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.

No Thomas Perry Book has ever let me down (and I've read every one I could get my hands on!) Jane Whitefield is my favorite of his characters -- just ahead of the Butcher's Boy -- but they all share the traits of intelligence, vigilance and resourcefulness. In Jane's case, she carries a history of Native American culture and spirituality, which makes the stories true standouts.

Jane has been in semi-retirement for a few years from her calling as a guide to people who must disappear from their own lives. Such a person finds her, however, and impels her to take on another mission. This time, however, the stakes ratchet up when people get involved who want to seize not just the "runner," but Jane herself.

The books are enriched by Perry's deep knowledge and meticulous research. Thanks to NetGalley and Mysterious Press for an advance readers copy.

I have read all the books in this series, very intriguing edge of seat thrillers, Jane Whitefield helps people. escape their trouble dangerous life. Jane had given up that part of her life till an old friend reaches out to her to help a woman. The woman’s problems create a dangerous situation where Jane is now the hunted by a deadly crime syndicate. She has to out smart a group of killers to keep herself safe and insure the new life she has established for her client.

Thank you for the ARC through NetGalley. I enjoyed reading this book. It's the first book for me by Thomas Perry and so also the first I read in the Jane Whitefield series. It's a very interesting set up and has great potential. Jane helps people to disappear. This means that she is a wanted person for all the bad guys who want to find the runners Jane helped to find a new identity. The book never gets boring. However, I missed some additional developments. Jane and Sara are on the run. Oleg Porchen and Albert McKeith are chasing them. Some of the encounters end deadly and bloody.
I'll give three stars: I liked it.

I love Thomas Perry's Jane Whitefield novels. Jane takes people and helps them to disappear. She is very good at what she does.

This novel has Jane helping a woman named Sara disappear and start a new life after testifying against her boyfriend at his murder trial. The boyfriend got off and now wants to kill her. Oh, and some Russian mob people want to find Jane and torture her to get the information on all the people she's saved over the years.

What follows is a cat and mouse chase full of tension and trickery. The twists and turns of the plot mirror Jane's feelings about what she's doing and her fears about the future.

This is a great read.

Jane Whitefield is back in this latest Thomas Perry book, and it’s fun to see her back in action. Jane is doing her usual, helping a young woman disappear but unfortunately for her she has attracted the attention of some very dangerous people. People with resources and skills she has never had to deal with before. I loved this book. The action starts from the first page and continues to the end of the book. The ending is very clever. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

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.

This is the ninth book in the Jane Whitefield series. What sets Thomas Perry apart from many authors in the burgeoning suspense/thriller genre is his intelligent writing and depth of knowledge of the Seneca culture and survival techniques. These are wickedly clever and sophisticated offerings.

Descended from a long line of warriors, Jane Whitefield’s calling is to help people who are in danger of being killed to disappear. A different way of putting it is that she draws on her heritage and her innate skills to create seconds chances – complete with new identities, new homes and new careers. Most importantly, she trains her “clients” to live a life of supreme awareness, always monitoring their environments for potential threats of discovery. It sounds like an exhausting way to live, but it beats the alternative.
Having assisted over 100 people, Jane has often found herself in dangerous situations – not only for her clients, but also for her own safety. There are those who would like to find her to obtain the new identities and locations of the individuals they seek and they are willing to extract the information by any means necessary.

That brings us to the newest book. Jane is married and has promised her surgeon husband that she will curtail her guide activities. However, a young woman shows up unannounced at her ancestral home seeking Jane’s assistance. Her boyfriend made her witness his murdering of a man she had a one-night stand with and she subsequently testified against him. Unfortunately, he was acquitted and intends to track her down and kill her as payback. The boyfriend connects with members of Russian organized crime, who agree to help only because they are interested in making money off the capture of Jane.

The taut storyline leads the reader on a chase up and down the New England coast and to the treacherous Hundred Mile Wilderness of the northern portion of the Appalachian Trail. Jane’s skills are put to the test as she is hunted by four Russian woodsmen. It makes for an intriguing, fast-paced adventure…I couldn’t put the book down at this point.

I love this series and highly recommended not only this latest offering, but the other eight books as well.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

The Left-Handed Twin by Thomas Perry(Jane Whitefield #9)-This is the ninth book in Thomas Perry's series about a modern day woman with a Native American background, who helps people on the run from various life-threatening agendas. She takes them to safe places and along the way teaches them how to stay hidden and stay alive. In this outing, she is escorting a young woman to safety when a Russian gang becomes aware of her location, and decides to kidnap her so they can slowly torture her for knowledge of past runners then charge others for this information. The action moves to the Appalachian Trail, where Jane must use all her expertise and cunning to stay ahead of her trackers.
This is a very enjoyable fast read. The pace is relentless and filled with close calls. Just relax and enjoy.

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!

As I’ve learned from experience, beginning a series with one of its later books is always a bit of a gamble for a reader. There is just so much backstory already out there that the new-to-the-series reader may experience the novel completely differently than veteran series readers will experience it. And that is never a good thing. Some authors do a better job than others in catching a new reader up with at least the basic backstory, however, and Thomas Perry turns out to be one of those with that skill. This means that The Left-Handed Twin can be enjoyed as a standalone by new readers as well as the latest addition (the ninth) in the Jane Whitefield series.

Jane Whitefield has a very special skill, and she is good at it. She can keep “runners” alive long enough to make them disappear forever. Not only does Jane create new identities for them, she teaches her runners the skills they will need to remain hidden for the rest of their lives. She helps them find new jobs, leaves them with enough cash to get started, and vows to carry their secrets with her to her deathbed. She has, in fact, sworn an oath to the runners and herself that she will die before allowing herself to be forced to reveal any of the new identities she has created.

But despite having successfully relocated over 100 people now, Jane has a life of her own. She’s married to a successful doctor, a man who has learned to live with Jane’s occasional sudden disappearances from his own life despite his fear that one day she may disappear for good. So when Dr. Carey McKinnon comes home one evening to find that Jane has prepared a special evening at home for the two of them, he knows that she is going to be leaving their western New York home again sometime before the night is over.

This time, it is a young Los Angeles woman whose boyfriend has been found innocent in a murder trial despite the woman’s eyewitness testimony against him who desperately needs Jane’s help. The man wants the woman dead — and Jane refuses to let that happen. It all seems fairly routine to Jane right up to the point that the boyfriend manages to hire the Russian crime brotherhood to help him find Sara and bring her back to him for disposal. But why would an organized crime group as powerful as this one want to help a nobody like Sara’s boyfriend?

It turns out that Jane is a very valuable commodity to the Russian mobsters. They plan to capture her alive and force her to reveal the new identities of all the people she has helped hide over the years. And they plan to make millions of dollars by selling Janes runners, one-by-one, back to the people still wanting to get their hands on them. It is not the first time that a chaser has figured out that Jane is much more valuable than the people she helps, so when she learns that the Russians are after her, Jan knows that this is a whole new ballgame. And the real chase is on.

The Left-Handed Twin is a terrific chase thriller that winds its way through several cities of the Northeast before Jane decides to put her outdoor fitness skills to use by leading four Russians on a trek across the roughest part of the Appalachian Trail, a deserted 100-mile stretch known as Maine’s Hundred Mile Wilderness. Jane plans to walk out of there alone — or die trying.

Bottom Line: Thomas Perry’s Jane Whitefield character is an interesting one. She is a direct descendent of Seneca warriors and she sees her role in life as one she shares with her ancestors. By now, Jane is a veteran of her chosen profession, but she may be in more real danger now than at any time of her life. That’s something I want to learn more about, so now I’ll be turning to the earlier books in the series to “continue” the Jane Whitefield story.

About the Author: Thomas Perry is the bestselling author of over twenty novels, including the critically acclaimed Jane Whitefield series, The Old Man, and The Butcher’s Boy, which won the Edgar Award.

Review of The Left-Handed Twin – A Jane Whitefield Novel by Thomas Perry
Oodles of nail-biting moments, tension and well-paced mystery book.

I’ve been a fan of Thomas Perry’s Jane Whitefield novels for over two decades. I was excited to receive an ARC of #9 “The Left Handed Twin.” Jane is back to doing what she does best and helping people disappear. This is a quick read and I want to thank Perry and the publisher for the opportunity to revisit an old friend.

I love Thomas Perry’s writing. I have read most of his books. This is the latest in the Jane Whitefield series. The last book seems to wrap things up, but Mr. Perry has a way of adding great installments to his series.
Jane goes to check on her family homestead and finds a young woman needing help.
This boyfriend has friends which are after Jane too. This one is very exciting with chase in the worst possible places on the Appalachian trail.
This is both exciting and terrifying to read. Jane uses all her strength, power, and knowledge to triumph in the end.
I highly recommend this book and all the books in this series. Thank you, Net Galley, for an advanced copy for an honest review. All opinions are my own

Jane is a contemporary woman who holds closely her Native American roots, teachings, and culture. True to her ancestors, she is able to help those in need disappear and be reborn. Like a witness protection program run by one person. In this case, she helps a young woman whose narcissistic boyfriend wants to murder her, because she served as a witness against him in a previous murder. However, the boyfriend unwittingly finds help from the Russian mafia in the U.S., and they are stone-cold killers. (Although I did chuckle at the Russian boss's frustration with renovation contractors, that was so relatable it was funny!) But otherwise, yikes. This was a thrilling read, not heavy on emotion but very interesting in the methods and means Jane uses to protect herself and wreak destruction on her enemies. I enjoyed reading about a strong, powerful woman who was able to take care of herself, and the weaving in of her ancestral memories and practices was a rich addition to the story. Lots of tension, well-paced, a real nail biter. Thanks to Netgalley for this advance read.

Brilliant writing and character development as expected from this author. Book was exactly what I was expecting and needed when I picked it up. Instant recommendation to friends and family.

I was issued this book by NetGalley for my unbiased review.

I have read a few books by Thomas Perry and they are all well written, and different.

The Left-Handed Twin is no exception. It is not really a mystery, or who done it? From the beginning you can tell who the good guys and the bad guys are. Even though one of the good guys might not be all that good. This book is more a "how we going to do it."

As usual, I enjoyed a Thomas Perry book and recommend it highly. Looking forward to more offerings from Mr. Perry. Well done.

If you have enjoyed any of the Jane Whitefield books, you will like this latest in the series. Jane is an expert on helping people (I don't remember if any have been men) escape their lives when they are in mortal danger. She is kind of like a one-person witness protection program.

In this installment she helps a woman who witnessed her boyfriend kill a man that she had slept with. Somehow he was acquitted of the crime and was out to kill her. A lot of expert resources were being used, more than the boyfriend would have. Eventually you find out the the Russian mafia was actually looking for Jane so they could get the location of people she had placed.

The book was a quick read and very good. There were a few pretty implausible parts, which can be expected, and the end was kind of a jumble. It ended like the book was at the designated length and so suddenly 20 pages were condensed into two. I am only rating four stars because of some of these holes/implausibilities (like if she is on a trail with one entrance and one exit, why wouldn't the bad guys have someone waiting on either end instead of trying to find her in the middle?) But I liked it and am looking forward to the next book by this author, whose work I always enjoy.

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!

I’d never read anything by Thomas Perry and knew nothing about his Jane Whitefield novels. I enjoyed “The Left-Handed Twin” so much that I’m looking forward to reading the other eight in the series.

Jane Whitefield is a terrific character. Most of the time, she’s devoted to building a life with her husband—unless and until she’s called upon to use her special skills to help someone in mortal danger “disappear” into a new life. She’s a little bit like the folks at “Witness Protection,” except she doesn’t have the government or its money or resources behind her. In fact, she’s almost completely on her own. So, it takes a lot for this deeply spiritual Native American (Seneca) woman to become invested in someone’s cause. But once she is, she’s “all in,” forever committed to keeping the identity and location of everyone she’s helped—almost all of them permanently “on the run” from very bad people—completely secret.

In “The Left-Handed Twin,” Jane helps LA party-girl Sarah escape a boyfriend who wants to kill her for betraying him. That boyfriend turns to Russian mobsters for assistance. When they learn that Jane is involved, Jane (and her very valuable knowledge of who and where all her past “escapees” are) becomes the target.

So, the stakes are high. Which makes us want to keep turning the pages to find out how it all comes out in the end. But it’s what Jane does along the way—the various strategies and methods and tools she employs to delay, distract, and attempt to defeat pursuers—that I found both enlightening and entertaining. Not since Frederick Forsythe’s “The Day of The Jackal” have a I read a novel so focused on the mechanics of eluding a pursuer. While it skimps a bit on the nuts and bolts of how to create a new paper identity (and no, you won’t even begin to learn how to do that), it fully explores the mindset and awareness one must employ to change absolutely everything about oneself in order to elude a pursuer. And while some tasks necessary for Sara’s assumption of a new identity seem a little too easily accomplished, like finding a new, high-paying job, Jane’s strategies and tactics for battling her own very capable and dangerous pursuers are riveting.

The supporting characters are fairly interesting, even if they all are well-recognized types (But hey, this is a thriller, not Fitzgerald or Faulkner). And Mr. Perry employs a variety of diverse settings, including LA and its “party scene,” upstate New York, and one of the toughest stretches along the northern Appalachian Trail, all of which he writes about authoritatively and with specificity.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing to me this ARC in exchange for my independent review.