From Publishers Weekly
As usual, Perry (The Butcher's Boy) cuts to the chase. In the opening scene of this riveting mystery thriller, Jane Whitefield, an expert at helping people in danger disappear, slugs it out with three brawny hoodlums in an L.A. courthouse. At that point, she has traveled across half the country trying to protect Timmy Phillips, an eight-year-old heir to millions, from the stop-at-nothing professional killers on their trail. The same criminals, led by a powerful ex-cop named Barraclough, murdered Timmy's adoptive parents. Now they want Mary Perkins, a fugitive savings-and-loan fleecer who also asks Whitefield for help. Perry launches a complex pursuit, during which Whitefield relies on her Seneca heritage for insight and on friends for crucial assistance. A love interest highlights the personal price Whitefield pays for doing her secretive, dangerous work. The nail-biting climax takes place on a snowy night in a location that seems tailor-made for film: the rusting remains of a huge steel mill near Buffalo. The denouement may strike some readers as too neat, but it's a minor quibble. With his distinctive protagonist, thoroughly amoral villains and the unrelenting action, Perry scores again. 75,000 first printing; major ad/promo. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Jane's attempt to help an orphan boy overlaps with her work for a woman accused of stealing $50 million in Perry's (Vanishing Act, LJ 12/94) latest thriller.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Jane Whitefield has an uncommon career as a freelance "disappearer." When someone is in a jam and needs a safe haven, Jane finds it for them. Jane's newest case involves an eight-year-old who will inherit millions as long as he remains alive until the will is probated. The villains after his fortune have already killed his parents, his nanny, and a lawyer and are hot on the trail of the kid. Then Jane encounters smart, attractive Mary Perkins, a former banker and consummate con artist who has stolen a cool $50 million in a savings-and-loan scam. So far, Mary has managed to keep herself hidden from the folks who want the money back, but she's running out of time and disguises, and she figures only Jane can help. In a plot with more action than an Indiana Jones adventure, more suspense than Psycho, and more clever twists and tricks than a James Bond flick, Perry keeps his readers on the edges of their seats for more than 300 pages. A taut, tense, superbly written thriller that will satisfy even the most demanding reader. Emily Melton


From Kirkus Reviews
An explosive second outing for Jane Whitefield, the Senecan specialist in helping people disappear (Vanishing Act, 1995). The story kicks off with a whoosh as Jane succeeds in saving the life of her latest client, eight-year-old Timothy Phillips, by producing him in an L.A. court that's about to declare him dead so that whoever's been plundering his trust fund can breathe easy. Once Timmy's story is read into the record, he's safe, but it's been a high-casualty operation, and Jane's in no mood for getting accosted at the airport by Mary Perkins, who begs Jane to help her elude the killers following her. It isn't until the two women are halfway across the country that Jane has the time to hear Mary's story: During the unregulated '80s, she bilked unwary banks of millions through a pyramid of lovingly detailed real- estate schemes, and now that she's already done time for the feds, who weren't able to shake the money loose from her, some monstrous freelancer has decided to take a turn. Jane gets Mary parked in a new town with shiny new credit cards, and even takes a few days back in her upstate New York hometown to entertain a marriage proposal from her hitherto platonic friend Dr. Carey McKinnon, but then it's back to business as she goes after the trustee who's been looting Timmy Phillips's estate. The looting, though, turns out to be even deeper and deadlier than she imagined--and it naturally leads her straight back to Mary and the ominous, insatiable security firm that's getting closer and closer to her. The plotting is a miracle of unrelenting tension; the breathless, knowing prose is pitch-perfect; and Jane's fierce righteousness is perfectly balanced by a mind-boggling wealth of detail about how to plunder trusts, defraud banks, and disappear. Five more of Jane's adventures are already stockpiled for annual release. Truly a treasure for Random--as long as they never let the peerlessly devious author get behind them. (First printing of 75,000) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
"COMPELLING . . . NOBODY WRITES A CHASE BETTER THAN PERRY."

 *The Washington Post Book World

When eight-year-old Timothy Decker finds his parents brutally murdered, it's clear the Deckers weren't the intended victims: Timothy's own room--ransacked, all traces of his existence expertly obliterated *is the shocking evidence. Timothy's nanny, Mona, is certain about only one thing. Timmy needs to disappear, fast.

Only Jane Whitefield, a Native American "guide" who specializes in making victims vanish, can lead him to safety. But diverting Jane's attention is Mary Perkins, a desperate woman with S&L fraud in her past. Stalking Mary is a ruthless predator determined to find her *and the fortune she claims she doesn't have. Jane quickly creates a new life for Mary and jumps back on Timmy's case . . . not knowing that the two are fatefully linked to one calculating killer. . . .

"Spellbinding . . . Terrific . . . Jane Whitefield may be the most arresting protagonist in the 90s thriller arena. . . . Thrillers need good villains, and this one has a formidable SOB who is cold-blooded enough to satisfy anybody's taste."

 *Entertainment Weekly

"A terse thriller . . . Perry starts the story with a bang."

 *San Francisco Chronicle

From the Publisher
One of the reasons that I love Thomas Perry's Jane Whitfield books is that they are filled with so much arcane information about the darker side of life. Perry fills you in on how to fabricate a life, steal a car, or set up a bank account using someone else's Social Security Number. This is why I read books. I am way too much of a nice girl to find these things out on my own. Jane Whitfield is a nice girl with an edge. A Native American from Upstate New York, Jane takes people with problems and helps them to disappear. She gets them out of trouble and sets them up in a new life. In DANCE FOR THE DEAD, Jane rescues two "clients," a small boy whose millionaire parents have been killed and a woman accused of embezzlement. Perry's account of how the two cases intertwine and the mechanics of it all is truly fascinating.

Amelia Zalcman, Director, Contracts Adminstration


From the Publisher
Jane Whitefield is an incredibly strong and interesting character. I loved all three of Thomas Perry's Whitefield novels: VANISHING ACT, DANCE FOR THE DEAD, and SHADOW WOMAN.I'm the District Sales Manager for the wholesale market and I found Thomas Perry at his Target signing in Southern California to be very gracious and generous to his fans -- taking the time to chat and answer questions while signing copies of his books. Nanci Andersen, Ballantine Sales


From the Publisher
Long before I started to work in publishing, I "met" and adored Thomas Perry --- starting with METZGER'S DOG and continuing faithfully with every book since. With his Jane Whitefield books, Perry has outdone himself and I'm in a constant state of anticipation, waiting for the next one. Since I have access to so many books, I'm always delighted to share them with other avid readers, and last week I found a message on my answering machine telling me that one of my friends was a new devotee. I was really excited to know I'd introduced another reader to Jane and her tantalizing adventures. Start with VANISHING ACT and keep on going through DANCE FOR THE DEAD and SHADOW WOMAN. Tanya Thompson, Executive Assistant


From the Inside Flap
"COMPELLING . . . NOBODY WRITES A CHASE BETTER THAN PERRY."

  *The Washington Post Book World



When eight-year-old Timothy Decker finds his parents brutally murdered, it's clear the Deckers weren't the intended victims: Timothy's own room--ransacked, all traces of his existence expertly obliterated *is the shocking evidence. Timothy's nanny, Mona, is certain about only one thing. Timmy needs to disappear, fast.



Only Jane Whitefield, a Native American "guide" who specializes in making victims vanish, can lead him to safety. But diverting Jane's attention is Mary Perkins, a desperate woman with S&L fraud in her past. Stalking Mary is a ruthless predator determined to find her *and the fortune she claims she doesn't have. Jane quickly creates a new life for Mary and jumps back on Timmy's case . . . not knowing that the two are fatefully linked to one calculating killer. . . .



"Spellbinding . . . Terrific . . . Jane Whitefield may be the most arresting protagonist in the 90s thriller arena. . . . Thrillers need good villains, and this one has a formidable SOB who is cold-blooded enough to satisfy anybody's taste."

  *Entertainment Weekly



"A terse thriller . . . Perry starts the story with a bang."

  *San Francisco Chronicle

ANNOTATION

In the tradition of popular female sleuths like Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone and Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski, Thomas Perry presents his new novel, featuring Native American heroine Jane Whitefield. Perry's previous novel, Vanishing Act, has been optioned for a film.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Jane Whitefield helps people in trouble to disappear. Her client in Dance for the Dead is a brave and endearing young boy named Timmy. His parents are dead, and his adoptive parents, along with his governess and her boyfriend, have been brutally murdered by someone trying to acquire the enormous fortune that Timmy is due to inherit. But Jane also has another client, one she doesn't want, but is forced to help: Mary Perkins, suspected of stealing $50 million from S&L's during the eighties. The two cases become excitingly intertwined.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly - Cahners\\Publishers_Weekly

As usual, Perry (The Butcher's Boy) cuts to the chase. In the opening scene of this riveting mystery thriller, Jane Whitefield, an expert at helping people in danger disappear, slugs it out with three brawny hoodlums in an L.A. courthouse. At that point, she has traveled across half the country trying to protect Timmy Phillips, an eight-year-old heir to millions, from the stop-at-nothing professional killers on their trail. The same criminals, led by a powerful ex-cop named Barraclough, murdered Timmy's adoptive parents. Now they want Mary Perkins, a fugitive savings-and-loan fleecer who also asks Whitefield for help. Perry launches a complex pursuit, during which Whitefield relies on her Seneca heritage for insight and on friends for crucial assistance. A love interest highlights the personal price Whitefield pays for doing her secretive, dangerous work. The nail-biting climax takes place on a snowy night in a location that seems tailor-made for film: the rusting remains of a huge steel mill near Buffalo. The denouement may strike some readers as too neat, but it's a minor quibble. With his distinctive protagonist, thoroughly amoral villains and the unrelenting action, Perry scores again.

Publishers Weekly

As usual, Perry (The Butcher's Boy) cuts to the chase. In the opening scene of this riveting mystery thriller, Jane Whitefield, an expert at helping people in danger disappear, slugs it out with three brawny hoodlums in an L.A. courthouse. At that point, she has traveled across half the country trying to protect Timmy Phillips, an eight-year-old heir to millions, from the stop-at-nothing professional killers on their trail. The same criminals, led by a powerful ex-cop named Barraclough, murdered Timmy's adoptive parents. Now they want Mary Perkins, a fugitive savings-and-loan fleecer who also asks Whitefield for help. Perry launches a complex pursuit, during which Whitefield relies on her Seneca heritage for insight and on friends for crucial assistance. A love interest highlights the personal price Whitefield pays for doing her secretive, dangerous work. The nail-biting climax takes place on a snowy night in a location that seems tailor-made for film: the rusting remains of a huge steel mill near Buffalo. The denouement may strike some readers as too neat, but it's a minor quibble. With his distinctive protagonist, thoroughly amoral villains and the unrelenting action, Perry scores again. 75,000 first printing; major ad/promo. (Apr.)

Library Journal

Jane's attempt to help an orphan boy overlaps with her work for a woman accused of stealing $50 million in Perry's (Vanishing Act, LJ 12/94) latest thriller.

BookList - Emily Melton

Jane Whitefield has an uncommon career as a freelance "disappearer." When someone is in a jam and needs a safe haven, Jane finds it for them. Jane's newest case involves an eight-year-old who will inherit millions as long as he remains alive until the will is probated. The villains after his fortune have already killed his parents, his nanny, and a lawyer and are hot on the trail of the kid. Then Jane encounters smart, attractive Mary Perkins, a former banker and consummate con artist who has stolen a cool $50 million in a savings-and-loan scam. So far, Mary has managed to keep herself hidden from the folks who want the money back, but she's running out of time and disguises, and she figures only Jane can help. In a plot with more action than an Indiana Jones adventure, more suspense than "Psycho", and more clever twists and tricks than a James Bond flick, Perry keeps his readers on the edges of their seats for more than 300 pages. A taut, tense, superbly written thriller that will satisfy even the most demanding reader.

Kirkus Reviews

An explosive second outing for Jane Whitefield, the Senecan specialist in helping people disappear (Vanishing Act, 1995).

The story kicks off with a whoosh as Jane succeeds in saving the life of her latest client, eight-year-old Timothy Phillips, by producing him in an L.A. court that's about to declare him dead so that whoever's been plundering his trust fund can breathe easy. Once Timmy's story is read into the record, he's safe, but it's been a high-casualty operation, and Jane's in no mood for getting accosted at the airport by Mary Perkins, who begs Jane to help her elude the killers following her. It isn't until the two women are halfway across the country that Jane has the time to hear Mary's story: During the unregulated '80s, she bilked unwary banks of millions through a pyramid of lovingly detailed real- estate schemes, and now that she's already done time for the feds, who weren't able to shake the money loose from her, some monstrous freelancer has decided to take a turn. Jane gets Mary parked in a new town with shiny new credit cards, and even takes a few days back in her upstate New York hometown to entertain a marriage proposal from her hitherto platonic friend Dr. Carey McKinnon, but then it's back to business as she goes after the trustee who's been looting Timmy Phillips's estate. The looting, though, turns out to be even deeper and deadlier than she imagined—and it naturally leads her straight back to Mary and the ominous, insatiable security firm that's getting closer and closer to her. The plotting is a miracle of unrelenting tension; the breathless, knowing prose is pitch-perfect; and Jane's fierce righteousness is perfectly balanced by a mind-boggling wealth of detail about how to plunder trusts, defraud banks, and disappear.

Five more of Jane's adventures are already stockpiled for annual release. Truly a treasure for Random—as long as they never let the peerlessly devious author get behind them.