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Jane Whitefield #1
Vanishing Act
Jane Whitefield is a Native American guide who leads people out of the wilderness--not the tree-filled variety but the kind created by enemies who want you dead. She is in the one-woman business of helping the desperate disappear. Thanks to her membership in the Wolf Clan of the Seneca tribe, she can fool any pursuer, cover any trail, and then provide her clients with new identities, complete with authentic paperwork. Jane knows all the tricks, ancient and modern; in fact, she has invented several of them herself.
So she is only mildly surprised to find an intruder waiting for her when she returns home one day. An ex-cop suspected of embezzling, John Felker wants Jane to do for him what she did for his buddy Harry Kemple: make him vanish. But as Jane opens a door out of the world for Felker, she walks into a trap that will take all her heritage and cunning to escape....
So she is only mildly surprised to find an intruder waiting for her when she returns home one day. An ex-cop suspected of embezzling, John Felker wants Jane to do for him what she did for his buddy Harry Kemple: make him vanish. But as Jane opens a door out of the world for Felker, she walks into a trap that will take all her heritage and cunning to escape....
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1995
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About the author
Thomas Perry
93 books1,704 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 726 reviews
March 31, 2025
The whole thing falls apart in the middle, where it becomes something of a muddled mess. However, this book did trigger a conversation with my daughter.
My daughter says she doesn't read books about women that are written by men. She says men can't write women right. Being a man, I'll never know if she's correct.
If you're a guy, do you know a female author who writes guys right? Who?
If you're a gal, do you know a male author who writes gals right? Who?
My daughter says she doesn't read books about women that are written by men. She says men can't write women right. Being a man, I'll never know if she's correct.
If you're a guy, do you know a female author who writes guys right? Who?
If you're a gal, do you know a male author who writes gals right? Who?
January 6, 2022
My Year of (Mostly) Mysterious Women begins with series fiction featuring women detectives. I’m avoiding police procedurals and standalone “women in peril'' thrillers to focus on ladies who are amateur sleuths. Vanishing Act is my introduction to author Thomas Perry and his series featuring Jane Whitefield. Published in 1995, this ambitious blend of crime, woman against nature and mystery also scores points for making a Native American woman its protagonist, a character who considers herself a guide, helping the desperate elude their trackers and disappear.
The story opens in an airport, where private detective Jack Killigan follows a woman headed to baggage claim. His posh target, whom he compares to a French model, changes outfits in the ladies room but this fails to elude him. When Killigan attempts to apprehend the woman in a parking garage, she beats his ass so severely that he wakes up in a hospital. Killigan notifies the police that he was hired to return a runaway wife named Rhonda Eckerly to her husband. Killigan now wants to press charges against her for assault, but when police bring his target into the room, it's not Rhonda.
The woman in custody is Jane Whitefield. She explains that Rhonda Eckerly is married to a sexual sadist who beat and raped Rhonda and worse after she tried escaping on her own. Now Jane has helped her vanish for good. Jane describes herself as neither a detective or lawyer but a guide. She’s released and after a layover where she acquires fingernail clippings from a hotel salon and pipe tobacco from a smoke shop, Jane returns to Rochester, New York, where she offers these items to the Genesee River and to the spirits of her tribe, the Seneca, as thanks.
Jane Whitefield opened her purse and pulled out the pouch of pipe tobacco. She tossed a pinch down into the gorge. "This is for you, Stone Throwers," she said quietly. "Thank you for the luck with Rhonda. She's safe now." The Stone Throwers were one of the three tribes of Jo-Ge-Oh. They were only about as tall as a person's hand, but they were very strong in spite of their size, and they looked very much like the Nundawaono who had lived here once. They made a practice of saving people from the horrible things that could happen, taking victims out of the world and hiding them.
The second tribe of Jo-Ge-Oh was responsible for making sure the plants of the western part of New York state came up on time and flourished, and the third for guarding the several entrances of the underworld around here, to keep the supernatural beings down where they belonged. The Stone Throwers lived only in the rocks of the Genesee. They were hopelessly addicted to tobacco and had no supplier except the Nundawaono. Jane held the pouch at arm's length and poured the rest of the tobacco down the gorge, watching the brown shreds sprinkle and spread out in the breeze to become invisible. "There you go, little guys. Don't let it stunt your growth. This is for Rhonda."
The Little People had, in their occasional discussions with the Nundawaono, specifically requested fingernail clippings. It was their hope that the large animals that were a nuisance to little people everywhere would smell the clippings and think there were full-sized human beings around. Jane Whitefield glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone was looking, took out a small plastic bag and undid the seal, then poured her fingernail collection down to them. "Take these, and keep the luck coming."
Jane arrives in the village of "Deganawida," where she lives alone. Her neighbor is a nosy old widower named Jake Reinert who notifies her that she had a fellow here to see her. Entering her home, the air doesn't smell stale enough for her windows to have remained shut. Jane discovers a gun on her kitchen counter. The man in her house left it there in an attempt not to scare her. He identifies himself as John Felkner, referred by a man Jane helped disappear named Harry Kemple. Harry was running a high stakes poker game in Chicago where a gangster was shot and Harry's culpability questioned by people in sweatsuits and gold chains.
Felkner says he's an ex-cop from Chicago who Harry confided his story to and he helped out. Now a CPA in St. Louis, Felkner stumbled into an embezzlement scheme, with funds being transferred in his name. Harry phoned him to warn that a contract has been put out on him in the prison system. Rather than go to the police and wait for their investigation to conclude, Harry advises Felkner to disappear and refers him to Jane. To fund his getaway, Felkner embezzled some of the nine million he was accused of stealing. Jane makes a phone call to check Felkner out. Then she agrees to help him.
Jane clarifies that she doesn't accept a fee for her services, but does accept "presents." She drives Felkner to see her automotive man and swaps the rental she's driving for a different car in case anyone's following them. They head north but don't get far before Jane spots a car with four men inside following them on the expressway. She lets them pass and although the plates indicate New York, Felkner recognizes the license plate holder as being a dealer in St. Louis. Jane ditches the car and takes her client through a cornfield at night. Their chasers come back for them.
Then she was running through the night across the fields, the bag over her left shoulder and the shotgun balanced in her right hand. She could hear Felkner's breathing beside her, and she judged that he had the stamina to keep running.
It was going to be possible if she could keep her vision clear. Everything about modern life made people think of the world as a network of roads. But in country like this, the roads were just the narrow borders of broad expanses of rolling, fertile farmland. The four men weren't about to abandon their car in the dark and take off on foot across the fields after them. If they were like most people, they wouldn't even think of it. They would already be searching a map for the place where Jane and Felkner would come out on a road. The obvious thing to do was to take a loop, come out behind the men on Ridge Road, and hope to make it eastward into Lockport, where there would be lights and police. But what if she and Felkner didn't double back? If she remembered, if her vision was clear, there were no more big east-west roads between here and Route 18, just on the outskirts of Olcott.
Felkner moved abreast of her and said between deep breaths, "Where are we running to?"
She said, "Olcott."
"What's Olcott?"
"About seven or eight miles."
This is a terrific, a top-notch thriller first, Native American history second and maybe a mystery third. Jane Whitefield is a loner in the grand tradition of private detectives, at least. I liked that Perry didn't trot out a sad story about her past. She's a single, apparently childless woman, living alone in a small town and the author doesn't apologize for it. She's clever (like the rabbit) but can defend herself with her fists or a shotgun if she has to fight. The novel blasts out of the gate, sags in the middle but the climax--in which Jane enters the Adirondack Mountains to track our villain--is exciting. Seneca tribal culture and woman against nature are what Perry does best.
She could hear the night whisper of the trees now that she had moved away from the roads. He had been born here. The North Woods would never represent safety to anyone who had been born here. He wasn't running to safety. He was running because he knew he could go farther and deeper into a dangerous place than the ones who were chasing him. It was like a taunt, not meant to discourage pursuers but to lead them farther and farther out until they were in a place where he was stronger than they were. It was a place where shots could be fired without falling on a human ear, where any number of people could die without their bodies ever being found.
Her grandfather had told her old Nundawaono stories. Sometimes the people they happened to had names, but usually they were just the Hunter or the Woman, and they always seemed to end up alone in the forest, as she was now, and the forest was alive with frightening beings. There were flying heads with long streaming hair that sailed through the air, always searching the ground for something to feed their voracious craving for flesh. She couldn't help feeling the hair on the back of her neck start to stand as she thought about the way she must look from above right now, alone in the middle of the empty lake, but she refused to turn her head and look over her shoulder.
Vanishing Act falls short of complete satisfaction. I found the backstory that Felkner unloads on Jane to be unnecessarily convoluted. I didn't understand why it was vital that Jane help him or anyone else vanish. Her neighbor does everything but rifle through her underwear drawer and irked me. There's some odd point-of-view digressions with this old timer, as if writing a book from Jane's point of view was too much, a man needed to comment on her behavior. That said, Jane's investigative savvy impressed me on several occasions. She's a strong, quick-witted and unique detective and Perry demonstrates her facility in both urban and rural environments.
While reading, I imagined Jennifer Beals playing Jane Whitefield. The author makes a big deal out of Jane's blue eyes, but, I can't unsee Jennifer Beals once I see her.
The story opens in an airport, where private detective Jack Killigan follows a woman headed to baggage claim. His posh target, whom he compares to a French model, changes outfits in the ladies room but this fails to elude him. When Killigan attempts to apprehend the woman in a parking garage, she beats his ass so severely that he wakes up in a hospital. Killigan notifies the police that he was hired to return a runaway wife named Rhonda Eckerly to her husband. Killigan now wants to press charges against her for assault, but when police bring his target into the room, it's not Rhonda.
The woman in custody is Jane Whitefield. She explains that Rhonda Eckerly is married to a sexual sadist who beat and raped Rhonda and worse after she tried escaping on her own. Now Jane has helped her vanish for good. Jane describes herself as neither a detective or lawyer but a guide. She’s released and after a layover where she acquires fingernail clippings from a hotel salon and pipe tobacco from a smoke shop, Jane returns to Rochester, New York, where she offers these items to the Genesee River and to the spirits of her tribe, the Seneca, as thanks.
Jane Whitefield opened her purse and pulled out the pouch of pipe tobacco. She tossed a pinch down into the gorge. "This is for you, Stone Throwers," she said quietly. "Thank you for the luck with Rhonda. She's safe now." The Stone Throwers were one of the three tribes of Jo-Ge-Oh. They were only about as tall as a person's hand, but they were very strong in spite of their size, and they looked very much like the Nundawaono who had lived here once. They made a practice of saving people from the horrible things that could happen, taking victims out of the world and hiding them.
The second tribe of Jo-Ge-Oh was responsible for making sure the plants of the western part of New York state came up on time and flourished, and the third for guarding the several entrances of the underworld around here, to keep the supernatural beings down where they belonged. The Stone Throwers lived only in the rocks of the Genesee. They were hopelessly addicted to tobacco and had no supplier except the Nundawaono. Jane held the pouch at arm's length and poured the rest of the tobacco down the gorge, watching the brown shreds sprinkle and spread out in the breeze to become invisible. "There you go, little guys. Don't let it stunt your growth. This is for Rhonda."
The Little People had, in their occasional discussions with the Nundawaono, specifically requested fingernail clippings. It was their hope that the large animals that were a nuisance to little people everywhere would smell the clippings and think there were full-sized human beings around. Jane Whitefield glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone was looking, took out a small plastic bag and undid the seal, then poured her fingernail collection down to them. "Take these, and keep the luck coming."
Jane arrives in the village of "Deganawida," where she lives alone. Her neighbor is a nosy old widower named Jake Reinert who notifies her that she had a fellow here to see her. Entering her home, the air doesn't smell stale enough for her windows to have remained shut. Jane discovers a gun on her kitchen counter. The man in her house left it there in an attempt not to scare her. He identifies himself as John Felkner, referred by a man Jane helped disappear named Harry Kemple. Harry was running a high stakes poker game in Chicago where a gangster was shot and Harry's culpability questioned by people in sweatsuits and gold chains.
Felkner says he's an ex-cop from Chicago who Harry confided his story to and he helped out. Now a CPA in St. Louis, Felkner stumbled into an embezzlement scheme, with funds being transferred in his name. Harry phoned him to warn that a contract has been put out on him in the prison system. Rather than go to the police and wait for their investigation to conclude, Harry advises Felkner to disappear and refers him to Jane. To fund his getaway, Felkner embezzled some of the nine million he was accused of stealing. Jane makes a phone call to check Felkner out. Then she agrees to help him.
Jane clarifies that she doesn't accept a fee for her services, but does accept "presents." She drives Felkner to see her automotive man and swaps the rental she's driving for a different car in case anyone's following them. They head north but don't get far before Jane spots a car with four men inside following them on the expressway. She lets them pass and although the plates indicate New York, Felkner recognizes the license plate holder as being a dealer in St. Louis. Jane ditches the car and takes her client through a cornfield at night. Their chasers come back for them.
Then she was running through the night across the fields, the bag over her left shoulder and the shotgun balanced in her right hand. She could hear Felkner's breathing beside her, and she judged that he had the stamina to keep running.
It was going to be possible if she could keep her vision clear. Everything about modern life made people think of the world as a network of roads. But in country like this, the roads were just the narrow borders of broad expanses of rolling, fertile farmland. The four men weren't about to abandon their car in the dark and take off on foot across the fields after them. If they were like most people, they wouldn't even think of it. They would already be searching a map for the place where Jane and Felkner would come out on a road. The obvious thing to do was to take a loop, come out behind the men on Ridge Road, and hope to make it eastward into Lockport, where there would be lights and police. But what if she and Felkner didn't double back? If she remembered, if her vision was clear, there were no more big east-west roads between here and Route 18, just on the outskirts of Olcott.
Felkner moved abreast of her and said between deep breaths, "Where are we running to?"
She said, "Olcott."
"What's Olcott?"
"About seven or eight miles."
This is a terrific, a top-notch thriller first, Native American history second and maybe a mystery third. Jane Whitefield is a loner in the grand tradition of private detectives, at least. I liked that Perry didn't trot out a sad story about her past. She's a single, apparently childless woman, living alone in a small town and the author doesn't apologize for it. She's clever (like the rabbit) but can defend herself with her fists or a shotgun if she has to fight. The novel blasts out of the gate, sags in the middle but the climax--in which Jane enters the Adirondack Mountains to track our villain--is exciting. Seneca tribal culture and woman against nature are what Perry does best.
She could hear the night whisper of the trees now that she had moved away from the roads. He had been born here. The North Woods would never represent safety to anyone who had been born here. He wasn't running to safety. He was running because he knew he could go farther and deeper into a dangerous place than the ones who were chasing him. It was like a taunt, not meant to discourage pursuers but to lead them farther and farther out until they were in a place where he was stronger than they were. It was a place where shots could be fired without falling on a human ear, where any number of people could die without their bodies ever being found.
Her grandfather had told her old Nundawaono stories. Sometimes the people they happened to had names, but usually they were just the Hunter or the Woman, and they always seemed to end up alone in the forest, as she was now, and the forest was alive with frightening beings. There were flying heads with long streaming hair that sailed through the air, always searching the ground for something to feed their voracious craving for flesh. She couldn't help feeling the hair on the back of her neck start to stand as she thought about the way she must look from above right now, alone in the middle of the empty lake, but she refused to turn her head and look over her shoulder.
Vanishing Act falls short of complete satisfaction. I found the backstory that Felkner unloads on Jane to be unnecessarily convoluted. I didn't understand why it was vital that Jane help him or anyone else vanish. Her neighbor does everything but rifle through her underwear drawer and irked me. There's some odd point-of-view digressions with this old timer, as if writing a book from Jane's point of view was too much, a man needed to comment on her behavior. That said, Jane's investigative savvy impressed me on several occasions. She's a strong, quick-witted and unique detective and Perry demonstrates her facility in both urban and rural environments.
While reading, I imagined Jennifer Beals playing Jane Whitefield. The author makes a big deal out of Jane's blue eyes, but, I can't unsee Jennifer Beals once I see her.
May 29, 2021
★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
I felt I had to give Thomas Perry another chance. At the same time I felt I had plenty of reason not to. Despite a glowing-but-carefully-worded introduction by Michael Connelly to Perry’s first book, The Butcher’s Boy [Random House, 2003], it remains the only novel--off the top of my head--that I’ve rated 2 Stars. In fact, I found the introduction much more interesting than anything that followed it. But I closed the review with: “. . . there is something here. I find myself wanting to read more. Neither can I deny I was disappointed.” Possibly that is why I jumped ahead to Perry’s sixth book, the first in the acclaimed Jane Whitefield series. I was greatly rewarded for doing so.
Jane, who lives in upstate New York near the Canadian border, is half Seneca Indian by blood and completely so in spirit, at least as much as the modern world will allow. Perhaps that is why, when it comes to her life’s work, she thinks of herself as a guide. She helps people disappear. Not criminals, unless there is a greater good involved, but decent people who are forced by circumstances to give up their lives as they know it. She works unofficially, without government knowledge, and has access to an extensive network of people who also work outside the law. She fits among them, a thorough professional playing her part. Unfortunately, not knowing this would be her calling, she was sloppy in the beginning and now too many people not only know of her existence, but actually know her physical address. A man suddenly showing up at her house and referencing a previous, successfully-relocated “client” begins our introduction to Jane.
What follows is a mix of Indian lore, Jane’s skill at her profession, and pursuit from those trying to kill the man she is attempting to help. A murder results when things go wrong, and though the killer is obvious I believe that was always the author’s intention because he never makes Jane look stupid, not an easy thing to avoid when the reader knows more than she. Eventually it comes down to a one-on-one confrontation, which Jane can only win because of who she is and what she believes. It reaffirms everything we’ve come to know about Jane and her world. Nothing can be more satisfying than that.
I felt I had to give Thomas Perry another chance. At the same time I felt I had plenty of reason not to. Despite a glowing-but-carefully-worded introduction by Michael Connelly to Perry’s first book, The Butcher’s Boy [Random House, 2003], it remains the only novel--off the top of my head--that I’ve rated 2 Stars. In fact, I found the introduction much more interesting than anything that followed it. But I closed the review with: “. . . there is something here. I find myself wanting to read more. Neither can I deny I was disappointed.” Possibly that is why I jumped ahead to Perry’s sixth book, the first in the acclaimed Jane Whitefield series. I was greatly rewarded for doing so.
Jane, who lives in upstate New York near the Canadian border, is half Seneca Indian by blood and completely so in spirit, at least as much as the modern world will allow. Perhaps that is why, when it comes to her life’s work, she thinks of herself as a guide. She helps people disappear. Not criminals, unless there is a greater good involved, but decent people who are forced by circumstances to give up their lives as they know it. She works unofficially, without government knowledge, and has access to an extensive network of people who also work outside the law. She fits among them, a thorough professional playing her part. Unfortunately, not knowing this would be her calling, she was sloppy in the beginning and now too many people not only know of her existence, but actually know her physical address. A man suddenly showing up at her house and referencing a previous, successfully-relocated “client” begins our introduction to Jane.
What follows is a mix of Indian lore, Jane’s skill at her profession, and pursuit from those trying to kill the man she is attempting to help. A murder results when things go wrong, and though the killer is obvious I believe that was always the author’s intention because he never makes Jane look stupid, not an easy thing to avoid when the reader knows more than she. Eventually it comes down to a one-on-one confrontation, which Jane can only win because of who she is and what she believes. It reaffirms everything we’ve come to know about Jane and her world. Nothing can be more satisfying than that.
January 19, 2016
Jane Whitefield is a kick-ass and take no names heroine. She is my new fav. Those that are Tony Hillerman fans might like Jane as well, but without the woo-woo. Jane helps people step off the grid...way off the grid. As never to be heard from again and she is very, very good at what she does. But when a smooth talking tall dark man comes into Jane's life even she can't seem to see the forest for the pair of dark eyes looking into hers.
So when he needs help to disappear she can't seem to break holes within his story. Although as the reader you are setting in your seat going Jane...wake up girl...wake up. She puts all her resources to work for John and steps away from him, leaving her heart behind. But once she learns the truth of what she has set in motion, no place on earth will protect the man that has done Jane Whitefield wrong. She calls upon all the help of her Native American ancestors as she sets out to track a hunter. There is a lot of Indian lore and history that is presented.
This is a new series for me, but I am already collecting, because Jane is awesome!
So when he needs help to disappear she can't seem to break holes within his story. Although as the reader you are setting in your seat going Jane...wake up girl...wake up. She puts all her resources to work for John and steps away from him, leaving her heart behind. But once she learns the truth of what she has set in motion, no place on earth will protect the man that has done Jane Whitefield wrong. She calls upon all the help of her Native American ancestors as she sets out to track a hunter. There is a lot of Indian lore and history that is presented.
This is a new series for me, but I am already collecting, because Jane is awesome!
March 12, 2024
Published in 1995, this is the book that introduced Jane Whitefield, a contemporary Native American woman who lives in upstate New York and who would become one of the most unique and interesting protagonists in contemporary crime fiction. A single woman living alone, Jane is a very skilled and inventive "guide" who leads people in danger out of their old lives and into new ones. Her clients run the gamut from abused spouses to people on the run from dangerous criminals and to others who have been victimized in some way and need a fresh start in life.
When we first meet Jane, she has just helped an abused wife escape her past life and she returns home to the small village of Deganawida to find that a man has broken into her house and is waiting for her there. Jane immediately takes command of the situation and the man introduces himself as John Felker. Felker explains that he was once a cop but later became an accountant. Someone has broken into the computers of the company where he works and has embezzled a large sum of money, some of which has wound up in accounts in Felker's name.
Felker insists that he has been very cleverly set up to take the fall for the embezzlement by whoever it was that made off with the bulk of the stolen money. As a practical matter, he has no way to defend himself and will certainly be sent to prison for something that he didn't do. Felker explains that he is an old friend of a man named Harry Kemple who Jane guided into a new life several years earlier. Felker would like Jane to do the same for him which will necessitate creating a new identity with paperwork that will stand up to any test.
After hearing the man out, Jane agrees to help him, but they are barely on the road when it becomes apparent that some very bad people are already on his trail. Saving Felker and seeing him off into a new life will require all of Jane's considerable skill, but then an unforeseen development will ramp up the action, leaving Jane's very life at stake. And no matter the talents she has demonstrated thus far, she's going to have to step up her game even more if she's to survive this last enormous challenge.
This is a very well-written book, with interesting characters and a great sense of setting. Perry spends a considerable amount of time detailing Jane's background as a Seneca Indian woman and there is a fair amount of regional history in the book. Some readers might feel that there's a bit too much of this, but I found it intriguing and an excellent introduction to Jane's character. I have some quibbles with a few of the later books in this series, but I think that this is a very solid introduction to a series that I've really enjoyed a lot.
When we first meet Jane, she has just helped an abused wife escape her past life and she returns home to the small village of Deganawida to find that a man has broken into her house and is waiting for her there. Jane immediately takes command of the situation and the man introduces himself as John Felker. Felker explains that he was once a cop but later became an accountant. Someone has broken into the computers of the company where he works and has embezzled a large sum of money, some of which has wound up in accounts in Felker's name.
Felker insists that he has been very cleverly set up to take the fall for the embezzlement by whoever it was that made off with the bulk of the stolen money. As a practical matter, he has no way to defend himself and will certainly be sent to prison for something that he didn't do. Felker explains that he is an old friend of a man named Harry Kemple who Jane guided into a new life several years earlier. Felker would like Jane to do the same for him which will necessitate creating a new identity with paperwork that will stand up to any test.
After hearing the man out, Jane agrees to help him, but they are barely on the road when it becomes apparent that some very bad people are already on his trail. Saving Felker and seeing him off into a new life will require all of Jane's considerable skill, but then an unforeseen development will ramp up the action, leaving Jane's very life at stake. And no matter the talents she has demonstrated thus far, she's going to have to step up her game even more if she's to survive this last enormous challenge.
This is a very well-written book, with interesting characters and a great sense of setting. Perry spends a considerable amount of time detailing Jane's background as a Seneca Indian woman and there is a fair amount of regional history in the book. Some readers might feel that there's a bit too much of this, but I found it intriguing and an excellent introduction to Jane's character. I have some quibbles with a few of the later books in this series, but I think that this is a very solid introduction to a series that I've really enjoyed a lot.
August 17, 2015
Listening to this was like eating at a good restaurant; the appetizer was OK, the main course fantastic, but a roach crawled onto the last bite of dessert. I didn't care for the description & almost didn't read this because I really hate the whole Indian mysticism thing, but there wasn't much of that. Unfortunately, it started & ended with some - the end being the worst. I've really liked every other book that Perry wrote, so I took a chance. It was a great story for the most part, but certainly not his best. It was a 4 star book in some ways & a 1 star in others. I'll give it 3 stars, but it's more of a 2.5. He did so much right, but shot himself in the foot a few too many times.
Jane's job is interesting & she has a lot of potential, but she never really popped for me. Maybe it's a difference in sex, either on Perry's part or mine. Guys writing a main character that's a girl can be difficult. Me reading it can be tough, too. I don't understand them very well. There's nothing I can put my finger on, but I just never got into her character the way I have the guys in all his previous novels that I've read or even the way I did in the early Anita Blake novels. There were a lot of other really good characters, though. He really creates memorable ones.
The plot was fantastic & twisty, but he got repetitive at times as if he was trying to keep stupid readers on track. He did a fantastic job of foreshadowing many of the twists, but some of the biggest came out of the blue & just hit like a punch. They weren't illogical at all & kept the story going along at blazing speed when I thought it was about over. Great job!
The scenery was great. He wrote what he knows & it shows. He did a great job using her, her heritage & all to the best effect. Great job again!
The following could have been minor quibbles if Perry didn't do such a good job on so many other details. He makes a big deal out of how tough it is out in the wild, but then...
- A new rifle apparently comes sighted in & she never test fires it. He did this in a previous book (the first Butcher's Boy) too.
- The scoped rifle didn't need any protection even though it traveled in a canoe & was carried through the woods with a backpack & a canoe on single portages. Please!
- Anyone who has spent time in a canoe knows that protection against water & flotation devices for gear are needed. (Plastic bags are light & can serve for both with a bit of wire or string.) Any time you swap your paddle from one side to another, some water flies off the end of the paddle. They wet your stuff on top & slowly pool in the bottom to soak in from below in a very few hours. The smallest slip can duck a side into the water or even flip it. It's not a question of 'if', but of when & just how wet everything is going to get.
- His stuff.
- The whole Indian thing at the end. She did some light hiking in the area as a kid with her parents & they stuck to the marked trails, but she's tough & mad enough to
The worst thing about the whole novel was the money. Jane pays up front for people she disappears & then expects a 'gift' a year or so later & apparently makes a good living at it. Tough to swallow, but I rolled with it. What I couldn't take was at the end. It made no damn sense at all! I'm afraid that just about ruined the book for me. It was so damn pointless & stupid. I had to listen to it twice to make sure I'd heard it right.
I'm going to get another in this series. His second Butcher Boy was better than the first & he's done so well with so many other books that I believe he'll do better on the next. I sure hope so.
Jane's job is interesting & she has a lot of potential, but she never really popped for me. Maybe it's a difference in sex, either on Perry's part or mine. Guys writing a main character that's a girl can be difficult. Me reading it can be tough, too. I don't understand them very well. There's nothing I can put my finger on, but I just never got into her character the way I have the guys in all his previous novels that I've read or even the way I did in the early Anita Blake novels. There were a lot of other really good characters, though. He really creates memorable ones.
The plot was fantastic & twisty, but he got repetitive at times as if he was trying to keep stupid readers on track. He did a fantastic job of foreshadowing many of the twists, but some of the biggest came out of the blue & just hit like a punch. They weren't illogical at all & kept the story going along at blazing speed when I thought it was about over. Great job!
The scenery was great. He wrote what he knows & it shows. He did a great job using her, her heritage & all to the best effect. Great job again!
The following could have been minor quibbles if Perry didn't do such a good job on so many other details. He makes a big deal out of how tough it is out in the wild, but then...
- A new rifle apparently comes sighted in & she never test fires it. He did this in a previous book (the first Butcher's Boy) too.
- The scoped rifle didn't need any protection even though it traveled in a canoe & was carried through the woods with a backpack & a canoe on single portages. Please!
- Anyone who has spent time in a canoe knows that protection against water & flotation devices for gear are needed. (Plastic bags are light & can serve for both with a bit of wire or string.) Any time you swap your paddle from one side to another, some water flies off the end of the paddle. They wet your stuff on top & slowly pool in the bottom to soak in from below in a very few hours. The smallest slip can duck a side into the water or even flip it. It's not a question of 'if', but of when & just how wet everything is going to get.
- His stuff.
- The whole Indian thing at the end. She did some light hiking in the area as a kid with her parents & they stuck to the marked trails, but she's tough & mad enough to
The worst thing about the whole novel was the money. Jane pays up front for people she disappears & then expects a 'gift' a year or so later & apparently makes a good living at it. Tough to swallow, but I rolled with it. What I couldn't take was at the end. It made no damn sense at all! I'm afraid that just about ruined the book for me. It was so damn pointless & stupid. I had to listen to it twice to make sure I'd heard it right.
I'm going to get another in this series. His second Butcher Boy was better than the first & he's done so well with so many other books that I believe he'll do better on the next. I sure hope so.
December 1, 2017
Humm...I'm often a little reticent when I'm not fond of a book. I considered going 3 stars on this one but I finally decided that my feelings were a little more negative than positive... I decided just now as it was something that happened at the end of the book that decided me. It's a device I'v seen used probably thousands of times with/about heroes/protagonists in books, movies and TV and it pretty much drives me crazy each time. I'll note it under a spoiler warning at the end of the review.
Other than that why had I settled on a 3 to 2 rating? Well it's not really the plot. The book is built around the idea of an individual who makes people disappear when they're on the run for their lives.
The problem is that story constantly bogs down. In the middle of a scene where the characters are being chased through the night and the 2 people get involved in a long convoluted discussion on native American genealogy. This kind of thing happens over and over. An action scene is suddenly broken up by what turns out to be simply long, long, long description or plot exposition.
The story itself has a nice set of twists with a good surprise plot twist and it is as I noted a good idea. i just found the execution very weak.
Now that is a subjective opinion and there are books in the series so others do like this better than I do so maybe fall back on prior learning and if you have found that I get annoyed at longer winded story telling more than you maybe give it a try and see what you think.
Other than that why had I settled on a 3 to 2 rating? Well it's not really the plot. The book is built around the idea of an individual who makes people disappear when they're on the run for their lives.
The problem is that story constantly bogs down. In the middle of a scene where the characters are being chased through the night and the 2 people get involved in a long convoluted discussion on native American genealogy. This kind of thing happens over and over. An action scene is suddenly broken up by what turns out to be simply long, long, long description or plot exposition.
The story itself has a nice set of twists with a good surprise plot twist and it is as I noted a good idea. i just found the execution very weak.
Now that is a subjective opinion and there are books in the series so others do like this better than I do so maybe fall back on prior learning and if you have found that I get annoyed at longer winded story telling more than you maybe give it a try and see what you think.
dnf
June 8, 2025DNFed at the 31% mark. Just couldn’t get into the story or characters, and it’s kind of boring. Best thing about this book, is it's been sitting on to-read shelf since Nov2021 and I get to include it in my 2025 "cleaning out the closet" challenge.
July 26, 2021
The "fixer" subgenre of crime stories is almost entirely an urban creature. Tales of people who work in the background of both sides of the law to make problems go away quietly, eliminate crime scenes, or make people disappear (with or without their consent) seem to be overwhelmingly set in or close to cities. After all, that's where the crime is, right? And the protagonists seem to be nearly all male, because it's a guy thing, right?
So right out of the box, Vanishing Act breaks the mold in two ways: Jane Whitefield, the protagonist, is a she, not a he, and she's based in a rural corner of upstate New York. She's a one-woman witness protection program helping people in trouble to disappear. "In trouble" usually means fleeing an abusive or potentially homicidal significant other, business partner, or criminal organization. She doesn't do fugitives, though certain types of criminals can apply for her services. John Felker is one of these; one of Jane's past clients supposedly referred him, and he's running from whoever has framed him for embezzlement. As tends to happen in these stories, all is not as it seems.
Jane is an interesting character. A member of the Seneca nation, she's steeped in the history and ways of her people, but she's able to function perfectly well in the modern world (=1995 in this book, so for younger readers, this is a historical). She runs a network of contractors and accomplices across the continent to help her erase her clients. She's competent, independent, frugal with words, but not so steely that she can't feel guilt, apprehension, or sorrow.
The author does a creditable job with weaving Jane's thoughts and memories into the narrative without stomping the brakes on the pacing. We get her views of local history as filtered through a Seneca sensibility and a taste of their culture as it fits into present-day life without it becoming ethnography. Forests, lakes, streams, and hills take the place of the usual subways and alleys, and the author describes them evocatively without descending into nature porn.
With all of this, why only three stars? The character and setting are done well, but the plot needs a fixer of a different kind. The big midpoint revelation isn't much of a surprise; if you read enough of these stories, you'll see it coming way before Our Heroine does. Jane has remarkably loose vetting standards for her clients given who they or their pursuers are. She spends a great deal of money turning Felker into someone else, which makes the financing scheme for her operation (and her final action in the story) hard to swallow. But the biggest problem -- the one that carved one whole star off the rating all by itself -- comes in the climax, where Jane has to suddenly become a wilderness survival and tracking savant with little indication beforehand that she's got the skill set. Yes, she knows her way around an oar, but being able to beat the climbing wall at the gym doesn't mean you're ready to free-climb El Capitan. Even if this is supposed to be ancestral knowledge passed down through oral tradition, we need more clues that she's a hardened outdoorswoman before we go slogging through uncharted wilderness with her.
Vanishing Act gives us an intriguing character in an unusual and well-realized setting, then fails to stick the landing with a plot that didn't spend enough time in the cookpot over the campfire. This is the first of nine books in the series, so there's hope that the author will work out his plotting problems in subsequent episodes. I may pay another visit to Jane Whitefield in the future, but only after I get over the letdown this time.
So right out of the box, Vanishing Act breaks the mold in two ways: Jane Whitefield, the protagonist, is a she, not a he, and she's based in a rural corner of upstate New York. She's a one-woman witness protection program helping people in trouble to disappear. "In trouble" usually means fleeing an abusive or potentially homicidal significant other, business partner, or criminal organization. She doesn't do fugitives, though certain types of criminals can apply for her services. John Felker is one of these; one of Jane's past clients supposedly referred him, and he's running from whoever has framed him for embezzlement. As tends to happen in these stories, all is not as it seems.
Jane is an interesting character. A member of the Seneca nation, she's steeped in the history and ways of her people, but she's able to function perfectly well in the modern world (=1995 in this book, so for younger readers, this is a historical). She runs a network of contractors and accomplices across the continent to help her erase her clients. She's competent, independent, frugal with words, but not so steely that she can't feel guilt, apprehension, or sorrow.
The author does a creditable job with weaving Jane's thoughts and memories into the narrative without stomping the brakes on the pacing. We get her views of local history as filtered through a Seneca sensibility and a taste of their culture as it fits into present-day life without it becoming ethnography. Forests, lakes, streams, and hills take the place of the usual subways and alleys, and the author describes them evocatively without descending into nature porn.
With all of this, why only three stars? The character and setting are done well, but the plot needs a fixer of a different kind. The big midpoint revelation isn't much of a surprise; if you read enough of these stories, you'll see it coming way before Our Heroine does. Jane has remarkably loose vetting standards for her clients given who they or their pursuers are. She spends a great deal of money turning Felker into someone else, which makes the financing scheme for her operation (and her final action in the story) hard to swallow. But the biggest problem -- the one that carved one whole star off the rating all by itself -- comes in the climax, where Jane has to suddenly become a wilderness survival and tracking savant with little indication beforehand that she's got the skill set. Yes, she knows her way around an oar, but being able to beat the climbing wall at the gym doesn't mean you're ready to free-climb El Capitan. Even if this is supposed to be ancestral knowledge passed down through oral tradition, we need more clues that she's a hardened outdoorswoman before we go slogging through uncharted wilderness with her.
Vanishing Act gives us an intriguing character in an unusual and well-realized setting, then fails to stick the landing with a plot that didn't spend enough time in the cookpot over the campfire. This is the first of nine books in the series, so there's hope that the author will work out his plotting problems in subsequent episodes. I may pay another visit to Jane Whitefield in the future, but only after I get over the letdown this time.
February 27, 2024
I was in the mood for a crime thriller a couple of weeks ago but the one I chose, Gangsterland, came up short for me. Though this is not a genre I read a ton of, it is one I like and when I am in the mood not much else will do so I decided to try again. Several books by Thomas Perry had been recommended by various friends in the past and this seemed like a good opportunity to check him out. I don't think anyone recommended this particular book, but I chose it because it was first in a series with a female lead. It was a great choice. This was lots of fun. Jane Whitfield (our leading lady) is a badass. She is a Native American woman who uses her extraordinary mental and physical prowess and her loose network of people who fly under the radar, tribe members, immigrants, low-wage workers, to help disappear people who are running for their safety. This is intended to be for the good, abused women, conscientious objectors, people escaping the mob etc. I cannot talk about the person in search of a new identity in this book without spoiling pretty much everything, but it is fun and surprising.
Aspects of this are dated (it was published in 1995) and not just the references to floppy discs and the mad search for landlines but also prevailing attitudes about many things. It is noticeable, but it in no way ruins the story any more than it does when one is reading Agatha Christie. I will definitely be returning to the series, and I suspect there will be more thrillers and mysteries coming up in my feed since it whetted my appetite for more.
Aspects of this are dated (it was published in 1995) and not just the references to floppy discs and the mad search for landlines but also prevailing attitudes about many things. It is noticeable, but it in no way ruins the story any more than it does when one is reading Agatha Christie. I will definitely be returning to the series, and I suspect there will be more thrillers and mysteries coming up in my feed since it whetted my appetite for more.
July 31, 2016
An excellent female protagonist is the focus of this first in a series by Thomas Perry. Jane Whitefield belongs to a network of guides who help people disappear when they are threatened by the very powerful or unscrupulous. It's a premise that can carry on for many interesting books I hope. This one was set around Lake Ontario and I loved following the action everywhere it led. The complex plotting and pursuit are definitely worthy of the author of The Butcher's Boy.
December 28, 2015
Jane Whitefield is a Native American woman who specializes in making people disappear, she is like a black market, 1 person witness protection crew. I picked up this book becase the series was recommended in the Seattle Times. The premise and protagonist are full of potential, but it is never realized in this book. Jane is interesting, but too solitary for any real character developemnt to take place, so the reader sympathetic to her, but always at arm's legnth. There are only two other "major" characters in the book, and Jane doesn't spend much time in dialogue or interacting with either of them in important ways, and she spends a lot of the book by herself, so there are long sections of interior monologue or exposition, or actions that advance or explain the plot, but don't develop the story very much.
Perry has a good grasp of the mechanics of how to "start" a new life. This part of the book is very interesting. He also apparently knows a lot about Native American culture and history, because there are major "dumps" of it scattered throughout the book as Jane visits new areas and can somehow "sense" the history that is there. But the history device, while informationally accurate and interesting on some level, ultimately is used very clumsily.
I'll probably give the next book in the series a try. Jane has a lot of potential to be a great protagonist, and to be put in lots of interesting situations. It was probably Perry's first major novel, and sometimes it takes time for an author or a chartacter to hit his/her stride, but I won't be long do abandon it.
Perry has a good grasp of the mechanics of how to "start" a new life. This part of the book is very interesting. He also apparently knows a lot about Native American culture and history, because there are major "dumps" of it scattered throughout the book as Jane visits new areas and can somehow "sense" the history that is there. But the history device, while informationally accurate and interesting on some level, ultimately is used very clumsily.
I'll probably give the next book in the series a try. Jane has a lot of potential to be a great protagonist, and to be put in lots of interesting situations. It was probably Perry's first major novel, and sometimes it takes time for an author or a chartacter to hit his/her stride, but I won't be long do abandon it.
January 9, 2020
I've been engrossed in a number of series involving strong Native-American women and their mysticism, from the Hillerman's, Margaret Coel or even Craig Johnson, but this is the first that dealt with one from an East Coast, woodland tribe...Jane Whitefield, of the Seneca, is a "Rock Your World" heroine who runs kind of a "private" Witness Protection Program for people who want to disappear...In the first of the series, someone has "hacked' into her pipeline and some of her contacts have been killed...It is a race to plug the leaks before more damage is done...Huge twists keep pages flying by...Good Stuff!!!
January 27, 2018
5* Wow, what a trip. I came across this book because James Thane reviewed “The Old Man” by Thomas Perry and mentioned the Jane Whitefield series. I tried to borrow The Old Man from my library but it wasn’t available, so I took two others that were. Perry is a new author to me and I don’t know how I could be unaware of him. I’m very glad for this discovery because I need to get into another series and this book has astonished me.
I was hooked immediately by the action and soon the main character. There was no going back. As the audiobook played on, the action was unrelenting, and I was more and more intrigued by the character and all the detail surrounding her. What made this a particular treat for me was that there was so much information about history and early peoples, their lives and conflicts, even before the white man came. And, for action! For much of the wilderness chase I felt I was right there with them. I am a hiker and wilderness camper, though no expert on anything, but it seemed believable to me. Only one thing tripped me up. I suspect that the birds were ravens, not crows. But then, what do I know?
When I listen to this again in the future, I look forward to being able to understand and process more of the detail.
Meanwhile, I’m a little breathless and shaking my head at the skill of yet another author.
Good One!
I was hooked immediately by the action and soon the main character. There was no going back. As the audiobook played on, the action was unrelenting, and I was more and more intrigued by the character and all the detail surrounding her. What made this a particular treat for me was that there was so much information about history and early peoples, their lives and conflicts, even before the white man came. And, for action! For much of the wilderness chase I felt I was right there with them. I am a hiker and wilderness camper, though no expert on anything, but it seemed believable to me. Only one thing tripped me up. I suspect that the birds were ravens, not crows. But then, what do I know?
When I listen to this again in the future, I look forward to being able to understand and process more of the detail.
Meanwhile, I’m a little breathless and shaking my head at the skill of yet another author.
Good One!
January 11, 2011
I really didn't like this book. I read it because my book club chose it and I had to force myself to finish. I found the plot totally opposite anything the main character, Jane, would have done. She totally trusted a guy and offered to help him ignoring all of the clues he gave about his true self. As aware as she was of her surroundings all the time I found this totally unbelievable.
Basically she is someone who helps people hide and gives them new identities, surely she must have thought at sometime people whould track her down and try to get the new information of the people who were in hiding.
And at one point she actually took the client to the fake id guy! I mean I have never been in the business but something tells me that he would be very confidential and in hiding, not showing a person where all of his files are.
Dont bother, really not good
Basically she is someone who helps people hide and gives them new identities, surely she must have thought at sometime people whould track her down and try to get the new information of the people who were in hiding.
And at one point she actually took the client to the fake id guy! I mean I have never been in the business but something tells me that he would be very confidential and in hiding, not showing a person where all of his files are.
Dont bother, really not good
April 3, 2017
I've read a couple of the Jane Whitefield stories from later in the series, so decided to go back to the beginning. I really enjoyed this story -- the intricate weave of the characters kept you guessing what was going to happen. The ending was great, which is always a bump up in rating for me. A very good listen on audio CD -- 7 out of 10.
April 2, 2019
I tried reading this some time ago and for whatever reason did not continue reading it. I checked this out again and I am very glad I did. This book is a very compelling read and a terrific portrait of a strong woman with Seneca Indian heritage gifted in many survival skills.
It covers the work she does to help people who need to be relocated, but in this book she is challenged with one very devious client.
There are many scenes set in mountainous forests with lakes to cross and trials to conquer and a good deal of Indian lore. I hope to read the next Jane Whitefield soon, but once the book is started it cannot be put down.
It covers the work she does to help people who need to be relocated, but in this book she is challenged with one very devious client.
There are many scenes set in mountainous forests with lakes to cross and trials to conquer and a good deal of Indian lore. I hope to read the next Jane Whitefield soon, but once the book is started it cannot be put down.
March 22, 2020
This is the first Thomas Perry book I've read, and I really liked it. It took me a little bit to get into it because I had just finished a western book and I kept thinking I was reading that book. I think it's because the MC, Jane Whitefield, is Native American, and she tells a lot of the history of tribes and it just sounded too familiar. I can't say I was "confused" but I definitely wish I'd read it farther apart from when I read my western.
I like that our heroine is one of those kick-ass heroines, strong female characters that leaves women like myself wishing I had some of that "kickassery" too! Jane takes people into a forest as a guide who helps them ghost the world.
Then, as it so often happens, she meets (guess what?) a...man! One whom she tends to think is something else! So when he needs her help, I wouldn't say things fall apart but they don't go as usual.
I will be reading book 2 for sure!! Cannot wait!
I like that our heroine is one of those kick-ass heroines, strong female characters that leaves women like myself wishing I had some of that "kickassery" too! Jane takes people into a forest as a guide who helps them ghost the world.
Then, as it so often happens, she meets (guess what?) a...man! One whom she tends to think is something else! So when he needs her help, I wouldn't say things fall apart but they don't go as usual.
I will be reading book 2 for sure!! Cannot wait!
September 15, 2015
In the first chapter, I loved this book and I loved Jane Whitefield. It was a kick ass start and I was excited to continue reading.
Then it lost me.
Jane's character first started to annoy me when the romance was brewing. She was distrusting his "attempts at lowering her defenses", but I really didn't feel that going on. There wasn't anything he said or did that seemed very flirtatious to me. It didn't ring true to me and I didn't feel the sparks.
Then, for someone so distrustful and over analyzing, it was impossible for me to believe that she missed the signs that he was very interested in finding out where Harry had gone. Really? Her main focus is making sure her clients can never be found. Now, she was really bugging me. All this obtuseness while she excessively scrutinizes every other detail of everything.
In the second part, I read with incredulity how she pieced together every detail about what happened to lead up to the betrayal and beyond. She pulled a lot of wild assumptions out of the air, and with such certainty. Of course, it was all true and correct. And really unbelievable considering her previous oversights.
The vision with the dead Harry in her imagination left me shaking me head. Harry says that it doesn't matter how or why he died, because everyone dies. Cancer, murder, the cause is not important. And then in the same vision, he implies that she has to stop Martin from killing her so the evil does not get stronger. And now she suddenly understands everything that she had been missing before. It just all made no sense to me. Could be my own denseness in this case....
Overall, the book and all its characters are too serious and earnest, and not terribly believable. Except maybe Jake. I like Jake.
Then it lost me.
Jane's character first started to annoy me when the romance was brewing. She was distrusting his "attempts at lowering her defenses", but I really didn't feel that going on. There wasn't anything he said or did that seemed very flirtatious to me. It didn't ring true to me and I didn't feel the sparks.
Then, for someone so distrustful and over analyzing, it was impossible for me to believe that she missed the signs that he was very interested in finding out where Harry had gone. Really? Her main focus is making sure her clients can never be found. Now, she was really bugging me. All this obtuseness while she excessively scrutinizes every other detail of everything.
In the second part, I read with incredulity how she pieced together every detail about what happened to lead up to the betrayal and beyond. She pulled a lot of wild assumptions out of the air, and with such certainty. Of course, it was all true and correct. And really unbelievable considering her previous oversights.
The vision with the dead Harry in her imagination left me shaking me head. Harry says that it doesn't matter how or why he died, because everyone dies. Cancer, murder, the cause is not important. And then in the same vision, he implies that she has to stop Martin from killing her so the evil does not get stronger. And now she suddenly understands everything that she had been missing before. It just all made no sense to me. Could be my own denseness in this case....
Overall, the book and all its characters are too serious and earnest, and not terribly believable. Except maybe Jake. I like Jake.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2021
Four stars, but with a caveat.
I'm a fan of Thomas Perry and this was my first foray into this specific series. I didn't know what to expect and for the most part, I was very pleased. The female protagonist is interesting and engaging, and the story, as I expected, was a complexly woven fabric of intrigue and misdirection.
So, what's not to like? Well, Jane Whitefield, a Native American guide who helps people needing to "disappear" and begin their lives anew, is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, she is incredibly able, smart, strong, and resourceful. She holds fast to her Seneca heritage, yet has mastered things of the modern world that few others have. On the other hand, however, there are times, particularly towards the latter quarter of the book, where she appears frail and impossibly over matched, only to miraculously turn the tables by "channeling" her ancestors' knowledge of weapons & the forest. Suddenly, she becomes the hunter and, well, to say more would be to give too much away.
The central twist is a good one, and Perry has done a masterful job creating some characters into which you can sink your teeth. But, there were also times when it felt as though I was reading a primer on Iroquois history and culture-- borderline padding with pages that seemed to add unnecessary length to the book and broke the story's pace, which was brisk to say the least.
Upon reflection, it failed to top my favorites from this author, but is a series into which I'd dip now and again for sure. Perry's writing insures some very reliable diversion during these difficult times, and his fans would surely benefit from at least trying one of these on for size.
I'm a fan of Thomas Perry and this was my first foray into this specific series. I didn't know what to expect and for the most part, I was very pleased. The female protagonist is interesting and engaging, and the story, as I expected, was a complexly woven fabric of intrigue and misdirection.
So, what's not to like? Well, Jane Whitefield, a Native American guide who helps people needing to "disappear" and begin their lives anew, is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, she is incredibly able, smart, strong, and resourceful. She holds fast to her Seneca heritage, yet has mastered things of the modern world that few others have. On the other hand, however, there are times, particularly towards the latter quarter of the book, where she appears frail and impossibly over matched, only to miraculously turn the tables by "channeling" her ancestors' knowledge of weapons & the forest. Suddenly, she becomes the hunter and, well, to say more would be to give too much away.
The central twist is a good one, and Perry has done a masterful job creating some characters into which you can sink your teeth. But, there were also times when it felt as though I was reading a primer on Iroquois history and culture-- borderline padding with pages that seemed to add unnecessary length to the book and broke the story's pace, which was brisk to say the least.
Upon reflection, it failed to top my favorites from this author, but is a series into which I'd dip now and again for sure. Perry's writing insures some very reliable diversion during these difficult times, and his fans would surely benefit from at least trying one of these on for size.
March 18, 2010
This one was big on blah, blah when blah would have worked better.
May 16, 2018
Jane Whitefield, a Native American woman who loves her heritage and isn't afraid to tell it like it is has a secret business of helping people disappear. When a man appears at her house for help, convinces her that he is being honest about his situation, and journeys with her through the steps in order to disappear, everything that could go wrong, does. She has made a mistake and Jane never makes mistakes. It is up to her to rectify it and though it takes all her wits and talents to unveil the mystery of another client's death, she does so knowing the ending will not be pretty.
What a unique start to a series! I loved the structure in the way the characters are introduced. The writer seems to love talking about the history of Native Indians and it was a bit much for me. A little bit is fine, but this was excessive. It seemed unnecessary and irrelevant to the story. Okay, so I skipped some of that part and still enjoyed the suspense of the mystery. Throwing her elderly neighbor, Jake into the fray was creative and I like him. I think I found another series to work on. This will be a favorite, I'm sure.
What a unique start to a series! I loved the structure in the way the characters are introduced. The writer seems to love talking about the history of Native Indians and it was a bit much for me. A little bit is fine, but this was excessive. It seemed unnecessary and irrelevant to the story. Okay, so I skipped some of that part and still enjoyed the suspense of the mystery. Throwing her elderly neighbor, Jake into the fray was creative and I like him. I think I found another series to work on. This will be a favorite, I'm sure.
July 16, 2025
An enjoyable introduction to the Jane Whitefield series, although it had inconsistencies with pacing due to the nature of the story, the ending was quite satisfying.
A fresh take on the detective mystery-thriller story. Here we have Jane Whitefield, a Native American guide who helps endangered people vanish into safety. I enjoyed the cultural and geographical descriptions that gave me a feel about being there.
When something goes awry with the current case Jane is working on, she must solve a five-year-old murder mystery, where the police have failed, only to find the connection between the old case and her current case could put her life at risk.
I look forward to continuing this nine-book series.
A fresh take on the detective mystery-thriller story. Here we have Jane Whitefield, a Native American guide who helps endangered people vanish into safety. I enjoyed the cultural and geographical descriptions that gave me a feel about being there.
When something goes awry with the current case Jane is working on, she must solve a five-year-old murder mystery, where the police have failed, only to find the connection between the old case and her current case could put her life at risk.
I look forward to continuing this nine-book series.
February 8, 2023
⭐⭐⭐ ½ but rounded up for first in series
This was not bad, considering it's the first in a series. I thought it was a bit too drawn out, and got boring at times with a bit too much mysticism and dreaming for my tastes. However, the story idea was interesting, although I'm not sure if I'll get around to any more in the series. I guess it will depend on whether I read any trusted reviews that draw me in, especially any that imply that others are much better than the first.
This was not bad, considering it's the first in a series. I thought it was a bit too drawn out, and got boring at times with a bit too much mysticism and dreaming for my tastes. However, the story idea was interesting, although I'm not sure if I'll get around to any more in the series. I guess it will depend on whether I read any trusted reviews that draw me in, especially any that imply that others are much better than the first.
April 23, 2024
Vanishing Act is the first in Thomas Perry's Jane Whitefield series and it's a good start. Whitefield is a young Native American woman who lives in upstate New York and specializes in hiding people who really need to be hid. A man claiming to be a cop-turned accountant lands on her doorstep with a story that he's being framed for theft of a huge amount of cash by someone unknown to him and fears further attacks. Jane accepts the challenge, takes steps to create his new identity and get him into hiding, and ends up in bed with him. Eventually bad things happen and the whole story blows up, leaving Jane professionally embarrassed and mucho pissed off.
Whitefield is an interesting character and Perry's writing is competent. The story is compelling though it was clear at least to me that Whitefield was being manipulated and shouldn't have been surprised by what followed. A little too much reliance on dream content and a McGyver-esq conclusion knocked it down a star for me.
Whitefield is an interesting character and Perry's writing is competent. The story is compelling though it was clear at least to me that Whitefield was being manipulated and shouldn't have been surprised by what followed. A little too much reliance on dream content and a McGyver-esq conclusion knocked it down a star for me.
January 17, 2011
This is my first Thomas Perry novel. It will not be my last.
I am not usually enamored of female protagonists in crime thriller fiction. I'm in love with Jane Whitfield, though. Half Seneca, she has chosen to be a tribal member and acts accordingly. She has the ability to imagine how her ancestors, who inhabited the upstate New York area she lives in, were able to live and prosper before the coming of the Europeans.
She makes a living by helping people vanish. A career, she stumbled into when she was asked to help a fellow native American disappear. She still lives in the house of her childhood and has a feisty, 83 year old neighbor, Jake Reinert, who believes he needs to help keep her safe.
In this story, upon returning from an assignment, she discovers an ex-cop, John Felker, has broken in and is living in her house. Felker tells a story that Jane believes and she agrees to help him vanish. The story unfolds from there as they make their escape while being followed by four thugs. Eventually Felker gets his false identity and they split but problems ensue, dragging Jane back into Felker's life. I can't say more without spoiling the story. Suffice to say there is ample excitement as the truth is exposed.
The book is populated with interesting characters, particularly, the native Americans that assist her to say nothing of the resources she uses to set up Felker's false identity. The plot is very inventive. The descriptions of the upstate new York, Adirondack Mountain environment are fascinating. The description of the native American life style is well done and opened my eyes to some things I hadn't thought about.
I'm looking forward to reading more of Perry's work.
I am not usually enamored of female protagonists in crime thriller fiction. I'm in love with Jane Whitfield, though. Half Seneca, she has chosen to be a tribal member and acts accordingly. She has the ability to imagine how her ancestors, who inhabited the upstate New York area she lives in, were able to live and prosper before the coming of the Europeans.
She makes a living by helping people vanish. A career, she stumbled into when she was asked to help a fellow native American disappear. She still lives in the house of her childhood and has a feisty, 83 year old neighbor, Jake Reinert, who believes he needs to help keep her safe.
In this story, upon returning from an assignment, she discovers an ex-cop, John Felker, has broken in and is living in her house. Felker tells a story that Jane believes and she agrees to help him vanish. The story unfolds from there as they make their escape while being followed by four thugs. Eventually Felker gets his false identity and they split but problems ensue, dragging Jane back into Felker's life. I can't say more without spoiling the story. Suffice to say there is ample excitement as the truth is exposed.
The book is populated with interesting characters, particularly, the native Americans that assist her to say nothing of the resources she uses to set up Felker's false identity. The plot is very inventive. The descriptions of the upstate new York, Adirondack Mountain environment are fascinating. The description of the native American life style is well done and opened my eyes to some things I hadn't thought about.
I'm looking forward to reading more of Perry's work.
July 16, 2012
A friend recommended we try author Perry, so we glommed onto “Vanishing Act”, the first in his seven-book Jane Whitefield series. Whitefield is indeed an interesting leading lady – of Seneca Indian heritage, she lives in the same western New York state area from which Perry hails. Her “occupation” is like a one-woman Witness Protection Program – she helps people disappear through all manner of elaborate schemes and new identities.
In the first half of the tale, John Felker arrives on her doorstep, claiming he is the victim of a complicated embezzling scheme (so he goes ahead and takes the money!). Jane proceeds to set him up for a new life after the two of them escape four bad guys already chasing him. In the second half, when a former client (who “referred” Felker) is murdered, Jane is alarmed at the ties between the two and the danger that poses for Felker. The plot thickens when a huge twist we never saw coming turns the tables on the chased and the chasers, with Jane’s knowledge of the old Indian ways a major asset to her survival.
The novel is reminiscent of Tony Hillerman’s stories about the Navajo – indeed, many readers found all the Indian lore boring, while others enjoyed its role in the plot. However, Perry’s writing style and craft in detailing the action make Jane’s entertaining exploits much more of a thriller than the slower, more “mysterious” Hillerman work. We enjoyed this suspenseful first entry in the set, and would definitely try another.
In the first half of the tale, John Felker arrives on her doorstep, claiming he is the victim of a complicated embezzling scheme (so he goes ahead and takes the money!). Jane proceeds to set him up for a new life after the two of them escape four bad guys already chasing him. In the second half, when a former client (who “referred” Felker) is murdered, Jane is alarmed at the ties between the two and the danger that poses for Felker. The plot thickens when a huge twist we never saw coming turns the tables on the chased and the chasers, with Jane’s knowledge of the old Indian ways a major asset to her survival.
The novel is reminiscent of Tony Hillerman’s stories about the Navajo – indeed, many readers found all the Indian lore boring, while others enjoyed its role in the plot. However, Perry’s writing style and craft in detailing the action make Jane’s entertaining exploits much more of a thriller than the slower, more “mysterious” Hillerman work. We enjoyed this suspenseful first entry in the set, and would definitely try another.
September 29, 2019
This is the first book featuring Jane Whitefield, a Native American (Seneca) who has made a career in helping people disappear in order to generaly saving their life. The writer does weave Native American history, stories, theology, and cultural practices into the novel.
In this first book, Vanishing Act, a man burglars Janes house in order to ask Jane to help him disappear, claiming that he was sent to her by an old client of hers, Harry Kemple. She overcomes her initial distrust and helps him escape from a group of hitmen and manages to take him out of harms' way.
However this is only one side of the story when she finds out that this refugee is somebody else completely and it is because her actions that people actually died. Jane does show that she not only can make people disappear but she is very capable of tracking them down to in order to get to the bottom of her clients deceit.
A fairly well written thriller that delivers a believable heroine who is clearly interesting albeit a wee bit one dimensional in this first book. I will visit her again without any question of doubt, curious how she will develop in the next eight novels who were released from 1994 to 2014. The writer must certainly have gone some kind of growth.
In this first book, Vanishing Act, a man burglars Janes house in order to ask Jane to help him disappear, claiming that he was sent to her by an old client of hers, Harry Kemple. She overcomes her initial distrust and helps him escape from a group of hitmen and manages to take him out of harms' way.
However this is only one side of the story when she finds out that this refugee is somebody else completely and it is because her actions that people actually died. Jane does show that she not only can make people disappear but she is very capable of tracking them down to in order to get to the bottom of her clients deceit.
A fairly well written thriller that delivers a believable heroine who is clearly interesting albeit a wee bit one dimensional in this first book. I will visit her again without any question of doubt, curious how she will develop in the next eight novels who were released from 1994 to 2014. The writer must certainly have gone some kind of growth.
October 16, 2012
All of the Jane Whitefield thrillers are page turners that will leave your heart pounding and your palms wet. Don't read them at bedtime unless you have the luxury of being able to read one till it's over, and then sleep. An adrenaline rush you won't soon forget, this whole series is remarkable. My family has tried to steal them before I was done (and my husband succeeded, once, on vacation; who's going to pick a fight during a vacation? At least he read it FAST!).
The basic premise: once in awhile, someone needs to disappear, and the standard Witness Protection program doesn't apply. Whitefield helps turn them into someone else.
When you read these books, be prepared to look over your shoulder and hear footsteps behind you for at least a week.
Riveting!
The basic premise: once in awhile, someone needs to disappear, and the standard Witness Protection program doesn't apply. Whitefield helps turn them into someone else.
When you read these books, be prepared to look over your shoulder and hear footsteps behind you for at least a week.
Riveting!
February 21, 2012
i did not really care for this book. Another reviewer said that they found the main characters actions contrary to her character. I have to agree. When Jane chose to sleep wth John, I was surprised. It totally did not agree with her actions up to that point nor with the character she was supposed to be playing.
I also found the history lessons on the Native Americans out of sync with the rest of the book, like little subtexts. I am also not a fan of how the book was laid out - where you sorta start in the middle of the story and the back history is a flashback. Maybe the author should have started the story with Harry.
I also found the history lessons on the Native Americans out of sync with the rest of the book, like little subtexts. I am also not a fan of how the book was laid out - where you sorta start in the middle of the story and the back history is a flashback. Maybe the author should have started the story with Harry.
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