Shadow Woman by Thomas Perry (1998) – BR00195 (2021) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
Plot or Premise
Pete Hatcher works in a Las Vegas casino as a low-level executive. When the big bosses decide that maybe he knows something that would interest the Feds, Jane has to help him escape to a new life. But the major complication for Jane is that they hire a couple of pros to find Hatcher.
What I Liked
The book covers a lot of ground, with lots of running around the country, and even up into Glacier National Park. It’s a bit different than the urban settings of the rest of it, and you get to see lots of new issues for Jane to adapt to while teaching the people how to live a hidden life. The pros that are chasing her are really good, and it adds lots of tension.
What I Didn’t Like
I liked reading the story, and still the premise of what Jane does, but this one had some challenges for me. First, Pete has no idea what’s going on because he doesn’t know why they suddenly decided he knows too much or what’s going on. But he hasn’t done anything wrong, and unlike a lot of other people trying to disappear, he could simply go to the authorities and say “Help!”. There’s no good explanation why he doesn’t. Secondly, the two pros that are chasing them are kind of nuts, but in very cliché ways. There’s no depth to the characters so there’s no menace, just pretty superficial. Finally, one of the big tension scenes is more resolved by coincidence than the actions of the people, which was unsatisfying.
The Bottom Line
A potentially excellent book brought down to highly enjoyable.