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Review
In Lamaar Ransome, Private Eye (p. 462), David Galloway played the idea of a super-hard-boiled female shamus strictly for laughs - not very successfully. Here, however, with narrator-sleuth V. I. (Victoria) Warshawski of Chicago, first-novelist Paretsky is doing the same thing with an absolutely straight face; and the result, if rather flat, is a sturdily readable diversion that's no more implausible than any other hard-boiled fare. The case begins when V.I. is hired by banker John Thayer (or so he identifies himself) to locate Anita, the missing girlfriend of his son Peter. But when V.I. then promptly discovers Peter's murdered body, the plot thickens: her client, it seems, was really Anita's father, a shady labor leader; and Peter was working for the Ajax Insurance Co. - which may have had illegal connections with the labor leader and with some mobster types (who rough V.I. up). Then Peter's father (the real John Thayer) is also murdered, so the insurance/bank/union/mob tangle gets more complicated. And before V.I. exposes a convincing insurance scare, she finds the missing Anita and plays godmother to Peter Thayer's unhappy teenage sister. Predictably plotted, but written with agreeable plainness - and, except for V.I.'s affair with a suspect (is he just another "pretty face"?), the sex-role shift is handled with just the right sort of un-cute, matter-of-fact credibility. (Kirkus Reviews)
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'How enjoyable to settle down with a new book by Sara Paretsky.'
(Sunday Telegraph )'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 )
'Warshawski's darkest outing, with no sign that her creator is flagging. Paretsky has written a novel in which a great deal is stripped bare, including Warshawski's innermost anxieties about herself, producing a narrative as gripping as it is emotionally wrenching.'
(JOAN SMITH, Sunday Times )
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First Sentence
The night air was thick and damp. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
The night air was thick and damp. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
One of the first female PIs to gain popularity with the reading public, Paretsky's V I Warshawski is very much the late 70s/early 80s image of a tough female character. Hard hitting, tough talking, she takes on a client who wants her to find his missing daughter, only to find herself embroiled in murder, fraud and a complex web of betrayal and counter-betrayal.
When read today some of the dialogue seems stilted and there is some debate in the text about the aims of feminism, but the story itself keeps moving and Warshawski has an engaging voice, which carries the reader along with her, making it easy to see why the series has such enduring popularity.
When read today some of the dialogue seems stilted and there is some debate in the text about the aims of feminism, but the story itself keeps moving and Warshawski has an engaging voice, which carries the reader along with her, making it easy to see why the series has such enduring popularity.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When I first read this book - Sara Paretsky's debut thriller, I couldn't believe my luck. A woman private investigator in Chicago. She uncovered a clever fraud in a union's pension funds when she was hired to look for a union bosses daughter & the death of her boy friend. It was unusual to find a P.I. who fought, had a gun - with the action really fast & the dialogue very witty. The first appearance of the brilliant character of V.I.Warshawski - cutting a swathe through a financial swindle on this occasion. Sara Paretsky is a unique novelist, whose subsequent thrillers usually combined detection with campaigning against corruption & inequality. V.I.Warshawski's marvellously angry attempts to bring back honour & ethics to a dirty world are a collectors joy - each novel infinitely re-readable.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the first in Sara Paretsky's private detective V.I. Warshawski series. Here we follow VI as she is hired to find a business tycoons missing daughter after the death of her boyfriend. It leads into a web of some seriously corrupt businessmen and some pretty tough gangsters. VI is one tough lady though, with often times laugh out loud wit and humor which rivals that of Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta.
This book is pretty good, the writing and pace are both good but the characters and plot often get a bit confusing and hard to follow. It seems Paretsky was clearly laying the path for a future series and it shows. A good debut to a series I will most definately continue with.
This book is pretty good, the writing and pace are both good but the characters and plot often get a bit confusing and hard to follow. It seems Paretsky was clearly laying the path for a future series and it shows. A good debut to a series I will most definately continue with.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Synopsis - 1st V.I. Warshawski mystery
Meeting an anonymous client late on a sizzling summer night is asking for trouble. But trouble is Chicago private eye V. I. Warshawski's speciality. Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2009 by Maria2222
There's only one V.I.
V.I. is tough, imaginative, generous-hearted, loveable and fearless: yet she is entirely believable. Read more
Published on 7 Feb 2009 by A. M. Brinsley
Dissapointing offering.
I found this in the library, surprised to see the first book in the series on the shelf I took it out. Read more
Published on 5 May 2008 by E. Laws
Sparse in every aspect
Sara Paretsky's offering is sparse on everything. Sparse on good writing, sparse on character development and sparse on suspenseful plot. Read more
Published on 8 Mar 2008 by Talc Demon
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