A String of Beads

by Thomas Perry Narrated by Joyce Bean

Overview

After two decades protecting innocent victims on*the run, and a year after getting shot on a job that took a dangerous turn for the worse, Jane McKinnon, nee Whitefield, has settled into the quiet life of a suburban housewife in Amherst, New York-or so she thinks.

One morning as she comes back from a long run, Jane is met by an unusual sight: all eight clan mothers, the female leaders of the Seneca clans, parked in her driveway in two black cars. A childhood friend of Jane's from the reservation, Jimmy, is wanted by the police for the murder of a local white man. But instead of turning himself in, he's fled, and no one knows where he is hiding out. At the clan mothers' request, Jane retraces a walking trip she and Jimmy took together when they were fourteen in hopes that he has gone the same way again. But it soon becomes clear that the police aren't the only ones after him. *As the chase intensifies, the number of people caught up in this twisted plot multiplies, and Jane is the only one who can protect those endangered by it. A String of Beads in an addictive, fast-paced thriller about how abandoning the past can sometimes be the hardest thing to do, even when your life-and the life of those you love-depends on it.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

11/03/2014
In Edgar-winner Perry’s explosive eighth Jane Whitefield novel (after 2012’s Poison Flower), Jane, who helps people in danger disappear, would like nothing better than to disappear herself—into the quieter side of her double life, as an upstate New York surgeon’s wife—but her Seneca clan elders have other plans. At first, her mission seems straightforward enough: find her now-fugitive childhood friend from the rez, Jimmy Sanders, who faces a murder charge in connection with the shooting of a man he’d bested in a bar fight a few months earlier, and bring him in safely to surrender to authorities. But it quickly becomes clear the case is far more complex, with ruthless mob-connected muscle apparently determined to kill Jimmy first. During the extended, blood-splattered series of chases that ensues, those willing to suspend disbelief and overlook several cartoonish side characters can anticipate a hair-raising adventure with a woman warrior who would make her Seneca forbears proud. Agent: Mel Berger, WME. (Jan.)

From the Publisher

Another excellently engineered thriller from Thomas Perry featuring Jane Whitefield. . . . Soul-searching and car chases too. What more could we ask from an escape artist like Perry?”—New York Times Book Review

“Whitefield is an indelible figure—whip-smart, resourceful, brave and big-hearted.”—Seattle Times

“Jane Whitefield is unique in the annals of detective fiction. She is a throwback to a tribal world, still loyal to the beliefs of the Seneca Indians and still adhering to the call of a lost era. Thomas Perry has once again resurrected a remarkable character who seems imbued with a strange immortality and an unusual morality, and he is to be congratulated.”—Washington Times

“Thomas Perry’s smooth, unpretentious and action-packed page-turners just keep coming . . . In an era where the outsized comic book ethos of superheroes, magic, and vengeance seemingly has sway over the entire culture, it is a relief to enjoy one of Perry’s comparatively restrained adventures for smart adults . . . One of the best Jane books so far.”—Life Sentence

"Does not disappoint."—Deadly Pleasures

“Many scenes have an almost Twilight Zone atmosphere of sudden recognition. The landscape is filled with references to tribal history, and Perry also delivers fascinating information on how to hide and change identity. . . . First-rate suspense.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Perry’s thriller swings into action as soon as Jane is on the trail. A breathless pace sets the tone with numerous close calls as the expert, clever heroine tries to solve the crime before Jimmy gets caught. Enthusiastically recommended for series fans and for readers who appreciate strong female protagonists.”—Library Journal

Library Journal

12/01/2014
Perry (The Boyfriend) is back with the eighth book (after Poison Flower) in his "Jane Whitefield" series. One year earlier Jane had been shot, beaten, and tortured before she was able to escape her captors. Still recovering from this incident at her home in Amherst, NY, she is approached by all eight Seneca clan mothers from the local reservation, who ask for her help in finding and protecting a childhood friend of hers. The women are concerned that Jimmy Sander's disappearance will be seen as a sign of guilt that he killed the white laborer with whom he had a bar fight. Jane sets aside her quiet routine to help a fellow Seneca evade arrest for a murder he says he didn't commit. She also needs to find out who and why another group of men is desperately looking for Jimmy. VERDICT Perry's thriller swings into action as soon as Jane is on the trail. A breathless pace sets the tone with numerous close calls as the expert, clever heroine tries to solve the crime before Jimmy gets caught. Enthusiastically recommended for series fans and for readers who appreciate strong female protagonists. [See Prepub Alert, 7/28/14; six-city tour.]—Deb West, Gannon Univ. Lib., Erie, PA

Kirkus Reviews

2014-11-06
A refreshing change of pace for Jane Whitefield McKinnon, who specializes in helping people hide from dangerous pursuers (Poison Flower, 2012, etc.): She's asked to find someone who's already gone to earth.No request that comes from the eight clan mothers of the Tonawanda Seneca clan in which Jane grew up can be denied. So Jane doesn't hesitate to leave her long-suffering husband to search for her childhood friend Jimmy Sanders, who punched a drunk who took a swing at him in an Akron bar and then found the cops building a homicide case against him when the drunk, Nick Bauermeister, was shot dead in the home he shared with his girlfriend, Chelsea Schnell. Jimmy makes it easy for Jane to find him—everything in this installment is unexpectedly easy—but soon enough, they're predictably on the run together. The only thing that's not predictable is the reason why. Nick, it turns out, didn't just work for Daniel Crane's Box Farm Personal Storage facility; he worked for Dan as a thief, and Dan, who killed him in the hope of securing Chelsea's favors himself, turns out to be seriously connected to people who are even more seriously connected. The upshot is that it's not just the law that's looking for Jimmy; an awful lot of conscientious, well-armed professionals are involved as well, some of them employees of mob uber-boss Lorenzo Malconi, some of them on loan by associates eager to do Malconi a favor. Oddly, Jane and Jimmy (and later Chelsea) never seem to be squeezed, as you'd expect, between the cops and robbers looking for them; instead, it's the bad guys who are squeezed between Technical Sgt. Isaac Lloyd, of the New York State Police, and Jane herself, whose best defense is often a good offense. Perry (The Boyfriend, 2013, etc.) supplies twists and thrills aplenty, but it's hard to feel the suffocating kind of suspense that's his stock in trade when the pursuers seem to be in more danger than the pursued.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171734725
Publisher:	HighBridge Company
Publication date:	01/06/2015
Series:	Jane Whitefield Series , #8
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

Jane drove south to the mechanic’s shop that was owned by the Snows. She pulled close to the garage
doorway, got out, and walked to the front of her car.

“Janie?”

Jane turned her head and saw a dark-skinned man about her age wearing blue work pants, steel-toed boots, and a gray work shirt with an embroidered patch above the pocket that said RAY. Jane stepped up and hugged him. “It’s great to see you, Ray. I was afraid you would be on vacation or something.”

“No, the guys who work for me get vacations. I’m always here, like the doorknob. Got a car problem?”

“I wondered if you could do the scheduled maintenance on my car—you know, oil, filter, lube, check and replace belts and hoses—and then keep it here safe for at least a week or so.”

“I’d be glad to. You staying around here?”

“I thought I’d go on a hike, like we used to when we were kids.”

Ray Snow’s brows knitted. “You trying to find Jimmy?”

Jane looked around to see if anyone else was in earshot. She smiled and said, “Not me. That’s the police’s job. I wouldn’t want to get involved.”

“Well, that’s good. A person would have to be stupid to do that.” He whispered, “Give him my regards.”

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