Perry's latest novel is a classic Jane Whitfield thriller. It can easily be read as a standalone, but a familiarity with the series enhances the enjoyment. Jane makes people who are marked for murder disappear from their old lives. They are not always totally innocent, but they don't deserve to die. When a young woman shows up at Jane's house she is running from a vengeful boyfriend. He had dragged her to the home of her only one-night-stand and killed the man while she was forced to watch. When he was acquitted after she testified against him at the trial, a tip from her defense lawyer, a contact of Jane's, led her to Jane's home in upper NY.

The plot seems to be a series of set pieces. The first set is Jane helping Sara establish a new identity and learn vigilance and survival skills. Oddly, for a Whitfield novel, there seemed little menace for the victim. She is easily extricated from her old life and placed into her new role with minimum fuss. Her story is just a means to get to the main plot, Jane herself being pursued by Russian gang members who had been recruited by the boyfriend. The leader had heard of Jane and knew she was worth a great deal of money for her information about the whereabouts of people she had hidden.

The second section is Jane playing life-and-death games with her pursuers on the Hundred Mile Wilderness of the Appalachian Trail in Maine. As in the very first novel of the series Vanishing Act, Jane lures the bad guys into hunting her on her own terms, the wild mountain terrain of her Indian ancestors. Her hunters use 21st century methods to try to kill her and she counters with the ancients skills of the Tonawanda warriors.

I found the resolution to the story a bit "off". It would have made more sense if the bad guys had done this first, but the story would not have been as enjoyable.

So, I have mixed feelings. I read it in two sittings and enjoyed it immensely. But afterwards I couldn't help thinking about parts that seemed less sharp than in previous novels. I learned way too much about Los Angeles party society, page after page of professional party planners and professional party goers. Jane seems to make a few basic mistakes, although the mistakes are necessary or the plot would have stopped flat. And she shows no emotion when a totally innocent victim is brutally murdered Finally, the end itself seemed a deus ex machina,

Still, for all its quirks, I still give it a four-star rating and hope Perry continues the series.

Another awesome page turner by Thomas Perry.
Jane helps people who need to disappear from their lives and start over. Her latest client is Sara, a woman running from her boyfriend, whom she witnessed killing a man. Jane has done this sort of thin hundreds of times, but this time nothing seems to go as planned. Establishing Sara in her new life is met with one deadly challenge after another.
Lots of suspenseful moments, kept me reading all night.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Having been a HUGE fan of Thomas Perry and his prior novels, I was so excited to be given the opportunity to read and review The Left-Handed Twin, prior to it's October 31, 2021, release date. The Left-Handed Twin, is part of the Jane Whitefield series. This is book 9 in the series.

Jane is determined to help those in need and will stop at nothing to make sure she does so. Jane is helping a young woman who had testified against her boyfriend in a murder trial. The trial does not go as planned and now the ex boyfriend is out for revenge.

This novel is filled with suspense and edge of your seat moments. I thoroughly enjoyed The Left-Handed Twin from start to finish and highly recommend!

As a long time fan of Thomas Perry novels, I was excited to be given an ARC of The Left-Handed Twin. Jane Whitfield specializes in helping people escape danger and start new lives. In the current novel, we are taken through many dangerous situations as she helps a woman escape. Once she accomplishes that, Russian gangsters chase her. We even went on a 100 mile wilderness trail I was so bored. This novel had little of the suspense i liked in other Perry novels. I didn't like the plot or the characters. Sorry Mr. Perry, but I will continue to read your novels. Everyone is entitled to a miss now and then. The writing is still top notch.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

If you’ve never read any of @tperry’s Thomas Perry’s Jane Whitefield novels you’ve missed one of the most unique and exciting heroines in crime fiction. Jane is a spiritual native American woman who has absorbed the ancient wisdom and skills of her ancestors which she combines with worldly knowledge to guide innocent and relentlessly pursued ‘runners’ to places of safety.
In The Left-handed Twin – the latest story for several years - Jane helps a young woman escape from her ex-boyfriend who is trying to kill her. This fairly ordinary task develops into a nightmare for Jane when she becomes targeted herself.
You can’t read any of these books without becoming completely hooked and The Left-handed Twin is no exception - however, you’ll enjoy them more if you start with Vanishing Act, the first in the series.

“The Left-Handed Twin” was the first Thomas Perry book I have read. While I enjoyed the plot and character/storyline developments throughout, I found the writing style to be a bit rocky. From the beginning to end, I felt it would have been beneficial from writing from a different perspective, allowing smoother, more cohesive storyline vs the third perspective it is written in.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley and Mysterious Press for providing me an advance copy (ARC) of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this story and leave my review voluntarily.

Thomas Perry writes pop bestsellers with an admirable knack for creating driving, suspenseful narratives that are hard to set aside. This is true in his latest, a pursuit tale that ranges through upstate New York and New England, culminating in a wilderness jaunt, on the upper reaches of the Appalachian Trail, that displays all of the thrilling pacing that Perry can bring to bear in his stories. He qualifies easily as one of our best storytellers in English, when pure story values and pacing are the essential criteria.
He’s not quite so impressive, though, in developing realistic dialogue and interactions between/among characters. The first half of this book --where his American Indian-descended protagonist explains at length the escape and avoidance practices she need her to embrace to avoid her Russian mafia pursuers-- tend to drag a bit. The final escape, a seemingly impossible locked room exploit, comes across as a bit contrived as well.
But both in this thriller and his others, when Mr. Perry sticks to the inner monologues of his protagonists and the straightforward sequences of their actions and escapes, wow, he’s among our best. I’m a fan.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Perry for the opportunity to read and review "The Left-Handed Twin" from W. W. Norton & Company. This is the latest in the Jane Whitefield stories and the most fraught with danger.

Having read a number of the other books - and fully intending to read all those I've missed - I was eager to read the latest, and happy with NetGalley's and the publisher's approval for the opportunity.

Jane is happy with her husband and her life, but when she makes a trip to her 'safe house' to check on things, she is startled to find an intruder - someone who has been sent to her by one of her legal contacts because she needs to disappear or be in danger of death.

Against all odds, her boyfriend - who was charged with murdering a man that she cheated on him with, in her presence - has been acquitted of the murder and has set out to wreak his revenge on her. But when Jane successfully helps her disappear, the ex- teams up with a Russian mobster with a vendetta against 'the woman who makes people disappear'.

And this begins a frantic chase along the worst part of the Appalachian Trail - the Hundred Mile Wilderness of Maine; Jane is being pursued by the Russian mob, and it will take all of her skill to come out of this alive. But when she is finally captured, beaten, tortured and threatened with death, all alone Jane resorts to the ultimate means of escape.

This is possibly one of the best in the series, and highly recommended.

When I requested the ARC I didn't realize that this was a series of books with the same character, Jane Whitefield. Some of the past novels were referenced but I didn't feel like I couldn't follow along with this story as a standalone, which I appreciated. I did get bored with some of the mundane things thrown in though (Jane buying in bulk to prep meals, etc.) but overall it kept me interested and reading.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've been a huge Thomas Perry fan far longer than I can remember, but it pains me to say this is not his best work.

It's the same wonderful writing and tight dialogue, we've all come to expect of course, but the plotting is a touch... well, slapdash. Huge chunks of the narrative turn on people appearing (or disappearing ) at a convenient (or inconvenient) moment. When they do, it is sometimes wholly illogical that they should and it is left completely unexplained why such an illogical thing would happen. If it weren't for one deus ex machina occurrence after another, there would be no coherent narrative here at all.

Still, not-his-best Thomas Perry is one whole hell of a lot better than most other stuff out there so I'd give THE LEFT-HANDED TWIN a solid thumbs up anyway.

Glad to have Jane back. She’s matured and has a slightly different “feel” after some years away from her fans, but her skills and personality still are much appreciated as she aides another victim in distress.

It’s been many years since I’ve read a Jane Whitefield novel and I was thrilled to see this new one available. Jane is an expert at helping people disappear. They return that help when possible, providing money, legal documents, and other items that allow Jane to continue her efforts to help those in need. She is thorough and meticulous. She's currently helping a young woman who testified against her boyfriend in a murder trial. The trial doesn't go as planned, and he's released and on the hunt to kill her. To accomplish this goal, he enlists the help of a group of Russians. They’ve heard stories about a mysterious woman who makes people disappear, never to be found again, and they believe there are people who would pay millions of dollars if she were to be found. Because of this, they are willing to help the boyfriend. Jane may have met her match this time with the Russian criminals involved.

The story has action, suspense, bad guys, danger, murder and, surprisingly, a HEA when all is said and done. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Mysterious Press. This review is my honest opinion.

Jane Whitefield has a talent. She can make people disappear. She is adept at helping people who are in trouble disappear from abusive relationships, debts, etc. No sin is worth someone’s death in her estimation.

I have to be honest, this book was not my favorite genre. It was more of an adventure story of Russian gangs chasing Jane and how she survived while on the run. There was great detail about how this worked and in my mind I could clearly see this as a movie. There were no surprises or even much dialogue. I still gave it 4 stars because it kept my interest until the end. Although it was well executed, it is not a series I will ever read again because it was just not for me.

I do appreciate the ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review. If you enjoy the art of the chase, this story is for you. Jane is a very unique and interesting character.

The ninth Jane Whitefield novel and what may be an end to the series. Jane has been done as a series before and come back. If this is the last it is a satisfying finish. Mr. Perry only writes when he has a good story he wants to tell and maybe he will find another for Jane. One can always hope.

This novel starts in a similar fashion to the other Jane's; with someone needing help getting away from bad people. Jane takes her away in the same way we have come to expect but it feels different. Word choice on Mr. Perry's part? I assume so but can't put my finger on it. At nearly every point I was on edge over what I expected to happen. I war rarely right in my expectations.

I would love to give The Left-Handed Twin a higher rating than 4 stars but there was a single point where Jane did not address something that seems obvious. I believe it was the author wanting to put in a truly wonderful set of scenes and deciding not to bring attention to a flaw in Jane's plan lest the (I repeat) truly wonderful set of scenes be derailed.

I will be happily re reading this book soon.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Left-Handed Twin by Thomas Perry. I absolutely am thrilled with the return of Jane Whitfield. Last year's "Eddie's Boy" was another return novel - I had never read the Butcher Boy books - but after Eddie's Boy, I read them all!
Perry is in his element and has provided Jane with up to date skills and tools for her to "hide" people who are running away from someone or something.
Jane is surprised to find a young woman at her home who is running for her life. This young girl is on the run from a boyfriend who is determined to kill her for testifying against him. Jane has her doubts, but is always true to form and helps her "run".
Their journey takes them across the country and has Jane running herself - this time from Russian criminals. Can Jane outsmart the people who want her "runner" dead or do they really want Jane herself who has a price on her head for all her years of hiding people. Perry's newest edition to this series is excellent and one not to miss!
My first novel of Thomas Perry was a Jane Whitfield book and his innovative writing and heart thurmping narrative has never disappointed me.
I loved this book and if you are a fan - read it. If you have never read any of these books - read this one, and start at the beginning of this series.
RECOMMEND - 5 stars!

I was thrilled to see that there was an ARC available for this next book in the Jane Whitefield series. I have read every book so far - I think there have been 8 previous books - and I have even read the standalones by Mr. Perry. He has not disappointed me yet.

With that being said, this was a different book. From the beginning, it was like there was a different feel, almost a different flow to this book. Jane seemed...well, ..... just "off". I'm really not sure how else to say it. One of the things we learn VERY quickly in this series is that Jane is EXTREMELY good at what she does. What she does is "take people out of the world" and boy oh boy does she have a lot of experience doing it. There is never a "textbook" case and things always seem to go sideways just at the wrong time. But, even with all of the unexpected emergencies, she is always prepared, always one step ahead of the bad guys. Normally.

Without going into spoilers, I never really felt like there was a rhythm to this story. The flow was more of fits and starts. The bad guys, well something about that didn't gel either and Jane just seemed to be off of her game (I know I said that before but it is just so unusual it warrants another mention.) There are similarities to a previous book and long time readers will see that immediately. That is not a bad thing, just an observation.

I think the thing that left me the most unsettled was the ending. The circle is not really closed. I mean, it sort of is, but not in a way that leaves the reader (and that would be me) with the type of closure we have come to expect. Because of that, when we get a wonderful piece of news, I couldn't help but have my first thought be..."uh oh, the timing on this is not great..."

Would I recommend this book? Of course. Even when Mr. Perry is not at the top of his game, he is still loads above most authors. Part of me is nervous about what is to come, the other part of me can not wait. Not too many authors can make me feel this way :)

Jane Whitefield runs an informal, illegal witness protection program, helping others hide from truly evil people. Her newest client is a woman whose boyfriend murdered the man she was having an affair with. She testified in front of a jury, but the boyfriend was acquitted and now he’s out for blood. Now Jane has got her hands full keeping her client safe, because the boyfriend has an in with the Russian Mafia. An intense, gritty thriller with a kick ass girlfriend

Thank you NetGalley, Mysterious Press and Author for the amazing chance to read and review The Left-Handed Twin by Perry for an honest review!

This was my first Perry book. I have not read any of the other Jane Whitefield series but after reading book eight I've got to start from the beginning! Because this was an outstanding story!

This well-written and suspenseful story will grab you and have you turning the pages so quickly.
This action thriller is well written and enjoyable with an amazing group of characters.
Thomas's writing is crisp, and his characters are well-developed. I especially love the details he puts into the book simply put its amazing!
This can’t-put-down story will be the best story you've read all year!

Thank you again for the opportunity to read and review this amazing book!
I will post to my Goodreads, Facebook and Bookstagram accounts closer to pub date!