THE FINAL JANE WHITEFIELD NOVEL

These were the words that hit me when I turned to the back cover of THE TREE OF LIGHT AND FLOWERS. Sadly, we lost Thomas Perry in September 2025 at the age of 78, so I knew this day was coming. I gingerly opened the pages of this novel with the intention of savoring the experience of his writing for possibly the last time.

Stunning imagery from a portion of THE DEATH AND REBIRTH OF THE SENECA by Anthony F. C. Wallace provides symbolic references that are quite evident as readers dive into the story. In particular, there are the descriptions of a tree that will be the new home for an unnamed female who is to become the mother of all beings. This chilling and insightful passage will remain in your psyche as you read this final Jane Whitefield novel and the journey she is on.

"THE TREE OF LIGHT AND FLOWERS is a cathartic tale for all involved... Thomas Perry and his unique storytelling, along with his great characters, will be missed."

To begin with, Jane is very pregnant and is involved in a car accident that causes her vehicle to be driven off the road and into a tree. The collision brings on immediate labor as she is rushed to the hospital to save the lives of both her and her unborn child.

We then meet Magda Kaprovna, a Russian inmate at a women’s prison who is part of an elaborate scheme to break out of jail and hunt down Jane, upon whom her nefarious benefactors seek revenge.

The third principal character is 16-year-old Clare Markham, who thwarted an attempted rape by stabbing her attacker. She has heard of Jane, who is in the Buffalo, New York, area, and knows that she must get on a series of buses to make her way to her. She has been told that Jane is the only one who can help get her life back on track.

Clare does indeed locate Jane, who is busy with her newborn daughter, May. Jane will provide the same service she has in the past for wayward souls who find her and need both protection and a new identity to hide from those who might seek to harm them. The issue, as readers are well aware, is that Magda is also looking for Jane, and the confrontation could be deadly for all involved.

Magda is backed by some highly dangerous Russian operatives who not only protect her but provide her with all the resources necessary to make her own journey to upstate New York for the inevitable showdown. Perry, who always had a way with words, is able to describe the events that lead to this faceoff with troubling accuracy, which intensifies the suspense.

Jane remains true to her mantra of helping others who wish to start over free of the problems that hampered them in their previous life. It is this commitment that puts her on the spectrum of dangerous people like Magda and her benefactors, who now seek information from her about certain people she has assisted.

THE TREE OF LIGHT AND FLOWERS is a cathartic tale for all involved and shows how the important and kind work to which Jane Whitefield has dedicated her life can become tainted by the evil and violent nature of the world around her. Thomas Perry and his unique storytelling, along with his great characters, will be missed.