Runner is the latest from renowned author Thomas Perry and it is all the things his books are touted to be: fast-paced, intriguing, and intricate with well-developed characters.
Main character Jane Whitefield is a tall, beautiful doctor’s wife with a complicated past who is compelled to help people get out of bad lives usually by hiding them from smart, murderous thugs.
Jane helps the “runners” get away and sets them up with aliases and new lives – a sort of privately funded and operated witness-protection program.
Perry Keeps the Reader on Edge
Christine’s heart was beating faster. She was feeling more and more panicky. Sweat dampened her shirt and nausea was coming on. She had come so far, and she was so frightened. Now that she was here, the place seemed to be a lot of blank, unknowing faces and closed doors, and she had no idea how long she would be safe here. She fought the impulse to step out the door and run, and began to undress. This was the plan she had chosen. She had to carry it through and give it a chance to work. If she couldn’t find Jane Whitefield, at least maybe she could stay here long enough to rest.
Generally, this is good pop fiction for all the reasons listed above, especially if you’re willing to overlook some very challenging issues.
It's Hard to Believe
In the first few pages of the book, the six bad guys are so intent on capturing the young, single, pregnant assailant that they blow up part of a hospital which injures countless people and causes millions of dollars of damage.
Jane breaks one chaser’s knee and after one chaser is injured when Jane runs him over with a car, another chaser kills him so they can keep their cover.
For people to go to these extremes they have to be critically motivated by an indecent amount of money or revenge. Without revenge as a motive and dividing whatever money is offered by six people - not to mention skyrocketing expenses - would people blow up hospitals, suffer knee fractures and kill cohorts?
I don’t think so.
What About the Cops?
The biggest question is: Why not call the darn cops? Someone blows up a hospital and you would think everyone from local security to the FBI would be looking for them. And the runner can help find them.
All novels require a certain suspension of reality to work and if you can forgive Perry for these glaring issues, you’ll like “Runner.”
Thomas Perry was born in Tonawanda, New York in 1947. He received a B.A. from Cornell University in 1969 and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Rochester in 1974. He is a writer and producer of prime-time network television shows. He is the author of fourteen novels. He lives in Southern California with his wife and two daughters.
Runner
By Thomas Perry
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN 978-0-15-101528-3
441 pages
Vince Lovato - I have more than 24 years of experience as a professional journalist. I have been a sports writer and editor, paginator columnist, news ...
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