will read this year. Jane Whitfield is such a unique and richly drawn protagonist that you cannot help but root for her and THE LEFT-HANDED TWIN may very well be the premiere entry in this series.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
September 5, 2021
Jane Whitefield is back! The Seneca descendant who helps the helpless disappear returns in her ninth outing, “The Left-Handed Twin” by Thomas Perry.
Jane has once again settled down into the role of loving wife, but we know that’s not going to last for long. During one of her routine visits to her old house in upstate New York, she finds a young woman on the run from her boyfriend. She testified against him when he forced her to watch a murder, but a (bribed) jury set him free, and now he wants revenge.
Should be simple to outwit and hide from one guy, right? Well, he asks for help from a friend who puts him in touch with the Russian mob. And the mob isn’t that interested in the girlfriend, but is quite interested in catching Jane, who would be worth a lot of money to a lot of people looking for those she has helped vanish.
And so the chase begins, up and down the East coast, from Boston to New York and finally through the wilderness of Maine, where the hunters become the hunted. Both sides make the mistake of underestimating their opponent, but in the end only one will live to learn that lesson.
This is definitely not the best of the Whitefield novels, but still a fun story at times. The writing seems a bit uneven, and most of the coincidences are a bit hard to swallow (OK, maybe very hard to swallow). The damsel in distress seems barely sketched out, one never really develops any sympathy for her (I was waiting for her to play a bigger role, either good or bad, but it never happened). The bad guys are just routinely bad, the hunt for Jane is similar to previous plots, and the limitless resources are not quite believable. The ending is rushed (and based upon another coincidence of timing) and a bit of a letdown. Here’s hoping that the next Jane Whitefield returns to her old form.
I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Mysterious Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
Jane has once again settled down into the role of loving wife, but we know that’s not going to last for long. During one of her routine visits to her old house in upstate New York, she finds a young woman on the run from her boyfriend. She testified against him when he forced her to watch a murder, but a (bribed) jury set him free, and now he wants revenge.
Should be simple to outwit and hide from one guy, right? Well, he asks for help from a friend who puts him in touch with the Russian mob. And the mob isn’t that interested in the girlfriend, but is quite interested in catching Jane, who would be worth a lot of money to a lot of people looking for those she has helped vanish.
And so the chase begins, up and down the East coast, from Boston to New York and finally through the wilderness of Maine, where the hunters become the hunted. Both sides make the mistake of underestimating their opponent, but in the end only one will live to learn that lesson.
This is definitely not the best of the Whitefield novels, but still a fun story at times. The writing seems a bit uneven, and most of the coincidences are a bit hard to swallow (OK, maybe very hard to swallow). The damsel in distress seems barely sketched out, one never really develops any sympathy for her (I was waiting for her to play a bigger role, either good or bad, but it never happened). The bad guys are just routinely bad, the hunt for Jane is similar to previous plots, and the limitless resources are not quite believable. The ending is rushed (and based upon another coincidence of timing) and a bit of a letdown. Here’s hoping that the next Jane Whitefield returns to her old form.
I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Mysterious Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
September 3, 2022
3.5 rounded up. My thanks to NetGalley and Mysterious Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Left-Handed Twin in exchange for an honest review.
This is the eighth installment in the Jane Whitfield series. The protagonist Jane is a Native American with strong ties to her heritage. She has a unique skill set, utilizing the tools and teachings of her ancestral tribe. The series centers around Jane making people disappear from those who would wish to do them harm. It’s astounding the network and connections she has developed over the course of twenty years. The series has been a favorite of mine as she outwits those pursuing her clients. Outwitting the antagonists is a key component in assuring the safety of her charges. The plots are always interesting, if not enthralling, concerning the reason her charge “needs to disappear.” Jane fills a need where court systems have failed. She is her own witness protection program.
The Left Handed Twin can be a stand alone. However, the stories are so interesting, I’d recommend starting at the beginning of the series to get Jane’s backstory. While there is action and excitement, Mr. Perry’s rich characterization is a delight. Jane’s motivations and aptitude for this lifestyle is thoroughly explained in her backstory as a Native American.
This installment in the series had a few holes. The antagonists had the upper hand way too many times. Jane is an expert at relocating her clients, yet she was fooled too often. The ending also seemed rushed. Nevertheless, I will always read anything written by the esteemed Thomas Perry. We waited a long time for this Jane Whitfield installment. There is a bit of a cliffhanger so I hope readers will not have as long a wait for the next one!
This is the eighth installment in the Jane Whitfield series. The protagonist Jane is a Native American with strong ties to her heritage. She has a unique skill set, utilizing the tools and teachings of her ancestral tribe. The series centers around Jane making people disappear from those who would wish to do them harm. It’s astounding the network and connections she has developed over the course of twenty years. The series has been a favorite of mine as she outwits those pursuing her clients. Outwitting the antagonists is a key component in assuring the safety of her charges. The plots are always interesting, if not enthralling, concerning the reason her charge “needs to disappear.” Jane fills a need where court systems have failed. She is her own witness protection program.
The Left Handed Twin can be a stand alone. However, the stories are so interesting, I’d recommend starting at the beginning of the series to get Jane’s backstory. While there is action and excitement, Mr. Perry’s rich characterization is a delight. Jane’s motivations and aptitude for this lifestyle is thoroughly explained in her backstory as a Native American.
This installment in the series had a few holes. The antagonists had the upper hand way too many times. Jane is an expert at relocating her clients, yet she was fooled too often. The ending also seemed rushed. Nevertheless, I will always read anything written by the esteemed Thomas Perry. We waited a long time for this Jane Whitfield installment. There is a bit of a cliffhanger so I hope readers will not have as long a wait for the next one!
July 1, 2023
If you’ve never read any of Thomas Perry’s Jane Whitefield novels you’ve missed one of the most unique and exciting heroines in crime fiction. Jane is a spiritual native American woman who has absorbed the ancient wisdom and skills of her ancestors which she combines with worldly knowledge to guide innocent and relentlessly pursued ‘runners’ to places of safety.
In The Left-handed Twin – the latest story for several years - Jane helps a young woman escape from her ex-boyfriend who is trying to kill her. This fairly ordinary task develops into a nightmare for Jane when she becomes targeted herself.
You can’t read any of these books without becoming completely hooked and The Left-handed Twin is no exception - however, you’ll enjoy them more if you start with Vanishing Act, the first in the series.
In The Left-handed Twin – the latest story for several years - Jane helps a young woman escape from her ex-boyfriend who is trying to kill her. This fairly ordinary task develops into a nightmare for Jane when she becomes targeted herself.
You can’t read any of these books without becoming completely hooked and The Left-handed Twin is no exception - however, you’ll enjoy them more if you start with Vanishing Act, the first in the series.
June 15, 2021
A new Jane Whitefield book is always a good thing. I appreciate Perry taking into account the advances in technology and security, adding that extra layer of difficulty to Jane's tasks. The ending wrapped up too quickly, with a few unanswered questions.
October 15, 2025
This is Thomas Perry's last addition to the Jane Whitefield series. The Left-Handed Twin is #9 in the series and it finds Jane as cautious as ever going to her grandmother's house where sometimes 'runners' are waiting for her. She has helped hundreds of people escape the circumstances which lead them into danger where there seems no alternative other than to disappear. Jane's husband, Carey, is not so happy about her breaking her promise and going back to help this young girl who at 22 thinks her life may be in danger as she has testified against her boyfriend and by devious means he was acquitted from murdering a one time lover of his girlfriend.
While Jane goes about getting the girl to a safe place, her boyfriend has managed to track her down and almost pens her in, but because Jane has nothing to lose, she outwits them and escapes. Jane and now 'Ann' are getting prepared with false identities and a new location. Jane calls Carey and tells him to expect her home soon.
In the meantime, the boyfriend Albert is bent on revenge and he asks a friend to introduce him to a man who might be able to help him. That man is a Russian mob boss and when he starts to help Albert, the game changes. Now the Russians alert their people on the East Coast and now more people than Jane can keep track of know who she is and where to find her. Now the people are looking for Jane and not the girlfriend. The Russians will make money unearthing those other misplaced runners.
I know that Thomas Perry had died on Sept. 15, 2025, so reading the last Jane Whitefield book in October was very sad. I loved the book and would have given it 5 stars if not for the glaring mistakes. Hiking in the Applachian Mountains in the last 100 miles of the trail in April would not have had mosquitoes. Maine would have been still too chilly in the mountains for them to be out. Also, it would not be pleasant, there would be more snow left on the hilltops. If the date was June then it would have worked. With all the research and details that are staples in a Thomas Perry book, I could not overlook those details.
The pace of the book was gripping. I read straight through and loved everything about the book except the inconsistencies about the weather at that time of year. I loved Jane as a young college student helping people and I loved Jane as a mature wife of her beloved Carey. I will miss Thomas Perry and I am happy to have an autographed copy of Poison Flower. RIP, Thomas Perry.
While Jane goes about getting the girl to a safe place, her boyfriend has managed to track her down and almost pens her in, but because Jane has nothing to lose, she outwits them and escapes. Jane and now 'Ann' are getting prepared with false identities and a new location. Jane calls Carey and tells him to expect her home soon.
In the meantime, the boyfriend Albert is bent on revenge and he asks a friend to introduce him to a man who might be able to help him. That man is a Russian mob boss and when he starts to help Albert, the game changes. Now the Russians alert their people on the East Coast and now more people than Jane can keep track of know who she is and where to find her. Now the people are looking for Jane and not the girlfriend. The Russians will make money unearthing those other misplaced runners.
I know that Thomas Perry had died on Sept. 15, 2025, so reading the last Jane Whitefield book in October was very sad. I loved the book and would have given it 5 stars if not for the glaring mistakes. Hiking in the Applachian Mountains in the last 100 miles of the trail in April would not have had mosquitoes. Maine would have been still too chilly in the mountains for them to be out. Also, it would not be pleasant, there would be more snow left on the hilltops. If the date was June then it would have worked. With all the research and details that are staples in a Thomas Perry book, I could not overlook those details.
The pace of the book was gripping. I read straight through and loved everything about the book except the inconsistencies about the weather at that time of year. I loved Jane as a young college student helping people and I loved Jane as a mature wife of her beloved Carey. I will miss Thomas Perry and I am happy to have an autographed copy of Poison Flower. RIP, Thomas Perry.
August 20, 2023
(3.5/5) This is actually the first book I’ve read by this author even though it’s the 9th book out of the Jane Whitefield series, it offers enough context and explanation for it to be read as a stand-alone and i can appreciate that. However, i found some of the writing irritatingly repetitive and offering minor details that should've been deemed unnecessary by the editors and publishers. I feel like even though a solid 1/3 of the book was focused on the runner Anne aka formerly known as Sara, it didn't really expand on her too much, we learn bits and pieces of her backstory and learn about her con life with Albert but it feels like we didn't really know her at all? Most of it was focused on the fact that Russians were after Jane which makes sense why it was a central focus but I would've liked more on Anne before she sort of just settled in Boston and was never heard from again. Albert aka Anne’s ex was lowkey just some guy. We never learned too much about him even though he was sort of a main character (heavy on the SORT OF). We never learned why he adopted his con man lifestyle or anything before Magda eventually killed him off for “betraying” the Bratva. Overall, could’ve expanded more on certain plot points while lessening the mentions of other unwanted and unnecessary details. But i still mostly enjoyed it, just nothing above the average book for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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