Runner, A Jane Whitefield Novel

Runner, A Jane Whitefield Novel
by Thomas Perry

Runner, A Jane Whitefield Novel
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Book Summary Information

Author: Thomas Perry
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-01-14
ISBN: 0151015287
Number of pages: 448
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin / Harcourt

Book Reviews of Runner, A Jane Whitefield Novel

Book Review: Jane Whitefield is back!
Summary: 4 Stars

Jane McKinnon has been leading a calm and quiet life for the last five years (fictional years, that is; it has been nine "real" years since her last outing in one of Perry's books). As the wife of a Buffalo, NY surgeon, she has spent most of that time doing volunteer work - and hoping to start a family. She's struggling with the fact that hasn't happened when a series of (literally) explosive events forces her back into a life she thought she had left behind: as Jane Whitefield, half-Seneca Indian and a guide of sorts for individuals in danger who need to abandon their lives and `vanish' from the world they inhabit.

The current runner referred to in the title is Christine, a naïve 20-year-old who, after discovering she is pregnant, flees her abusive and much older boyfriend and boss. Partly because he wants her back and partly out of fear that she'll disclose his less-than-legal professional doings, Richard has sent a six-person team in pursuit of Christine as she, in turn, tries to reach Jane; a woman, she has been told, who can keep her safe. Times have changed since Jane returned from her last adventures, taking "people from places where somebody is trying to kill them to other places where nobody" threatens them. Post 9/11, it's harder to travel on false documents or even obtain them -- and besides, Jane had promised her husband not to venture into danger again. But something about the young girl -- perhaps her pregnancy, of which Jane struggles in vain not to be envious -- persuades her to take her to safety, despite the risk that this will upset her own peaceful life.

I'm a big fan of Perry's Jane Whitefield series, which is one reason I have celebrated her return as a character with this four-star rating. Still, in a number of ways, this latest episode isn't as compelling as his earlier books, such as Vanishing Act (Jane Whitfield Novel) and The Face-Changers (Jane Whitefield Novels). Perhaps the problem is that there are only so many plot devices available to Perry; a finite number of options for the "pursuit & escape" narrative that these novels rely on. Most of the readers who have devoured Jane Whitefield's previous adventures by now are very familiar with a lot of the steps she takes, from "growing" new identities to having her runners cut off their ties to their past lives. Even many of the suspenseful chase scenes end up feeling somewhat repetitive. It's not that these elements are clumsily handled, but more that the feel somewhat repetitive to anyone who has read and re-read the previous books. Often, reading this felt a bit like re-reading a favourite novel; one that you are so familiar with that you know what is going to happen next when you turn the page or roughly what Jane will do or say next. That's not necessarily a bad thing - after all, we all tend to re-read our favorite books until we know them that well. Still, it's a constraint that Perry will encounter increasingly if he chooses to continue the Whitefield saga.

Another minor weakness that prevents me giving this book a five-star rating is that the book doesn't have as many complex plot twists as Jane's previous adventures. In Runner, the reader learns relatively early on who is after Christine and why, so the suspense revolves around what happens -- and it's pretty straightforward. Christine's problem is an abusive boyfriend who, for reasons of his own, doesn't want her to escape his clutches. The only real twist involves Richard's parents, who, for reasons of their own, have a compelling interest in Christine's soon-to-be-born child. The "what" is still a good suspense narrative, but in past books in the series, the "who" and "why" have been more fully developed.

Another element I missed in Runner were Perry's insights in the real lives of today's Iroquois and Seneca, often a feature of the previous thrillers. In this, with a few exceptions (such as Jane's dream sequences), her Seneca identity is almost incidental to the plot.

Jane hasn't lost her edge, however, and the cluster of characters who surround her (from the forger and the bounty hunter who recognizes her in an airport, to the ghost of a dead `runner' she accidentally betrayed) are as intriguing and wacky as ever. The book is still a good, suspenseful read -- perfect for that long airplane flight or the snowy winter day when you want something to grab your attention -- but those who haven't encountered Jane Whitefield before are likely to get the most out of it. This is a good enough yarn to persuade any of them to pick up her earlier adventures. And each of which is easily, hands-down, a five-start suspense novel that I could recommend without any of the reservations I have about this one.

Summary of Runner, A Jane Whitefield Novel

Jane Whitefield—New York Times best-selling writer Thomas Perry?s most popular character—returns from retirement to the world of the runner, guiding fugitives out of danger.
After a nine-year absence, the fiercely resourceful Native American guide JaneWhitefield is back, in the latest superb thriller by award-winning author Thomas Perry.
For more than a decade, Jane pursued her unusual profession: “I?m a guide . . . I show people how to go from places where somebody is trying to kill them to other places where nobody is.?Then she promised her husband she would never work again, and settled in to live a happy, quiet life as Jane McKinnon, the wife of a surgeon in Amherst, New York. But when a bomb goes off in the middle of a hospital fundraiser, Jane finds herself face to face with the cause of the explosion: a young pregnant girl who has been tracked across the country by a team of hired hunters.That night, regardless of what she wants or the vow she?s made to her husband, Jane must come back to transform one more victim into a runner. And her quest for safety sets in motion a mission that will be a rescue operation—or a chance for revenge.
Runner is Thomas Perry at the top of his form.

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