Ratings7
Average rating2.6
Meeting an anonymous client late on a sizzling summer night is asking for trouble. But trouble is Chicago private eye V.I. Warshwski's specialty. Her client says he's the prominent banker, John Thayer. Turns out he's not. He says his son's girlfriend, Anita Hill, is missing. Turns out that's not her real name. V.I.'s search turns up someone soon enough -- the real John Thayer's son, and he's dead. Who's V.I.'s client? Why has she been set up and sent out on a wild-goose chase? By the time she's got it figured, things are hotter -- and deadlier -- than Chicago in July. V.I.'s in a desperate race against time. At stake: a young woman's life.From the Paperback edition.
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Even tho' this was my first (and long overdue) exposure to V.I. and Paretsky, it felt very familiar. And I think that's a good thing. It had the same feel as early Parker, and even some of Gregory MacDonald's Flynn. As a quick aside, speaking of Parker, I think Sunny Randall owes a more than a debt of gratitude to V.I.
A good deal of the “you're just a woman, you should leave this stuff to men” got old quick. But I get it–esp. as both the author and character were blazing a trail or three here. Hopefully it dwindles over the rest of the series.
The mystery itself was decent, the action scenes fit in very well with her contemporaries, good style, but the novel did very much feel like “first in a series”, it'll be good to see how Paretsky handles things once she's fully established the character and her world.
Featured Series
18 primary books20 released booksV.I. Warshawski is a 20-book series with 18 primary works first released in 1982 with contributions by Sara Paretsky.
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