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Hardball
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Review
'She is writing with the kind of passion for social justice that inspired Chandler and Hammett . . . a narrative as gripping as it is emotionally wrenching.'
(Joan Smith, The Sunday Times )'Details are so rich and the dialogue so snappy that the mystery whizzes by.'
(Guardian )'With the creation of V.I. Warshawski, Sara Paretsky did more than anyone to change the face of contemporary women's fiction.' (Express on Sunday )
'Tough, complex and moving, Paretsky is still at the top of her crowded genre.'
(Bookseller )'The thing about Sara Paretsky is, she's tough . . . she doesn't flinch from examining old social injustices others might find too shameful (and too painful) to dig up . . . it's a distinct pleasure to hear her unapologetically strident voice once again'
(New York Times on HARDBALL )Review
'Sara Paretsky is on top form ... HARDBALL is a haunting novel, skilfully combining power politics and intensely personal events' -- Joan Smith, Sunday Times 'Within a racial melting pot, Paretsky hits her own personal best; HARDBALL takes the thinking woman's detective to a new level of excellence' -- Financial Times Weekend 'Paretsky has evoked - and celebrated - the multiplicity of Chicago's neighbourhoods, its old and new immigrants and its tragic history of race relations; and these years of America's financial and political decadence seem to have rekindled her passion for social justice.' -- Times Literary Supplement 'HARDBALL is a big, chewy, old-fashioned yarn about a P.I. looking into a sprawling, decade-spanning web of police corruption. But when it's this entertaining, there's nothing wrong with that at all' -- Metro 'Another hard hitting thriller by a doughty crusader' -- Literary Review 'She is writing with the kind of passion for social justice that inspired Chandler and Hammett ... a narrative as gripping as it is emotionally wrenching.' -- Joan Smith, The Sunday Times 'A strong, well-constructed novel, firmly founded in Chicago and its politics, past and present. Paretsky's plot combines racism, police corruption and family secrets - including Warshawski's - and the lost idealism of the 1960s provides a haunting backdrop. Some crime series grow stale over time, but there's no sign of fatigue here. This is partly because the recurring characters continue to develop and engage the reader, and partly because of the moral intelligence that informs the writing.' -- Spectator 'Details are so rich and the dialogue so snappy that the mystery whizzes by.' -- Guardian 'Packed with social themes and moral energy, held together by humor, compassion and sheer feistiness, this novel shows why Paretsky and her heroine are such enduring figure in American detective fiction' -- Publishers Weekly (starred) 'With the creation of V.I. Warshawski, Sara Paretsky did more than anyone to change the face of contemporary women's fiction.' -- Express on Sunday 'Tough, complex and moving, Paretsky is still at the top of her crowded genre.' -- Bookseller 'The thing about Sara Paretsky is, she's tough ... she doesn't flinch from examining old social injustices others might find too shameful (and too painful) to dig up ... it's a distinct pleasure to hear her unapologetically strident voice once again' -- New York Times 'Paretsky seems incapable of writing a disappointing book. What she does consistently is to turn an unwavering gaze onto a nation's troubled history and equally troubled present. And she never loses sight of the fact that ordinary people are the victims of corruption and social injustive.' -- www.reviewingtheevidence.com 'Although it's much harder to pull off something astonishing in a longstanding private-eye series, Sara Paretsky manages to do just that in her new V.I. Warshawski novel' -- New York Times Notable Crime Book of 2009
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Hardball arrives here already acclaimed as one of the top five mysteries in the US for 2009. It is the thirteenth VI Warshawski novel, since VI arrived in 1982 in Indemnity Only. VI as ever reflects aspects of Paretsky's life and obsessions. She has the same passion for social justice, and the Chicago Cubs. In a little essay prefacing this story, Paretsky notes that her first introduction to Chicago was during the summer of 1966. She witnessed Martin Luther King's civil rights marches, and the odious riots of Marquette Park.
The story begins with VI helping a homeless man who collapses in the street. She takes him to hospital, and meets Chaplain Karen Lennon. Karen, in her turn, gets VI to help a pair of elderly black sisters in her care. Miss Ella's son Lamont Gadsden has been missing since late 1967. Reluctant to take such an old case, VI is persuaded to do some research. When she talks to one of Lamont's old friends, Curtis Rivers, she is shocked to get the cold shoulder. Lamont, it appears, was involved with local gang, the Anacondas led by Johnny Merton. And in 1966 was around when the gangs protected Dr King during the riots in Marquette Park, where a young black girl, Harmony Newsome, was murdered. Somehow it seems that the boy's disappearance is mixed up with gangs and racism and Chicago politics.
Out of the blue, VI's young cousin Petra turns up. She is helping a charismatic young politician called Brian Krumas in his election campaign. Krumas's father Harvey was the man who lifted Petra's father Peter to a high-flying executive position. VI's father, a street cop, was twenty years older than his younger brother Peter, and their lives went down different paths. Petra is very interested in her past, and the events VI is investigating. But suddenly Petra disappears, and it seems as if the past, and the present are converging. And it all gets dirty for VI, when she appears to discover that her father might not have been the squeaky-clean cop she always thought he was.
`Hardball' hints at Chicago-style baseball, and the sort of politics practiced in the city. Life was tough in the 1960s, and unsavoury things happened in connection with civil rights and politics then. And Paretsky suggests it is not much different now. She artfully draws threads of past and present together, weaving a pattern that is only revealed at the very end. VI Warshawski continues to grow, a little older and wiser, a little more ragged round the edges as her cherished idols are chipped away at. Thirteen is not an unlucky number for Paretsky. She is still on top form.
Ian Morson
The story begins with VI helping a homeless man who collapses in the street. She takes him to hospital, and meets Chaplain Karen Lennon. Karen, in her turn, gets VI to help a pair of elderly black sisters in her care. Miss Ella's son Lamont Gadsden has been missing since late 1967. Reluctant to take such an old case, VI is persuaded to do some research. When she talks to one of Lamont's old friends, Curtis Rivers, she is shocked to get the cold shoulder. Lamont, it appears, was involved with local gang, the Anacondas led by Johnny Merton. And in 1966 was around when the gangs protected Dr King during the riots in Marquette Park, where a young black girl, Harmony Newsome, was murdered. Somehow it seems that the boy's disappearance is mixed up with gangs and racism and Chicago politics.
Out of the blue, VI's young cousin Petra turns up. She is helping a charismatic young politician called Brian Krumas in his election campaign. Krumas's father Harvey was the man who lifted Petra's father Peter to a high-flying executive position. VI's father, a street cop, was twenty years older than his younger brother Peter, and their lives went down different paths. Petra is very interested in her past, and the events VI is investigating. But suddenly Petra disappears, and it seems as if the past, and the present are converging. And it all gets dirty for VI, when she appears to discover that her father might not have been the squeaky-clean cop she always thought he was.
`Hardball' hints at Chicago-style baseball, and the sort of politics practiced in the city. Life was tough in the 1960s, and unsavoury things happened in connection with civil rights and politics then. And Paretsky suggests it is not much different now. She artfully draws threads of past and present together, weaving a pattern that is only revealed at the very end. VI Warshawski continues to grow, a little older and wiser, a little more ragged round the edges as her cherished idols are chipped away at. Thirteen is not an unlucky number for Paretsky. She is still on top form.
Ian Morson
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book's a bit of a return to form for Ms. Paretsky. It's a gripping story and illustrates an interesting aspect of US history - the Chicago riots, on both sides of the racial divide.
I've a couple of gripes though. VI's niece is a plot device rather than a character, a bit like the English reporter in the last book. To keep the plot going VI allows them to behave in ways she'd break anyone else's arm for. The other mild objection is the recent format of starting the book with a crisis, flashing back to explain it then carrying on to resolution. There's no great harm to it, but what does it add?
For people who've followed the series in real time, the differential aging of characters can be uncomfortable. VI now seems to be 50 when she should be 60 but that's fair enough. Bobby Mallory hasn't aged at all. Mr Contreras is 90 which he should be (but then he fought at Anzio so he's anchored in time.) The two dogs, surely the most irritating characters, haven't aged whereas they should be about 20 and ripe candidates for doggy heaven. However I recently picked up an 87th Precinct novel where nobody had aged in 50 years. I think there's more to be said for Ms Paretsky's approach.
Overall this is a book I thoroughly enjoyed.
I've a couple of gripes though. VI's niece is a plot device rather than a character, a bit like the English reporter in the last book. To keep the plot going VI allows them to behave in ways she'd break anyone else's arm for. The other mild objection is the recent format of starting the book with a crisis, flashing back to explain it then carrying on to resolution. There's no great harm to it, but what does it add?
For people who've followed the series in real time, the differential aging of characters can be uncomfortable. VI now seems to be 50 when she should be 60 but that's fair enough. Bobby Mallory hasn't aged at all. Mr Contreras is 90 which he should be (but then he fought at Anzio so he's anchored in time.) The two dogs, surely the most irritating characters, haven't aged whereas they should be about 20 and ripe candidates for doggy heaven. However I recently picked up an 87th Precinct novel where nobody had aged in 50 years. I think there's more to be said for Ms Paretsky's approach.
Overall this is a book I thoroughly enjoyed.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Hardball is the 13th outing for Paretsky's Private Detective VI Warshawski. I have enjoyed all of the VI Warshawski novels and this one was no excpetion. True it is not on the edge of your seat fare, but it is an excellent read and does have it's moments of tension. You learn more about Warshawski's background in this book, and that made an interesiting addition. The way it ties in with the plot of the novel is almost masterful. The PI is trying to solve a 40 year old case of a young man who disappeared, but there seem to be a lot of people who want the case to remain in the past. This leads to some very dodgy, and even downright dangerous, situations for her. Along the way Warshawski discovers that her family has been keeping some secrets of it's own. With the story revolving around both Black and White families, and the plot beginning in the 1960's and Martin Luther King, it is diffciult to see how it can all be brought together in 2010. Paretsky manages to do so in a realistic and masterful way. I would highly recommend this book
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Loved it !!
All the old characters + some new ones. Love the flow of the dialogue. Highly recommend it - I didn't want to put it down
Published 19 days ago by casualcarrie
typeset-ting ru-ins Har-dball
Very typical of Sara P. Usual formula, quite a page turner, though I did get a bit confused with the timeline at times - was she 5 or 10 at the time of the great snows? Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ali
An intense, gripping Book
I hadn't read a VI Warshawski book for some time, and I wondered whether Sara Paretsky might have lost her touch. She has not. Read more
Published 3 months ago by W. Tegner
EXCELLENT
Love her books, read it within 24 hours!! Good plot and kept you hooked although I did guess where her cousin was quite a long time before I was proved correct!
Published 15 months ago by Lizzy T Bag
hardball by sara Paretsky
Good read I could not put it down, once again V I has half of the police force on the lookout for her.
Published 16 months ago by cam
A let down
There are around 440 pages in this novel. 100 of them could be dispensed with, more action given to the remainder and the many chapters in which "VI Tries Something But... Read more
Published 17 months ago by A. Friswell
Returnto form
After the Kansas novel which partially misfired here was a return to form of one of my favourite writers. Read more
Published 18 months ago by John S. McDonald
Sara Paretsky surpasses herself
Sara Paretsky has surpassed herself with Hardball, a novel that resonates at every level - social, personal and political -, while delivering a plot that grips and satisfies. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Allegra
Back on Form.
I find the V I Warshawski series very similar to the Kinsey Mahone books by Sue Grafton and I'm very surprised that they don't receive the same amount of attention. Read more
Published on 30 Mar 2010 by J. Cook
Back on Form!
Sara Paretsky has returned to top form with this latest V I Warshawski novel. The pace is good and the storyline interesting. Read more
Published on 19 Mar 2010 by S. J. Meredith
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