Perry,
Thomas. Blood Money. Random House. Jan 2000. c.352p. ISBN
0-679-45304-0. $24.95. Fiction.
In
Perry’s tenth novel (the fifth in the Jane Whitefield series), Jane—who
is part Native American and who regularly helps fugitives disappear—leaves
the attractions of husband and home to help an 18-year-old and an old man who
are fleeing the mob. About to be replaced by computers and facing certain death,
Bernie “the Elephant” Lupus, who handled—in his head—the
finances of 12 major mob families for 50 years, fakes his own murder and winds
up in the hands of Jane, at first out to help only his maid. But soon the three
of them, along with an accountant, are involved in a plot to steal over $14 billion
of the mob’s investments and then donate the funds to charity. Even readers
who find the setup far-fetched will enjoy the fast pace of this entertaining
thriller with its resourceful heroine, fascinating characters, convincing development
of intrigue, and ever-present menace.