Tag Archives: book review

Runner by Thomas Perry (2009) – BR00196 (2021) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
June 25 2021

Plot or Premise

Jane is retired, ready to give advice if need be to would-be runners looking for her help, but she spends her days being the dutiful supportive wife of her surgeon husband. At a fundraiser for the hospital, a bomb explodes to hide the activities of a group of hunters determined to capture a pregnant girl before she can get to Jane.

What I Liked

As always, Jane is going to help. If she doesn’t, there’s no book, right? So yes, she helps the runner, gets her away, finds a way to get her safe, and Jane does some other sleuthing to help her stay hidden. I liked the “lull” in the action so to speak as Jane tries to return to her normal life after helping the girl, giving her some time to get ready for birth etc., and there is a surprisingly deep storyline about the fact Jane has been trying to have a baby of her own with no luck conceiving.

What I Didn’t Like

There are two elements in the story that I found a bit strained. First, Jane gets her away, gets her safe, and is helping her “get ready” for the birth. Annnnnd then just says, “See you later, I’ll be back before the due date”. Why does she leave? No real reason, it’s stupid. With predictable results. Equally, the final parts of the novel seem more like Die Hard than a Jane Whitefield novel.

The Bottom Line

Surprising mix of depth and misplaced action.

Shadow Woman by Thomas Perry (1998) – BR00195 (2021) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
June 18 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.

Dance for the Dead by Thomas Perry (1996) – BR00194 (2021) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
June 10 2021

Plot or Premise

Jane Whitefield is back and trying to guide an 8-year-old boy with an inheritance and a 30-year-old woman with stolen bank money to a safe haven.

What I Liked

The methodology for how Jane helps everyone is quite good, and reads both simple and plausible, a veneer of realism that sells the stories. The explanations for both cases are relatively clear, you understand the motives and why someone is coming after the two of them. Most of the story is a cat and mouse world, and it works well.

What I Didn’t Like

The two stories seem unconnected at the beginning but it is blindingly obvious that they will eventually connect, even if it is a connection told in reverse (i.e., if you know the connection in advance, you can write two separate stores to get there), but it seems coincidental rather than natural. There are also two really long expositions, one at the beginning for the kid’s backstory and one in the middle for hers. Finally, there is some romance that comes out of nowhere for the character, particularly as you have been in her head for some time and then it’s like, “Cue the romance scene with a guy she knows but we don’t.”.

The Bottom Line

A good second book, the premise is still great.

Vanishing Act by Thomas Perry (2011) – BR00193 (2021) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
June 9 2021

Plot or Premise

Jane Whitefield is a Seneca woman living in NY state. She honours her ancestors and helps those who are in trouble to disappear and start a new life.

What I Liked

The premise of the main character’s “job” of helping people escape bad situations and start a new life — serving as their guide — is a fantastic premise, and the first half of the book is primarily about how she goes about doing her job. While some clients are eased into the process a bit more gradually, her latest client is all-in from day 1.

What I Didn’t Like

You know as the story unfolds that something is going to go wrong, you just don’t know what or when. Despite some initial success, some of it seems even TOO easy for her to do with a minimum of fuss. Mid-book, the type of story changes considerably, as the hunted becomes the hunter, and it isn’t as good as her other books that have a bit more mystery to them rather than action.

The Bottom Line

A great first book in the series, Whitefield is awesome.

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (2010) – BR00192 (2021) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
June 7 2021

Plot or Premise

A new trio of Jason, Piper and Leo has arrived at Camp Half-Blood and are ready to set off on a quest, but something seems off about not only them and their memories, but also about their participation in a ritual for the children of Greek Gods at all.

What I Liked

The new trio are fun, and there’s enough mystery in both who they all are and why they don’t remember to keep things interesting. Jason has a lot of power, and some knowledge but a goddess has stolen all his memories. Piper has a big secret, namely that someone is whispering in her ear and in her dreams, when all she really wants to do is be in love with Jason. Leo also has a past, too much fire, and he’s really into machines. All great powers to have, and nothing like what we had with the previous campers.

What I Didn’t Like

The amnesia thing for Jason lands a bit trite at times, as he remembers just enough to move the plot along but not enough to be totally useful. The wind gods start off interesting, as does the flying dragon, but eventually they become almost clichés. And the entire media thing is way too Neil Gaiman/American Gods for my taste.

The Bottom Line

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call but we’ll start with three for now.