JULY 2022 - AudioFile
The talented and emotive Susan Ericksen continues as narrator for Book 22 in the V.I. Warshawski detective series. Ericksen’s familiarity with the indomitable investigator’s inflections and emotions produces a thrilling realistic performance. Warshawski is drawn into a new investigation upon finding a burned girl hiding in the woods. When the teen disappears from the hospital, Ericksen’s delivery embodies Warshawski’s determination to discover what happened, using her only clue—one word uttered in Hungarian by the girl. Ericksen excels during tense verbal exchanges among the novel’s diverse characters, and her rendition of an abusive cop assaulting Warshawski will make listeners wince. Listeners will be glued to their earbuds until Warshawski unspools every thread tied to the injured and missing girl. J.T. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
03/28/2022
In MWA Grand Master Paretsky’s timely, propulsive 21st V.I. Warshawski novel (after 2020’s Dead Land), the private investigator’s dogs get loose during a walk and lead her to an unconscious teenage girl on Chicago’s lakefront. She has no identification, but wakes long enough to whisper the word nagyi before EMTs take her away. The local news interviews Vic about the rescue, and shortly thereafter, two sets of cops—one from Homan Square, the Chicago PD’s enhanced interrogation facility—start harassing her for information about Jane Doe and any personal effects Vic may have found at the scene. When the girl later vanishes from the hospital and a possible witness is murdered, Vic resolves to find and protect her from further harm. Subplots involving hate crimes perpetrated against a Jewish Orthodox synagogue and a family of hustlers from Vic’s old neighborhood add to this thorny tale of corruption and greed. Paretsky’s dizzyingly complex plot strains credulity, but the tale’s relentless pacing, sky-high stakes, and strong social justice advocacy should keep readers invested in the expertly crafted characters’ fates. Series fans will get their money’s worth. Agent: Dominick Abel, Dominick Abel Literary. (May)
From the Publisher
Fiercely independent private detective V.I. Warshawski... has been a favorite since her debut in 1982, and in this enjoyable 22nd installment of the series, even a pandemic won’t stop her from setting wrongs to right.” — Washington Post on Overboard
"Paretsky’s clever plotting and storytelling crusades against corruption remain unchanged in this particularly evocative visit to Vic's world." — Booklist on Overboard
"Well-plotted... Series readers will recognize the steady buildup of Vic’s insistence on justice at any cost, a reliable characteristic of these books." — New York Journal of Books on Overboard
"[A] compelling, fast-paced and original mystery.” — BookPage on Overboard
Propulsive.... The tale’s relentless pacing, sky-high stakes, and strong social justice advocacy should keep readers invested in the expertly crafted characters’ fates. Series fans will get their money’s worth.” — Publishers Weekly on Overboard
“Not just murder, but adultery, hate crime, fraud, elder abuse, police misconduct, and dysfunctional families. Enjoy.” — Kirkus Reviews on Overboard
“Intricate and involving.… Overboard offers the comfort of a throwback, enlisting classic PI-story motifs, such as disguises, heartless villains, escapes on foot and feats of physical daring. Would it even be a Warshawski novel without that last one?” — Shelf Awareness
"In pursuit of the truth about rapacious developers, skeevy nursing home operators and corrupt cops, Vic ends up in a lot of places she doesn’t want to be.... How is it all connected? With Warshawski on the case, finding out is a dark ride." — Tampa Bay Times on Overboard
“The new VI Warshawski novel is a worthy addition to one of crime fiction’s long-standing gems.... Paretsky paints a vivid picture of a city slowly working through the traumas of the pandemic and a woman still very much in imminent danger.” — Crime Reads on Overboard
"Readers can find comfort in the dedication V.I. gives the cries for help she hears from friends, neighbors, and strangers... Very few series authors deliver as masterfully as Sara Paretsky.” — San Francisco Book Review on Overboard
“A proper hero for these times . . . To us, V.I. is perfect.” — Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review, on Dead Land
“Sara Paretsky’s gloriously kick-ass private eye, V.I. ‘Vic’ Warshawski, is . . . the definition of perfection in the genre.” — Washington Post on Dead Land
"Swift and superb." — Seattle Times on Dead Land
"[A] series bar-raiser . . . A high point in Paretsky’s long-running and much-loved series." — Booklist (starred review) on Dead Land
“As usual, Paretsky is less interested in identifying whodunit than in uncovering a monstrous web of evil, and this web is one of her densest and most finely woven ever. So fierce, ambitious, and far-reaching that it makes most other mysteries seem like so many petit fours.” — Kirkus Reviews on Dead Land
"A crime-fiction pro struts her stuff." — People on Love & Other Crimes
“Wonderful company and a rich discovery awaiting those who have yet to meet [Warshawski]. ” — Los Angeles Times
“Sara Paretsky’s legendary P.I. is at the top of her game.” — Tess Gerritsen
“ V.I. Warshawski [is] a sleuth to rival the greats, from Sam Spade and Nero Wolfe to Harry Bosch and Stephanie Plum.” — A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“An author of matchless intelligence, craft, and power. This is why Sara Paretsky reigns as one of the all-time greats.” — Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of Pieces of Her and False Witness
“Legendary V.I. Warshawski is as dogged and ferocious as ever. So is Sara Paretsky, who is at the top of her crime novel game.”
— C.J. Box
“Sara Paretsky is a legend . . . If you haven’t read her yet, now is the time.” — Harlan Coben
“V.I. Warshawski is one of my all-time favorite investigators. Doesn’t get any better than this!” — Lisa Gardner
“Among today’s P.I.’s, nobody comes close to Warshawski.” — Publishers Weekly
“Revel in the superb pacing, the well-developed characters and the crisp dialogue from one of the most consistently excellent writers in the genre.” — BookPage
“Chicago’s V.I. Warshawski is on top form.” — Seattle Review of Books
Marilyn Stasio
A proper hero for these times . . . To us, V.I. is perfect.
Seattle Times on Dead Land
"Swift and superb."
BookPage on Overboard
"[A] compelling, fast-paced and original mystery.
Washington Post on Overboard
Fiercely independent private detective V.I. Warshawski... has been a favorite since her debut in 1982, and in this enjoyable 22nd installment of the series, even a pandemic won’t stop her from setting wrongs to right.
Booklist on Overboard
"Paretsky’s clever plotting and storytelling crusades against corruption remain unchanged in this particularly evocative visit to Vic's world."
Washington Post on Dead Land
Sara Paretsky’s gloriously kick-ass private eye, V.I. ‘Vic’ Warshawski, is . . . the definition of perfection in the genre.
Booklist (starred review) on Dead Land
"[A] series bar-raiser . . . A high point in Paretsky’s long-running and much-loved series."
People on Love & Other Crimes
"A crime-fiction pro struts her stuff."
|Los Angeles Times
Wonderful company and a rich discovery awaiting those who have yet to meet [Warshawski].
Los Angeles Times
Wonderful company and a rich discovery awaiting those who have yet to meet [Warshawski].
Tess Gerritsen
Sara Paretsky’s legendary P.I. is at the top of her game.
A.J. Finn
V.I. Warshawski [is] a sleuth to rival the greats, from Sam Spade and Nero Wolfe to Harry Bosch and Stephanie Plum.
Karin Slaughter
An author of matchless intelligence, craft, and power. This is why Sara Paretsky reigns as one of the all-time greats.
Seattle Review of Books
Chicago’s V.I. Warshawski is on top form.
C.J. Box
Legendary V.I. Warshawski is as dogged and ferocious as ever. So is Sara Paretsky, who is at the top of her crime novel game.”
Lisa Gardner
V.I. Warshawski is one of my all-time favorite investigators. Doesn’t get any better than this!
The New York Times Book Review
A proper hero for these times . . . To us, V.I. is perfect.
BookPage
Revel in the superb pacing, the well-developed characters and the crisp dialogue from one of the most consistently excellent writers in the genre.
The Washington Post
"Sara Paretsky’s gloriously kick-ass private eye, V.I. “Vic” Warshawski, is . . . the definition of perfection in the genre."
Harlan Coben
Sara Paretsky is a legend . . . If you haven’t read her yet, now is the time.
Library Journal - Audio
10/01/2022
Paretsky's 22nd book (after Dead Land) in the "V.I. Warshawski" series opens with a horrific discovery. Mitch and Peppy, Warshawski's dogs, discover a badly bruised and burned teenager wedged between two boulders along Lake Michigan. Warshawski calls emergency services, and the young woman is transported to the hospital. Before anyone can learn more about her, however, she vanishes without a trace. The only clue to the young woman's identity is the word nagyi, which she utters in a semi-conscious state as she is pulled from the rocks. A mysterious phone call from a woman in a nursing home reveals that the teen is being pursued by powerful men who want to kill her. In subplots, an Orthodox synagogue is vandalized, a nursing home abuses its patients, and police brutality is exposed. Susan Ericksen does a wonderful job narrating the novel, particularly in the varied way that she gives voice to the many characters. Her tone becomes menacing as she voices police lieutenant Coney and is aptly distorted when one of the characters who has been severely beaten speaks. VERDICT The complex plot and interlinked characters won't disappoint series fans.—Ilka Gordon
JULY 2022 - AudioFile
The talented and emotive Susan Ericksen continues as narrator for Book 22 in the V.I. Warshawski detective series. Ericksen’s familiarity with the indomitable investigator’s inflections and emotions produces a thrilling realistic performance. Warshawski is drawn into a new investigation upon finding a burned girl hiding in the woods. When the teen disappears from the hospital, Ericksen’s delivery embodies Warshawski’s determination to discover what happened, using her only clue—one word uttered in Hungarian by the girl. Ericksen excels during tense verbal exchanges among the novel’s diverse characters, and her rendition of an abusive cop assaulting Warshawski will make listeners wince. Listeners will be glued to their earbuds until Warshawski unspools every thread tied to the injured and missing girl. J.T. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2022-03-30
V.I. Warshawski returns to confront a list of felonies as long as your arm, even if your arm is holding a rifle.
A quiet walk with the dogs she shares with her 92-year-old neighbor, Sal Contreras, turns eventful when one of them slips the leash and takes off to nose out what turns out to be an unconscious young woman, beaten and burned. Thankfully, the Jane Doe, who murmurs only one semi-intelligible word, nagyi, is still alive, but Sgt. Lenora Pizzello, of the Chicago PD, has lots of questions for Vic, beginning with why her dog was unleashed. Thoroughly rattled by the experience, Vic has trouble pivoting to the elderly members of Congregation Shaamar Hashomayim when their synagogue is vandalized. A possible savior to the problems of the impoverished community seems to emerge, but in fact Brendan “Corky” Ranaghan, senior partner in Klondike Financial Services, is merely interested in becoming a silent partner by purchasing their building and doesn’t mind throwing out vague threats to help them make up their minds. Back at the hospital from which the Jane Doe has managed to escape wearing the clothes of Ariadne Blanchard, her roommate, Hungarian-born janitor Jan Kadar, who overheard her in conversation with an unidentified visitor, is found murdered, followed shortly by Ariadne. Meantime, Brad (ne Branwell) Litvak, the son of Vic’s old friend Donny, has approached her with more halting suspicions, and she runs repeatedly and unprofitably into Lt. Scott Coney, who seems determined to add her to his long list of excessive-force complainants. Paretsky ties this rapidly expanding bolus together with such an assured sense of inevitability that fans may overlook the relative lack of surprise.
Not just murder, but adultery, hate crime, fraud, elder abuse, police misconduct, and dysfunctional families. Enjoy.
