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V.I. Warshawski #20
Dead Land
Chicago’s legendary detective, V.I. Warshawski, knows her city’s rotten underbelly better than most, but she’s unable to avoid it when her goddaughter drags her into a fight over lakefront land use, in this propulsive novel from New York Times bestseller Sara Paretsky.
Chicago may be the city of broad shoulders, but its political law is “Pay to Play.” Money changes hands in the middle of the night, and by morning, buildings and parks are replaced by billion-dollar projects.
Chicago PI V.I. Warshawski gets pulled into one of these clandestine deals through her impetuous goddaughter, Bernie Fouchard. Bernie tries to rescue Lydia Zamir, a famed singer-songwriter now living on the streets; Zamir’s life fell apart when her lover was murdered next to her in a mass shooting at an outdoor concert. Not only does Bernie plunge her and V.I. headlong into the path of some ruthless developers, they lead to the murder of the young man Bernie is dating. He’s a computer geek working for a community group called SLICK.
V.I. is desperate to find a mysterious man named Coop, who roams the lakefront in the middle of the night with his dog. She’s sure he holds the key to the mounting body count within SLICK. Coop may even know why an international law firm is representing the mass murderer responsible for Lydia’s lover’s death. Instead, the detective finds a terrifying conspiracy stretching from Chicago’s parks to a cover-up of the dark chapters in America’s meddling in South American politics. Before she finds answers, this electrifying novel pushes V.I. close to the breaking point: People who pay to play take no prisoners.
Chicago may be the city of broad shoulders, but its political law is “Pay to Play.” Money changes hands in the middle of the night, and by morning, buildings and parks are replaced by billion-dollar projects.
Chicago PI V.I. Warshawski gets pulled into one of these clandestine deals through her impetuous goddaughter, Bernie Fouchard. Bernie tries to rescue Lydia Zamir, a famed singer-songwriter now living on the streets; Zamir’s life fell apart when her lover was murdered next to her in a mass shooting at an outdoor concert. Not only does Bernie plunge her and V.I. headlong into the path of some ruthless developers, they lead to the murder of the young man Bernie is dating. He’s a computer geek working for a community group called SLICK.
V.I. is desperate to find a mysterious man named Coop, who roams the lakefront in the middle of the night with his dog. She’s sure he holds the key to the mounting body count within SLICK. Coop may even know why an international law firm is representing the mass murderer responsible for Lydia’s lover’s death. Instead, the detective finds a terrifying conspiracy stretching from Chicago’s parks to a cover-up of the dark chapters in America’s meddling in South American politics. Before she finds answers, this electrifying novel pushes V.I. close to the breaking point: People who pay to play take no prisoners.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published April 21, 2020
About the author
Sara Paretsky
259 books2,291 followersSara Paretsky is a modern American author of detective fiction. Paretsky was raised in Kansas, and graduated from the state university with a degree in political science. She did community service work on the south side of Chicago in 1966 and returned in 1968 to work there. She ultimately completed a Ph.D. in history at the University of Chicago, entitled The Breakdown of Moral Philosophy in New England Before the Civil War, and finally earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. Married to a professor of physics at the University of Chicago, she has lived in Chicago since 1968.
The protagonist of all but two of Paretsky's novels is V.I. Warshawski, a female private investigator. Warshawski's eclectic personality defies easy categorization. She drinks Johnnie Walker Black Label, breaks into houses looking for clues, and can hold her own in a street fight, but also she pays attention to her clothes, sings opera along with the radio, and enjoys her sex life.
Paretsky is credited with transforming the role and image of women in the crime novel. The Winter 2007 issue of Clues: A Journal of Detection is devoted to her work.
Her two books that are non-Warshawski novels are : Ghost Country (1998) and Bleeding Kansas (2008).
The protagonist of all but two of Paretsky's novels is V.I. Warshawski, a female private investigator. Warshawski's eclectic personality defies easy categorization. She drinks Johnnie Walker Black Label, breaks into houses looking for clues, and can hold her own in a street fight, but also she pays attention to her clothes, sings opera along with the radio, and enjoys her sex life.
Paretsky is credited with transforming the role and image of women in the crime novel. The Winter 2007 issue of Clues: A Journal of Detection is devoted to her work.
Her two books that are non-Warshawski novels are : Ghost Country (1998) and Bleeding Kansas (2008).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 561 reviews
April 6, 2020
I have followed Sara Paretsky's feminist icon, Chicago PI VI Warshawski, from the very first, a series that has charted the state of the US through the years, the racism, the sexism, the power grabs, the changing nature of the media, crime and gang culture, the rise in billionaires and right wing populists, the corporate and political wrong doing, ruthlessness, abuse of power, corruption, all its social, political and economic failings. It has documented the increasing poverty, homelessness, attacks on refugees and migrants, and the barely there support for the fragile, the vulnerable, for those with mental health issues, right up to the problematic current incumbent in the White House and more. Through out the inimitable VI, or Vic, has stood up for right, against all the odds, fighting the good fight, battered, bruised but still there, not yet ready to give up, even while her body protests, her mind is strong, as she once again enters the fray, facing danger from all corners, putting her life on the line for those that matter to her and in what she believes.
Vic's goddaughter, the fierce, temperamental hockey player and student instructor Bernie Fouchard is training South Chicago's young girls, when her young man, the geeky Leo Prinz, is murdered in the park at night. Leo had been in charge of computer presentations for SLICK, a community group trying to push through a landfill and beach development on Lake Michigan, spearheaded by the powerful Park Superintendent, Gifford Taggett. All in a Chicago famous for its pay to play political policy where money changes hands and almost overnight developers are building on public lands. Still haunted by the trauma of her long dead opera singing mother, Vic gets drawn into trying to look out for the once famous, now homeless and emaciated Lydia Zamir, still grieving the loss of her writer boyfriend, Hector Palardo. Palardo had been one of 17 victims in a mass shooting at Horsethief Canyon in Kansas, four years ago. Murray's employers, Global Entertainment, are willing to pay big bucks to Vic to find Lydia when she goes missing and a big national law firm that defended the Kansas shooter is expressing a strong interest in her whereabouts too.
Left to look after the beautiful dog, Bear, after his volatile and aggressive owner, Coop, protector of Lydia, disappears, can Vic pull together the disparate threads in a complicated and intricate investigation to get to the truth? Once again Paretsky gives us tense and suspenseful storytelling in a case that harks back to South America and Chile's history of terror under the murdering and torturing regime of the dictator, General Pinochet, a period in which over 40, 000 people 'disappeared', a nightmare regime supported by the US. Those who have followed Vic through time will love this latest addition to the series, and those yet to become acquainted with her, have a treat in store. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.
Vic's goddaughter, the fierce, temperamental hockey player and student instructor Bernie Fouchard is training South Chicago's young girls, when her young man, the geeky Leo Prinz, is murdered in the park at night. Leo had been in charge of computer presentations for SLICK, a community group trying to push through a landfill and beach development on Lake Michigan, spearheaded by the powerful Park Superintendent, Gifford Taggett. All in a Chicago famous for its pay to play political policy where money changes hands and almost overnight developers are building on public lands. Still haunted by the trauma of her long dead opera singing mother, Vic gets drawn into trying to look out for the once famous, now homeless and emaciated Lydia Zamir, still grieving the loss of her writer boyfriend, Hector Palardo. Palardo had been one of 17 victims in a mass shooting at Horsethief Canyon in Kansas, four years ago. Murray's employers, Global Entertainment, are willing to pay big bucks to Vic to find Lydia when she goes missing and a big national law firm that defended the Kansas shooter is expressing a strong interest in her whereabouts too.
Left to look after the beautiful dog, Bear, after his volatile and aggressive owner, Coop, protector of Lydia, disappears, can Vic pull together the disparate threads in a complicated and intricate investigation to get to the truth? Once again Paretsky gives us tense and suspenseful storytelling in a case that harks back to South America and Chile's history of terror under the murdering and torturing regime of the dictator, General Pinochet, a period in which over 40, 000 people 'disappeared', a nightmare regime supported by the US. Those who have followed Vic through time will love this latest addition to the series, and those yet to become acquainted with her, have a treat in store. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.
April 10, 2020
Dead Land is the 20th book in the V.I. Warshawski series written by Sara Paretsky. I began read these books nearly twenty years ago, enjoying the balance between mystery, thriller, suspense, and hard-core crime novel. Paretsky is never afraid to tackle difficult social topics, and the mysteries are thoroughly complex and entertaining. This one comes out in the next few weeks, but I was lucky enough to get a copy via NetGalley earlier this year. I'm glad I stuck with them as this is a really intricate and clever set of books.
Dead Land revolves around the mysterious disappearance and death of a few young adults who have a connection to Chile, Kansas prairies, and music. V.I., our resident private investigator, happens upon the missing girl when she takes cover as a homeless person after suffering through unimaginable horror and pain. Toss in V.I.'s niece getting in the middle of a political war, then a stranger who drops his dog off in the middle of all this drama, and our heroine doesn't know what to do with herself.
There are at least eight different tentacles to this plot, and I won't try to summarize them any further. They weave together nicely and push you to keep turning the pages. At times, it got a little tedious and vague, and as a result, it felt repetitive when we kept being lead to similar conclusions based upon each piece of evidence coming to light. Mr. Contreras and Lotty were missing from this book (except for a few small scenes) which made us feel as if V.I. was all on her own. I like seeing her being grounded every 100 pages or so... and for these reasons, I couldn't push it up to a 5-star rating.
Otherwise, it was a fantastic mystery chock full of political statements, culture lessons, historical references, and interesting relationships. I can see a few of these characters popping up again in the future... which I hope happens, as the author takes a couple of years to deliver each book, and she's in her retirement years, so... we might only get one or two more. This is worrisome, but I also cherish all the time I've spent with the books and plots, so I will continue to happily read and be saddened when they end.
Dead Land revolves around the mysterious disappearance and death of a few young adults who have a connection to Chile, Kansas prairies, and music. V.I., our resident private investigator, happens upon the missing girl when she takes cover as a homeless person after suffering through unimaginable horror and pain. Toss in V.I.'s niece getting in the middle of a political war, then a stranger who drops his dog off in the middle of all this drama, and our heroine doesn't know what to do with herself.
There are at least eight different tentacles to this plot, and I won't try to summarize them any further. They weave together nicely and push you to keep turning the pages. At times, it got a little tedious and vague, and as a result, it felt repetitive when we kept being lead to similar conclusions based upon each piece of evidence coming to light. Mr. Contreras and Lotty were missing from this book (except for a few small scenes) which made us feel as if V.I. was all on her own. I like seeing her being grounded every 100 pages or so... and for these reasons, I couldn't push it up to a 5-star rating.
Otherwise, it was a fantastic mystery chock full of political statements, culture lessons, historical references, and interesting relationships. I can see a few of these characters popping up again in the future... which I hope happens, as the author takes a couple of years to deliver each book, and she's in her retirement years, so... we might only get one or two more. This is worrisome, but I also cherish all the time I've spent with the books and plots, so I will continue to happily read and be saddened when they end.
September 7, 2020
Book number 20 and Vic is back in her role of superhero, falling down cliffs, surviving being shot at, able to go days with hardly any food or sleep whilst discovering corrupt politicians and international criminals at all turns. It was great!
Truth be told every one of the books in this series follows exactly the same formula but it is the characters who keep me coming back for more. I would hate to have Vic for a friend but she is definitely entertaining and others like Mr. Contreras, Lotty, Murray and Peter help make the story. Of course Peppy and Mitch must be mentioned too.
There is plenty of action, lots of suspense and a very twisty crime to be solved. Too twisty for me so I just sat back and let Vic do all the work and then explain it all to me at the end.
Another excellent read from Paretsky.
Truth be told every one of the books in this series follows exactly the same formula but it is the characters who keep me coming back for more. I would hate to have Vic for a friend but she is definitely entertaining and others like Mr. Contreras, Lotty, Murray and Peter help make the story. Of course Peppy and Mitch must be mentioned too.
There is plenty of action, lots of suspense and a very twisty crime to be solved. Too twisty for me so I just sat back and let Vic do all the work and then explain it all to me at the end.
Another excellent read from Paretsky.
March 24, 2020
DEAD LAND by Sara Paretsky is the twentieth book in the V.I. Warshawski private detective series and the ninth book that I have read by this author. This book is set in Chicago and in Kansas. V.I. Warshawski gets involved with a case through her goddaughter who tries to rescue a singer-songwriter, Lydia Zamir that is living on the Chicago streets. Lydia’s life changed when her partner was murdered during a mass shooting at an outdoor concert in Kansas. Along with this, there seems to be some political shenanigans going on with a park proposal. The more V.I. digs into the situation, the more complicated and involved they become.
The author has done a great job of developing competing and sympathetic characters that felt real and three-dimensional. Their motivations seemed believable and well-drawn. The stakes were high and the pace accelerated throughout the book. The prose was well-written, engrossing, and compelling. The plot was moving, powerful, thought-provoking and complex. There were several twists and turns and surprises as V.I. unravels the mysteries in this novel.
Overall, this was a complex, compelling, and suspenseful read. Themes include murder, attempted murder, mass shooting, international politics and history, political corruption, and much more. I am looking forward to reading more books in this series.
Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow and Sara Paretsky for a complimentary ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
The author has done a great job of developing competing and sympathetic characters that felt real and three-dimensional. Their motivations seemed believable and well-drawn. The stakes were high and the pace accelerated throughout the book. The prose was well-written, engrossing, and compelling. The plot was moving, powerful, thought-provoking and complex. There were several twists and turns and surprises as V.I. unravels the mysteries in this novel.
Overall, this was a complex, compelling, and suspenseful read. Themes include murder, attempted murder, mass shooting, international politics and history, political corruption, and much more. I am looking forward to reading more books in this series.
Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow and Sara Paretsky for a complimentary ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
May 15, 2020
I have read a number of the V. I. Warshawski series over the years. This is book number 20 of the series.
The book is well written. Paretsky has a number of ongoing issues in the story such as corrupt politicians, mental illness and, of course, a murder mystery. Paretsky provides a trip around Chicago from the lakeside to the south side as well as a trip to Kansas. The book has an array of interesting characters as well as her dogs. Paretsky provides some humor as well as suspense to keep the reader’s attention. If you are looking for a good get-away-from-it -all, this is a book for you.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is fifteen hours and thirty-two minutes. Susan Ericksen does an excellent job narrating the book. Ericksen is a well-known audiobook narrator who has won many awards.
The book is well written. Paretsky has a number of ongoing issues in the story such as corrupt politicians, mental illness and, of course, a murder mystery. Paretsky provides a trip around Chicago from the lakeside to the south side as well as a trip to Kansas. The book has an array of interesting characters as well as her dogs. Paretsky provides some humor as well as suspense to keep the reader’s attention. If you are looking for a good get-away-from-it -all, this is a book for you.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is fifteen hours and thirty-two minutes. Susan Ericksen does an excellent job narrating the book. Ericksen is a well-known audiobook narrator who has won many awards.
August 30, 2020
In my summer of escapist fiction and baseball history reading, I have tried to avoid books that hit too close to home. Then there is V.I. Warshawski. My parents, or maybe it was my grandparents, introduced me to her back when I was in high school, before social media was a blip on our collective radars. V.I., or Vic, is Chicago’s number one private eye, and I have read and savored every book in Sara Paretsky’s award winning series. Not only am I familiar with most of the locations mentioned in the series, Vic lives a stone’s throw from Wrigley Field and can see the games from her window, or at least she could in the early days of the series before the days of video boards. The first bad ass female detective and a Cubs fan to boot, V.I. has been one of my favorite fictional characters for years. I found out that in her twilight years of writing that Paretsky had written another book in the series, and I was first in line for it from my library when it shut down, and then I had to impatiently wait some more. With my hands finally on V.I.’s latest case Dead Land, it was the perfect book to end my summer reading with before we head back to school and work in the coming week.
V.I. Warshawski is a Chicago institution. She has been solving white collar crime for over thirty years and protecting women and teenaged girls from domestic violence. Police have a strained relationship with her but have long since come to the realization that if they stay out of Vic’s way, she will get the job done. During her hey day, V.I. was as much of a street fighter as a private eye, a remnant of her childhood days roaming the south side streets with her cousin, Blackhawks star BoomBoom. Like all members of her generation, Vic has adapted to life in the 21st century and conducts most of her research over the internet. Her days of packing her Smith and Wesson and going undercover are largely behind her, but Vic is still game for an old school case should the times necessitate it. In this twentieth installment of V.I.’s full length cases, we meet her as she cheers on her g-d daughter Bernie Fouchard, who is coaching a south side soccer team as part of her coursework for a degree in sports management. Bernie is as tough as they come, the daughter of BoomBoom’s former teammate Pierre Fouchard and a star hockey player in her own right. I have been waiting for Paretsky to transfer the series from V.I. to Bernie, but that day has not come yet, as V.I. in her late sixties shows that she still has what it takes to solve even the toughest cases. Even though Bernie has energy and is as tough as nails, she just is not at Vic’s level yet. Although Bernie and her roommate Angela, who is introduced in this case, would be the ideal detective team for the 21st century, V.I. is not quite ready to hand the keys to the city to younger generations.
Vic and Bernie stumble upon two distinct, unsolved cases that look to imperil both of their lives. Related to Bernie’s role as a soccer coach, she and Vic go to a meeting of a south side environmental group called SLICK, who would like to develop a swimmer’s beach along 47th street. The government rarely gives the time of day to the south side, but the park district chief seems to have a lot riding on this new south side development project that would appear to bring both jobs and money to the neighborhood. Even a Nobel Prize winning economist seems to have a stake in this corridor, giving Vic the cause to ponder: why. That is also on the mind of a character named Coop, who appears out of the blue everywhere in the neighborhood with his giant dog Bear. Coop seems to know the environmental toll on development best but gets on the nerves of long time south side tax payers. When Vic and Bernie stumble upon a woman playing a piano on their way home from the meeting, Bernie recognizes her immediately as feminist song writer Lydia Zamir. Vic notices bars from arias that her mother used to play and is intrigued, a little too intrigued for Coop who swoops in to shield Lydia, just as he caused trouble at the community meeting. Who is this Coop? And what is the connection between Lydia Zamir and the development of the south side? V.I. is about to discovers the hows and whys.
The plot plods along in the first quarter of the book until Bernie’s boyfriend, a SLICK intern, is found murdered in the park where Lydia has set up camp. After another murder and the ransacking of Bernie and Angela’s apartment, Vic has both girls return home for the duration of the summer, leaving her to solve the cases as a solo op. Murray Ryerson, Vic’s long time business associate and award winning journalist, plays a large role in assisting her in this case. Paretsky shows how a solo investigator like Vic can adapt to new times whereas a journalist at a major newspaper has unfortunately largely been replaced. Ryerson is a relic at Global Entertainment and is given free reign, although there are many higher ups who would like to see him retire. Shifted to human interest stories, Murray and Vic trade information on this case, and their banter reminds me of the early days of this series where the two of them went undercover to reveal white collar crime rings. Lotty, Max, Sal at the Golden Glow, and Mr Contreras make cameos as well, and their characters have not changed other than in age in thirty years. This case is all about Vic, Murray, and how times have changed on the investigation scene. Does the pair have what it takes to solve one more case before they are shafted aside by the younger set once and for all?
Vic’s research takes her from the south to the north side and to the prairies of Kansas, Paretsky’s home state. Although Paretsky has called Chicago home for her entire adult life, she writes about Kansas with as much love and affection as she does about the mean streets of Chicago. This book is a tad political, as Paretsky has desired to make a statement in her last few books. While I have been turned off by the insertion of political agendas in recent fiction books, I stuck through this case until the end because I had to know where V.I. would end up on her life journey. Her research into Lydia’s case explores Chilean politics. I am familiar with the history having read Isabel Allende’s books all these years, but it was intriguing to see another author’s take on them. Paretsky also touches on the pay to play politics that have been a part of Chicago for generations. That is not going to change, giving the white collar crime solvers like V.I. job security going forward. Even V.I. realizes that she is in the twilight of her career, becoming wistful when she sees a multigenerational family and wishing after all this time that she had a child of her own. She is in this case to protect Bernie but knows that she can’t run or climb like she used to and even hires a dog walking service to assist Mr Contreras while she crisscrosses the Midwest to bring multiple criminals to justice. Even Vic would rather vacation in the mountains in August than spend an entire summer in Chicago a stone’s throw from Wrigley Field. Perhaps this is the case that will be Vic’s swan song.
With multiple threads wrapping up in a bow, V.I. saves the day again, many people bestowing their gratitude on her. Bernie and Angela return to finish their degrees and compete in their respective sports. As a long time reader who has been with V.I. from the beginning, I do wonder if Paretsky is waiting for the young ladies to complete their degrees and then follow in Vic’s footsteps, putting their lives on the line to protect the needy young women of the world. This is the first book that Paretsky has written since the death of her husband, and her grief shows, making this book as much about reminiscing Vic’s past as it is about her present and future. With Murray on the mend and Mr Contreras as feisty as ever at age ninety five, perhaps Vic has one more case in her. As Paretsky winds down her career, I will savor the V.I. stories she has left, and when the time comes to call it a career, I hope that the original bad ass female private eye calls it a day in a way that only V.I. can.
4+ stars 🕵️♀️
V.I. Warshawski is a Chicago institution. She has been solving white collar crime for over thirty years and protecting women and teenaged girls from domestic violence. Police have a strained relationship with her but have long since come to the realization that if they stay out of Vic’s way, she will get the job done. During her hey day, V.I. was as much of a street fighter as a private eye, a remnant of her childhood days roaming the south side streets with her cousin, Blackhawks star BoomBoom. Like all members of her generation, Vic has adapted to life in the 21st century and conducts most of her research over the internet. Her days of packing her Smith and Wesson and going undercover are largely behind her, but Vic is still game for an old school case should the times necessitate it. In this twentieth installment of V.I.’s full length cases, we meet her as she cheers on her g-d daughter Bernie Fouchard, who is coaching a south side soccer team as part of her coursework for a degree in sports management. Bernie is as tough as they come, the daughter of BoomBoom’s former teammate Pierre Fouchard and a star hockey player in her own right. I have been waiting for Paretsky to transfer the series from V.I. to Bernie, but that day has not come yet, as V.I. in her late sixties shows that she still has what it takes to solve even the toughest cases. Even though Bernie has energy and is as tough as nails, she just is not at Vic’s level yet. Although Bernie and her roommate Angela, who is introduced in this case, would be the ideal detective team for the 21st century, V.I. is not quite ready to hand the keys to the city to younger generations.
Vic and Bernie stumble upon two distinct, unsolved cases that look to imperil both of their lives. Related to Bernie’s role as a soccer coach, she and Vic go to a meeting of a south side environmental group called SLICK, who would like to develop a swimmer’s beach along 47th street. The government rarely gives the time of day to the south side, but the park district chief seems to have a lot riding on this new south side development project that would appear to bring both jobs and money to the neighborhood. Even a Nobel Prize winning economist seems to have a stake in this corridor, giving Vic the cause to ponder: why. That is also on the mind of a character named Coop, who appears out of the blue everywhere in the neighborhood with his giant dog Bear. Coop seems to know the environmental toll on development best but gets on the nerves of long time south side tax payers. When Vic and Bernie stumble upon a woman playing a piano on their way home from the meeting, Bernie recognizes her immediately as feminist song writer Lydia Zamir. Vic notices bars from arias that her mother used to play and is intrigued, a little too intrigued for Coop who swoops in to shield Lydia, just as he caused trouble at the community meeting. Who is this Coop? And what is the connection between Lydia Zamir and the development of the south side? V.I. is about to discovers the hows and whys.
The plot plods along in the first quarter of the book until Bernie’s boyfriend, a SLICK intern, is found murdered in the park where Lydia has set up camp. After another murder and the ransacking of Bernie and Angela’s apartment, Vic has both girls return home for the duration of the summer, leaving her to solve the cases as a solo op. Murray Ryerson, Vic’s long time business associate and award winning journalist, plays a large role in assisting her in this case. Paretsky shows how a solo investigator like Vic can adapt to new times whereas a journalist at a major newspaper has unfortunately largely been replaced. Ryerson is a relic at Global Entertainment and is given free reign, although there are many higher ups who would like to see him retire. Shifted to human interest stories, Murray and Vic trade information on this case, and their banter reminds me of the early days of this series where the two of them went undercover to reveal white collar crime rings. Lotty, Max, Sal at the Golden Glow, and Mr Contreras make cameos as well, and their characters have not changed other than in age in thirty years. This case is all about Vic, Murray, and how times have changed on the investigation scene. Does the pair have what it takes to solve one more case before they are shafted aside by the younger set once and for all?
Vic’s research takes her from the south to the north side and to the prairies of Kansas, Paretsky’s home state. Although Paretsky has called Chicago home for her entire adult life, she writes about Kansas with as much love and affection as she does about the mean streets of Chicago. This book is a tad political, as Paretsky has desired to make a statement in her last few books. While I have been turned off by the insertion of political agendas in recent fiction books, I stuck through this case until the end because I had to know where V.I. would end up on her life journey. Her research into Lydia’s case explores Chilean politics. I am familiar with the history having read Isabel Allende’s books all these years, but it was intriguing to see another author’s take on them. Paretsky also touches on the pay to play politics that have been a part of Chicago for generations. That is not going to change, giving the white collar crime solvers like V.I. job security going forward. Even V.I. realizes that she is in the twilight of her career, becoming wistful when she sees a multigenerational family and wishing after all this time that she had a child of her own. She is in this case to protect Bernie but knows that she can’t run or climb like she used to and even hires a dog walking service to assist Mr Contreras while she crisscrosses the Midwest to bring multiple criminals to justice. Even Vic would rather vacation in the mountains in August than spend an entire summer in Chicago a stone’s throw from Wrigley Field. Perhaps this is the case that will be Vic’s swan song.
With multiple threads wrapping up in a bow, V.I. saves the day again, many people bestowing their gratitude on her. Bernie and Angela return to finish their degrees and compete in their respective sports. As a long time reader who has been with V.I. from the beginning, I do wonder if Paretsky is waiting for the young ladies to complete their degrees and then follow in Vic’s footsteps, putting their lives on the line to protect the needy young women of the world. This is the first book that Paretsky has written since the death of her husband, and her grief shows, making this book as much about reminiscing Vic’s past as it is about her present and future. With Murray on the mend and Mr Contreras as feisty as ever at age ninety five, perhaps Vic has one more case in her. As Paretsky winds down her career, I will savor the V.I. stories she has left, and when the time comes to call it a career, I hope that the original bad ass female private eye calls it a day in a way that only V.I. can.
4+ stars 🕵️♀️
April 1, 2020
In Dead Land, Sara Paretsky presents V. I. Warshawski with one of her most complex and dangerous cases. Her goddaughter Bernie, a skater on the women’s hockey team at the University of Chicago, has asked her to accompany her to a local organizers’ meeting which a friend is assisting. Then Bernie realizes that a homeless woman making odd music near a train station is actually a known singer songwriter, famous to Bernie’s generation, though not to V. I. Yes, the beginning is complex and there is more to come.
There are many characters in this story that are important to the plot: Lydia, the homeless woman; her mother-in-law; a neighbor who threatens to have V.I. evicted due to her disruptive life; Murray, V. I.’s erstwhile “frenemy” newsman; multiple civic and police persons in Chicago as well as her usual cohorts. Then there are the people of Kansas, as Vic travels there to seek answers in this increasingly muddy case.
The plot is both cerebral and very physically active with close calls for V.I as she confronts suspects and chases clues while she uses these fragile clues to construct a theory.
Once again, I definitely recommend this book. It builds on the successful series which is based on a very human-seeming lead.
Paretsky writes in her afterword that this is the first of this now 20 book series that she has written since the death of her husband. I wish I could tell her how wonderful it is to see what she has produced in spite of her grief. I’m also so happy to see she continues writing as she is one of my favorite authors.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
There are many characters in this story that are important to the plot: Lydia, the homeless woman; her mother-in-law; a neighbor who threatens to have V.I. evicted due to her disruptive life; Murray, V. I.’s erstwhile “frenemy” newsman; multiple civic and police persons in Chicago as well as her usual cohorts. Then there are the people of Kansas, as Vic travels there to seek answers in this increasingly muddy case.
The plot is both cerebral and very physically active with close calls for V.I as she confronts suspects and chases clues while she uses these fragile clues to construct a theory.
Once again, I definitely recommend this book. It builds on the successful series which is based on a very human-seeming lead.
Paretsky writes in her afterword that this is the first of this now 20 book series that she has written since the death of her husband. I wish I could tell her how wonderful it is to see what she has produced in spite of her grief. I’m also so happy to see she continues writing as she is one of my favorite authors.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
May 16, 2023
When the V.I. Warshawski books were first published I read them avidly because they had more meat on their bones than the other female P.I. series of the 80's.
Forty years later, I'm still reading them, and for the same reason. There's still plenty of meat on those bones, the ones Vic doggedly chews on as she fights for the underdog against corrupt politicians (the books are nearly always based in Chicago, so there's no shortage of them) and white collar criminals (whether resident in Chicago or elsewhere). As a rule, part of the plot is tied to troubling events that occurred years, or even decades, before.
So it's a given: the books are formulaic in structure. But the recurring characters are well developed and diverse, providing plenty of entrees into intriguing problems for Vic to resolve, and support as she works her way to the end. And although the structure is similar, the crimes forming the basis of the story are varied. Paretsky obviously does a ton of homework to lend authenticity to each plot. I almost always learn something new while reading one of these books. (One of my favorites in the series is Deadlock, in which she does a deep dive into the Great Lakes shipping industry.)
One more thing. Vic ages over the course of the series. Not on an exact track to match the passage of time, but in this book she's in her 50's and doesn't spring back as quickly from her misadventures as she did in her 30's. It's a nice touch.
The typically convoluted plot of this book includes, among other things, the conflict between agribusiness and small farmers (which has Vic traveling to Kansas); the potential for harm inherent in the dark web and in ready access to automatic weapons; the plight of the homeless; Chicago politics related to waterfront development - and Chilean history. It's a lot, but Paretsky pulls it off again.
Forty years later, I'm still reading them, and for the same reason. There's still plenty of meat on those bones, the ones Vic doggedly chews on as she fights for the underdog against corrupt politicians (the books are nearly always based in Chicago, so there's no shortage of them) and white collar criminals (whether resident in Chicago or elsewhere). As a rule, part of the plot is tied to troubling events that occurred years, or even decades, before.
So it's a given: the books are formulaic in structure. But the recurring characters are well developed and diverse, providing plenty of entrees into intriguing problems for Vic to resolve, and support as she works her way to the end. And although the structure is similar, the crimes forming the basis of the story are varied. Paretsky obviously does a ton of homework to lend authenticity to each plot. I almost always learn something new while reading one of these books. (One of my favorites in the series is Deadlock, in which she does a deep dive into the Great Lakes shipping industry.)
One more thing. Vic ages over the course of the series. Not on an exact track to match the passage of time, but in this book she's in her 50's and doesn't spring back as quickly from her misadventures as she did in her 30's. It's a nice touch.
The typically convoluted plot of this book includes, among other things, the conflict between agribusiness and small farmers (which has Vic traveling to Kansas); the potential for harm inherent in the dark web and in ready access to automatic weapons; the plight of the homeless; Chicago politics related to waterfront development - and Chilean history. It's a lot, but Paretsky pulls it off again.
April 13, 2020
It’s been a break of a few years since I followed a V.I. investigation. Thanks to my Goodreads friend, Sue, for reminding me how enjoyable this series is. Although the storyline is far-fetched at times, this is an intelligently written crime novel, very exciting at times, and the characters’ links with Chile’s Pinochet regime are really interesting. Sara Paretsky clearly did her research in this respect.
At the end, the author acknowledges the impact the death of her husband has had on her. I’m so glad she found the strength to continue writing and I’ll look forward to No 21 in the series.
With thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a review copy.
At the end, the author acknowledges the impact the death of her husband has had on her. I’m so glad she found the strength to continue writing and I’ll look forward to No 21 in the series.
With thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a review copy.
April 12, 2020
A book with it all Crime, mystery, thriller. You are in for a treat with this one. I will say I read it as a stand alone. I have not read the first 19 books. I was not lost, I was not missing anything. the story flowed very well.
I gave this book 4 stars and I recommend this book.
I will say I plan to go back and look to see if I can find the first 19 books in the A V.I. Wasshawski series.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.
I gave this book 4 stars and I recommend this book.
I will say I plan to go back and look to see if I can find the first 19 books in the A V.I. Wasshawski series.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.
May 20, 2020
I’m a big fan of Sara Paretsky and a big fan of her heroine, V.I. Warshawski. Dead Land, however, is not the best installment in the series. The author tells us that this is the first book she has written without the support of her now-deceased husband. Perhaps that partially explains why this book was somewhat disappointing. Now, Ms. Paretsky has set a very high bar for herself, and her somewhat disappointing book is still pretty good. It’s just not up to what you might expect from a V.I. Warshawski mystery.
The story brings back many of Paretsky’s usual cast of characters that circle around Vic, including Murray Ryerson, Mr. Contreras and his dogs, Lotty, Vic’s goddaughter, Bernie, and Vic’s current love interest, who conveniently flies away for an archeological dig so that Vic can run off to Kansas during the investigation. It’s a comfortable look-in on the peripheral characters, but they are just bit players and there’s no new ground broken for them.
The main story is a tangled web of corporate greed, a family feud in Chile, and a mass shooting four years earlier that killed Hector, who has a connection to the Chilean mine owning family, and who was the lover of Lydia, a fast-rising folk music singer, who was present for the mass shooting at a Kansas gorge. Lydia withdrew from society and music, and ended up living on the streets in Chicago, where Vic and Bernie stumble upon her and become caught up in her story, her subsequent disappearance, and how that might be related to the murder of the man Bernie was dating and who was involved in a Chicago urban planning group that may be involved in a shady deal that links back to the Chilean family and a big Chicago Law firm that may be linked back to the mass shooting. Did you get all that? Vic ignores her paying clients (there’s virtually no narrative about any other jobs she’s working on) and sets off to investigate the murder, then a second, and to find the missing Lydia.
The author seems to understand that the set-up for this story is very long and not particularly exciting or easy to follow. So, she starts the book in the middle, with a scene in which the mysterious “Coop,” who is another street-person and friend of Lydia, shows up at Vic’s apartment and drops off his big dog, named Bear, and has a confrontation with Vic. We spend the next hundred pages or so getting the back-story on what happened leading up to that opening scene. Then, the next hundred or so pages have V.I. flailing about trying to make heads or tails out of the situation. If you want to skip all that, you can start reading at chapter 42, where Ms. Paretsky has Vic give a helpful synopsis of the major plot points to a newly introduced character. From there, Vic traipses across Kansas, conveniently finding every important clue. She also gets shot at a couple of times (although it’s not clear by whom or why) as she digs into the four-year-old mass shooting case and (surprise!) finds something that everyone else either overlooked or covered up.
I won’t spoil the plot, which does finally come together in the end. But, have a pad and a pencil with you when reading so that you can write down the family tree and try to keep all the players straight as the story careens toward its conclusion. Keeping up with all the names, relationships, and motivations isn’t easy. And that’s really what makes this book different from most other V.I. Warshawski books. Normally, the author guides us through the story smoothly, giving the reader time to get to know the key characters and making their relationships, motivations, and actions clear. The plot flow is usually easy to follow, keeping you turning pages enthusiastically. This one felt more like an assignment that you had to finish and you’re worried that you’re not going to score well on the test.
In every detective mystery there are one or two moments when the protagonist catches a break and discovers some important bit of information through hard work, smart decisions, or sometimes just blind luck. In this plot, there are an unusually large number of those “lucky” breaks. So many that the author acknowledges them near the end. Within the context of the other issues with this book, that’s a tell that even Ms. Paretsky is not entirely happy with the finished product.
What partially saves the book is that Ms. Paretsky’s writing is rich, her descriptions are perfectly detailed (not too much, not too little), and her general prose makes the book easy and enjoyable to read. Although, there were also an unusual number of editing errors, poor sentence structures, and confusing prose in this book. I would have thought the editors at her publisher would have done a better job on such a high-end product. But, those were the exceptions, and in general any writer should aspire to the craftsmanship of the writing here (as in all her other books).
I’m still going to buy the next V.I. Warshawski novel when it comes out. I’ll hope that Ms. Paretsky gets over the loss of her husband and has a better focus for the next book.
The story brings back many of Paretsky’s usual cast of characters that circle around Vic, including Murray Ryerson, Mr. Contreras and his dogs, Lotty, Vic’s goddaughter, Bernie, and Vic’s current love interest, who conveniently flies away for an archeological dig so that Vic can run off to Kansas during the investigation. It’s a comfortable look-in on the peripheral characters, but they are just bit players and there’s no new ground broken for them.
The main story is a tangled web of corporate greed, a family feud in Chile, and a mass shooting four years earlier that killed Hector, who has a connection to the Chilean mine owning family, and who was the lover of Lydia, a fast-rising folk music singer, who was present for the mass shooting at a Kansas gorge. Lydia withdrew from society and music, and ended up living on the streets in Chicago, where Vic and Bernie stumble upon her and become caught up in her story, her subsequent disappearance, and how that might be related to the murder of the man Bernie was dating and who was involved in a Chicago urban planning group that may be involved in a shady deal that links back to the Chilean family and a big Chicago Law firm that may be linked back to the mass shooting. Did you get all that? Vic ignores her paying clients (there’s virtually no narrative about any other jobs she’s working on) and sets off to investigate the murder, then a second, and to find the missing Lydia.
The author seems to understand that the set-up for this story is very long and not particularly exciting or easy to follow. So, she starts the book in the middle, with a scene in which the mysterious “Coop,” who is another street-person and friend of Lydia, shows up at Vic’s apartment and drops off his big dog, named Bear, and has a confrontation with Vic. We spend the next hundred pages or so getting the back-story on what happened leading up to that opening scene. Then, the next hundred or so pages have V.I. flailing about trying to make heads or tails out of the situation. If you want to skip all that, you can start reading at chapter 42, where Ms. Paretsky has Vic give a helpful synopsis of the major plot points to a newly introduced character. From there, Vic traipses across Kansas, conveniently finding every important clue. She also gets shot at a couple of times (although it’s not clear by whom or why) as she digs into the four-year-old mass shooting case and (surprise!) finds something that everyone else either overlooked or covered up.
I won’t spoil the plot, which does finally come together in the end. But, have a pad and a pencil with you when reading so that you can write down the family tree and try to keep all the players straight as the story careens toward its conclusion. Keeping up with all the names, relationships, and motivations isn’t easy. And that’s really what makes this book different from most other V.I. Warshawski books. Normally, the author guides us through the story smoothly, giving the reader time to get to know the key characters and making their relationships, motivations, and actions clear. The plot flow is usually easy to follow, keeping you turning pages enthusiastically. This one felt more like an assignment that you had to finish and you’re worried that you’re not going to score well on the test.
In every detective mystery there are one or two moments when the protagonist catches a break and discovers some important bit of information through hard work, smart decisions, or sometimes just blind luck. In this plot, there are an unusually large number of those “lucky” breaks. So many that the author acknowledges them near the end. Within the context of the other issues with this book, that’s a tell that even Ms. Paretsky is not entirely happy with the finished product.
What partially saves the book is that Ms. Paretsky’s writing is rich, her descriptions are perfectly detailed (not too much, not too little), and her general prose makes the book easy and enjoyable to read. Although, there were also an unusual number of editing errors, poor sentence structures, and confusing prose in this book. I would have thought the editors at her publisher would have done a better job on such a high-end product. But, those were the exceptions, and in general any writer should aspire to the craftsmanship of the writing here (as in all her other books).
I’m still going to buy the next V.I. Warshawski novel when it comes out. I’ll hope that Ms. Paretsky gets over the loss of her husband and has a better focus for the next book.
May 10, 2020
3.5 stars. Enjoyable ride but in many ways each book follows the same pattern. And how many times can VI sustain a head injury and be almost killed. It stretches credibility.
March 29, 2020
Detective Vic Warshawski was born in 1982, a time when a woman advocating for herself, or another woman, or women on the whole were few and far between. Such a woman often spoke softly, hesitantly, and to reassure the listener that she wasn’t stark raving mad, she might begin by saying, “I’m not a feminist or anything, but…” And so for the lonely few of us that were uncloseted, audacious feminists, this bold, brazen, unapologetic character was inspirational. Vic is fictional, but Paretsky is not. It was leading lights such as hers that made me feel less alone. I have loved her from then, to now.
Paretsky is no longer a young woman. I know this because I am a grandmother myself, and she is older than I am. For her readers that wonder if she’s still got it, I have great news. She’s better than ever.
By now I should have thanked William Morrow, Net Galley, and Edelweiss Books for the review copies. You can get this book April 21, 2020.
Victoria’s young goddaughter, Bernie Fouchard appears in an earlier story, and now she returns. Bernie’s youthful passion and impetuous disposition counter Vic’s experience and more measured responses. I liked Bernie when she was introduced, and am glad she is back. Chicago’s shady politicians are about to quietly sell a prime chunk of the city’s park lands to developers; the corrupt nature of the deal makes it essential that the whole thing be done fast and with as little publicity or public input as possible. Bernie and a handful of others learn of it, and they protest at a meeting at which the city fathers had hoped to slide this oily project through. There are arrests, and soon afterward, Bernie’s boyfriend is murdered.
At the same time, Bernie tries to help a homeless singer named Lydia Zamir. Zamir is brilliant and was once very famous, but everything crumbled around the time that her lover was shot and killed; she’s been living under a bridge, filthy, disoriented, playing her music on a child’s toy piano. Now Lydia is missing. Lydia’s champion has been a man named Coop, and Coop is missing too. Before pulling a bunker, Coop deposits his dog outside Vic’s apartment, earning her the enmity of neighbors that are already up in arms over the barking of Vic’s own dogs when she is gone. Now Vic has every reason to help find Coop, Lydia, and the murderer. At the same time the reader must wonder how the sleazy deal, the murder, and the disappearances are connected. The pacing is urgent and my interest never flags; the haunting mental image of Lydia and her small, battered piano tug at my social conscience, all the more so as the world is hurtled into quarantine.
Long-running characters Lottie and Max, who are like parents to Vic, and newspaperman Murray, a close friend of Vic’s, return here, and I love them all. No doubt this colors my response as well. I have known these characters longer than my husband of thirty years; at one point I realized that somewhere along the line, I had separated the other books I was reading (some of them quite good) from this one. I had my books-to-read category, but I had mentally shifted this story into the same category as my family business. I should check on my sister, who’s been ill; I wanted to set a lunch date with one of my kids; and I should check and see whether Vic is having any luck finding…oh hey. Wait a minute.
Can you read this story as a stand-alone? You sure can. However, this badass, hardboiled Chicago detective is an addictive character; once you’ve read it, you’re going to want to go back and get the other 21 in the series. I swear it. You probably won’t experience the nostalgia that I do, but a damn good read is a damn good read, any way you slice it.
Highly recommended.
Paretsky is no longer a young woman. I know this because I am a grandmother myself, and she is older than I am. For her readers that wonder if she’s still got it, I have great news. She’s better than ever.
By now I should have thanked William Morrow, Net Galley, and Edelweiss Books for the review copies. You can get this book April 21, 2020.
Victoria’s young goddaughter, Bernie Fouchard appears in an earlier story, and now she returns. Bernie’s youthful passion and impetuous disposition counter Vic’s experience and more measured responses. I liked Bernie when she was introduced, and am glad she is back. Chicago’s shady politicians are about to quietly sell a prime chunk of the city’s park lands to developers; the corrupt nature of the deal makes it essential that the whole thing be done fast and with as little publicity or public input as possible. Bernie and a handful of others learn of it, and they protest at a meeting at which the city fathers had hoped to slide this oily project through. There are arrests, and soon afterward, Bernie’s boyfriend is murdered.
At the same time, Bernie tries to help a homeless singer named Lydia Zamir. Zamir is brilliant and was once very famous, but everything crumbled around the time that her lover was shot and killed; she’s been living under a bridge, filthy, disoriented, playing her music on a child’s toy piano. Now Lydia is missing. Lydia’s champion has been a man named Coop, and Coop is missing too. Before pulling a bunker, Coop deposits his dog outside Vic’s apartment, earning her the enmity of neighbors that are already up in arms over the barking of Vic’s own dogs when she is gone. Now Vic has every reason to help find Coop, Lydia, and the murderer. At the same time the reader must wonder how the sleazy deal, the murder, and the disappearances are connected. The pacing is urgent and my interest never flags; the haunting mental image of Lydia and her small, battered piano tug at my social conscience, all the more so as the world is hurtled into quarantine.
Long-running characters Lottie and Max, who are like parents to Vic, and newspaperman Murray, a close friend of Vic’s, return here, and I love them all. No doubt this colors my response as well. I have known these characters longer than my husband of thirty years; at one point I realized that somewhere along the line, I had separated the other books I was reading (some of them quite good) from this one. I had my books-to-read category, but I had mentally shifted this story into the same category as my family business. I should check on my sister, who’s been ill; I wanted to set a lunch date with one of my kids; and I should check and see whether Vic is having any luck finding…oh hey. Wait a minute.
Can you read this story as a stand-alone? You sure can. However, this badass, hardboiled Chicago detective is an addictive character; once you’ve read it, you’re going to want to go back and get the other 21 in the series. I swear it. You probably won’t experience the nostalgia that I do, but a damn good read is a damn good read, any way you slice it.
Highly recommended.
February 8, 2020
Sara Paretsky has done it again. She has remained consistently excellent by crafting a mystery that is both complex and real. The issues that VI Warshawski comes across are not only timely and relevant, they are woven into the plot lines in an organic way. And VI is just so smart, compassionate and human, everything one is looking for in a private investigator. It’s why, after all this time, these are on my must reads list.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
September 28, 2020
Wow. This was really good. VI getting involved in a case that surrounds a young man who is murdered leads to some high crimes and misdemeanors not only in Chicago, but also further away in Chile. I liked this one much more since it really was VI putting her nose to the grindstone and figuring out what was going on. We also didn't have VI getting into physical fights with anyone. She's in her 50s at this point and I still think it's odd when we have going hand to hand with people. I did like the backstory on this one, but didn't care for a side character that was introduced in this one named Coop. The ending I thought was great and I can't wait to read what VI gets up to in the next book.
"Dead Land" has VI watching her goddaughter (or really Boom Boom's goddaughter) Bernie as she leads a sports league of teens. The teens are receiving an award from a local community group and they come across a lot of fighting and yelling among citizens for and against a new build that is supposedly going to bring a lot more business to the area. A man named Coop interrupts the meeting and acts like an ass (sorry I did not like Coop) and a young man named Leo who is just helping out gets caught in the cross-hairs. When Bernie and VI leave that meeting, they come across a homeless woman playing some songs that are pretty well known for being feminist and anti-colonial. Bernie wants to know more from this woman and VI wants to help her, Coop comes along and then chases them away from bothering the woman that Bernie believes is a famous pianist named Lydia Zamir who had a horrible tragedy that left her broken and unable to speak. When Bernie refuses to leave things alone, the homeless woman runs off and then VI decides to see if she can find her. This one has a lot of twists and turns but leads back to so many events that one wonders how Paretsky was able to keep track of everything.
VI is really solid in this one. She's seeing Peter (the archaeologist) and is ready to celebrate a birthday (the number is not told to us). She is irritated with Bernie a bit, but also realizes she also can't leave well enough alone. And I think that ultimately this book shows that VI is incapable of walking away if she sees someone in trouble or hurt. Even if that means she herself or others around her will be harmed. A character mentions that VI uses other people as "burnt offerings" and that was a very distinctive image. You wonder at times why VI just doesn't stop, but she can't, not when she knows an injustice has been done. Sometimes you wonder why her mother didn't name her Astraea or even Rhamnousia.
We do get some scenes here and there with VI and Lottie. But most of the book focuses on VI's relationship and interaction with Murray. Murray is a man out of time it seems with journalism not the way it was back in the day. When VI accuses Murray of being a sell-out (she used longer words there) the two are at an impasse. When Murray is hurt though, VI is focused on keeping him safe and finding out who did it and why.
The character of Lydia was hard to figure out. We really hear from other people about her and I wish that we had been given a chance to actually "hear" Lydia speak.
I didn't care for the character of Coop at all. Everyone mentions he has a temper (he does) and you get to see how obsessive he is about things. I don't know. Something about him bugged me throughout the story. The guy was putting his hands on women (Bernie at one point) and I was over him.
VI is still getting into it with her one neighbor and is being threatened with eviction, so that's new.
The writing was really good and I thought the flow was great too. The whole book works and when you finally start to put all of the pieces together things make sense. Not going to lie I was a bit confused at times, but the story has a lot of moving parts.
The ending was a bit melancholy but still filled with hope I thought.
"Dead Land" has VI watching her goddaughter (or really Boom Boom's goddaughter) Bernie as she leads a sports league of teens. The teens are receiving an award from a local community group and they come across a lot of fighting and yelling among citizens for and against a new build that is supposedly going to bring a lot more business to the area. A man named Coop interrupts the meeting and acts like an ass (sorry I did not like Coop) and a young man named Leo who is just helping out gets caught in the cross-hairs. When Bernie and VI leave that meeting, they come across a homeless woman playing some songs that are pretty well known for being feminist and anti-colonial. Bernie wants to know more from this woman and VI wants to help her, Coop comes along and then chases them away from bothering the woman that Bernie believes is a famous pianist named Lydia Zamir who had a horrible tragedy that left her broken and unable to speak. When Bernie refuses to leave things alone, the homeless woman runs off and then VI decides to see if she can find her. This one has a lot of twists and turns but leads back to so many events that one wonders how Paretsky was able to keep track of everything.
VI is really solid in this one. She's seeing Peter (the archaeologist) and is ready to celebrate a birthday (the number is not told to us). She is irritated with Bernie a bit, but also realizes she also can't leave well enough alone. And I think that ultimately this book shows that VI is incapable of walking away if she sees someone in trouble or hurt. Even if that means she herself or others around her will be harmed. A character mentions that VI uses other people as "burnt offerings" and that was a very distinctive image. You wonder at times why VI just doesn't stop, but she can't, not when she knows an injustice has been done. Sometimes you wonder why her mother didn't name her Astraea or even Rhamnousia.
We do get some scenes here and there with VI and Lottie. But most of the book focuses on VI's relationship and interaction with Murray. Murray is a man out of time it seems with journalism not the way it was back in the day. When VI accuses Murray of being a sell-out (she used longer words there) the two are at an impasse. When Murray is hurt though, VI is focused on keeping him safe and finding out who did it and why.
The character of Lydia was hard to figure out. We really hear from other people about her and I wish that we had been given a chance to actually "hear" Lydia speak.
I didn't care for the character of Coop at all. Everyone mentions he has a temper (he does) and you get to see how obsessive he is about things. I don't know. Something about him bugged me throughout the story. The guy was putting his hands on women (Bernie at one point) and I was over him.
VI is still getting into it with her one neighbor and is being threatened with eviction, so that's new.
The writing was really good and I thought the flow was great too. The whole book works and when you finally start to put all of the pieces together things make sense. Not going to lie I was a bit confused at times, but the story has a lot of moving parts.
The ending was a bit melancholy but still filled with hope I thought.
December 25, 2020
I’ve always enjoyed this series. Sara Paretsky is such a skilled writer and V.I. is a heroine you always root for. That said, the plot of this novel was too over the top for me. Murderous Chilean billionaires, a University of Chicago economist and the head of Chicago’s Park District all conspiring to convert a section of waterfront property on the city’s south side to a golf course and gated community for the uber wealthy! The offshoots of the main story were even more bizarre as were the secondary characters. It was hard to like anybody in this one.
March 24, 2020
This was disappointing. I have read her books before, and I have like them, but this time I gave up after reading 70 pages. The characters (Coop and Lydia), the pace and the story line were just not interesting enough to keep my attention. I hope I like her next one better.
Read
May 14, 2020The last couple of Sara Paretsky books have been uncomfortable for me. Vic is such a crusader. It’s great to fight for social justice, but it’s often deeply uncomfortable for both the crusader and those around them. These books shine a spotlight on the vast corruption in our society, which is good. But I feel like these books, which started out more as diverting mysteries, have now morphed into weighty commentaries on society that leave me drained rather than entertained.
As I read the first 20% of this book, I decided I have enough on my plate dealing with the covid pandemic, my own financial and health issues, and the continued fight to recover from a class 5 hurricane which devastated my house and my community recently. I don’t need the downer of another Paretsky book dragging me down further in the dumps right now. Maybe later when I’m not dealing with so much on my nonfictional plate
As I read the first 20% of this book, I decided I have enough on my plate dealing with the covid pandemic, my own financial and health issues, and the continued fight to recover from a class 5 hurricane which devastated my house and my community recently. I don’t need the downer of another Paretsky book dragging me down further in the dumps right now. Maybe later when I’m not dealing with so much on my nonfictional plate
June 6, 2020
Another great novel by Sara Paretsky! As a former Chicagoan, I have always appreciated how she writes about the city and V. I. Warshawski is one of my all-time fictional characters. I really loved this one. Highly Recommended.
March 16, 2020
Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski books are always a delight to read. Well plotted with wonderful characters and interesting story lines, Dead Land does not disappoint on any level.
April 25, 2020
Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.
The first V.I. Warshawski book was published in 1982. This has been a long and wonderful series with Chicago as its' home and heart. The books all contain a great mystery plot and show Vic as a Social Justice Warrior, although she would deny that vehemently. The loss of Vic's mother continues to haunt her and that is a foundation block for this series. Another foundation block is her tenacity with things that catch her interest, whether she is being paid or not. She is perpetually 30-40 something, even after 38 years. She has added a boyfriend over the years and he is an affable sort who tolerates Vic chasing after that elusive thing that she just can't pin down. If you follow my reviews you know that hard mystery is so not my genre, but I've read a few of the early books in this series and decided to see how the series has aged. It has aged very well.
When Vic's goddaughter's, Bernie Fouchard's, rec league soccer team receives its' awards at a neighborhood SLICK community meeting, more than the awards are on the agenda. A development proposal causes tempers to fly and Bernie's boyfriend is in the middle of it all as the IT consultant to the group. "Pay to Play" has long been the way business in Chicago is conducted and a mysterious man named Coop is taking issue with this particular project.
After the meeting and completely by chance Vic and Bernie come across a homeless woman whose music Bernie recognizes and which strikes a chord with Vic. Bernie tries to help the woman who turns out to be Grammy Award winner, Lydia Zamir, whose tragic story gets both Bernie and Vic in way over their heads. The mysterious Coop appears to have appointed has himself as Lydia's guardian and takes exception to any attempts to contact her, with good reason it turns out.
When corrupt developers, the murder of Bernie's boyfriend, and the tragic death of Lydia's lover four years ago collide, Vic is way over her head as she chases a conspiracy that is covering up one of the darkest chapters in America's dealings with South America and that may just cost Vic her life.
The first V.I. Warshawski book was published in 1982. This has been a long and wonderful series with Chicago as its' home and heart. The books all contain a great mystery plot and show Vic as a Social Justice Warrior, although she would deny that vehemently. The loss of Vic's mother continues to haunt her and that is a foundation block for this series. Another foundation block is her tenacity with things that catch her interest, whether she is being paid or not. She is perpetually 30-40 something, even after 38 years. She has added a boyfriend over the years and he is an affable sort who tolerates Vic chasing after that elusive thing that she just can't pin down. If you follow my reviews you know that hard mystery is so not my genre, but I've read a few of the early books in this series and decided to see how the series has aged. It has aged very well.
When Vic's goddaughter's, Bernie Fouchard's, rec league soccer team receives its' awards at a neighborhood SLICK community meeting, more than the awards are on the agenda. A development proposal causes tempers to fly and Bernie's boyfriend is in the middle of it all as the IT consultant to the group. "Pay to Play" has long been the way business in Chicago is conducted and a mysterious man named Coop is taking issue with this particular project.
After the meeting and completely by chance Vic and Bernie come across a homeless woman whose music Bernie recognizes and which strikes a chord with Vic. Bernie tries to help the woman who turns out to be Grammy Award winner, Lydia Zamir, whose tragic story gets both Bernie and Vic in way over their heads. The mysterious Coop appears to have appointed has himself as Lydia's guardian and takes exception to any attempts to contact her, with good reason it turns out.
When corrupt developers, the murder of Bernie's boyfriend, and the tragic death of Lydia's lover four years ago collide, Vic is way over her head as she chases a conspiracy that is covering up one of the darkest chapters in America's dealings with South America and that may just cost Vic her life.
June 19, 2020
This one was a page-turner! Sara Paretsky has taken on three huge causes with this one, and has put her PI, V.I. Warshawski in extreme danger while doing so. The book is about urban planning and civic corruption. It's also about inequality with the "haves" having a whole new set of rules than the "have-nots"do. I loved the book. In it we see V.I. in her native Chicago chasing bad guys and gals like normal, but we also see her in the plains of Kansas where she ends up fighting for her life and trying to run from some truly deplorable individuals. As always, Sara Paretsky introduces some particularly nasty villains, but these villains are villains with money, and a whole set of rules that seem to let them operate with impunity. This is a very powerful novel with a lot of detail about urban planning, conservation, and political machinations and genocide all the way back from the 1990's in Chile. V.I. is trying to get her young goddaughter Bernie (Bernadette) out of a very sticky situation that threatens Bernie and those around her. Then V.I. starts digging, and uncovers a very tangled web of lies and deceit and outright murder (both of the individual kind, as well mass murder which occurred in Kansas four years ago.) We meet another dog as well. Peppy and Mitch are not impressed to have another big dog claim V.I.'s attention, but she acquires the dog when the owner leaves him with her and goes on the run to get away from the powerful bad guys that seem to have taken over the Chicago south side. Bear is a good dog, and V.I. is happy to have him as a partner while she's in Kansas. For those who are long-time readers of this series like me, you better grab ahold of this book and read it right away. It's that good! For those new to the series, this actually wouldn't be a bad place to start, and then you will have all the lovely backlist to comb through to bring yourself up to date. I envy you your journey.
Want to read
February 23, 2020Did you read The Pelican Brief?
If you read it, and enjoyed it, this ones for you. I love that the author touches on sensitive topics that make us confront the situations around us. Books that help us look at the legal and ethical ramifications of our choices.
I enjoyed her novel, and will be starting from the beginning.
*Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange of an honest review.
If you read it, and enjoyed it, this ones for you. I love that the author touches on sensitive topics that make us confront the situations around us. Books that help us look at the legal and ethical ramifications of our choices.
I enjoyed her novel, and will be starting from the beginning.
*Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange of an honest review.
May 12, 2022
In her 20th book of the V I Warshawski series, Sara Paretsky has lost no steam. Since there are always political and financial crimes that affect the disadvantaged in Chicago, V I is as busy as ever risking life and limb.
In this case, a cabal of wealthy politicians are trying to turn lakefront property on Lake Michigan into an enclave for the rich. V I gets involved when a once famous singer songwriter surfaces on the streets of the city, homeless and unhinged. The fearless private investigator finds a trail back to American interference in South American politics littered with the deaths of persons trying to fight agribusiness in the midwest.
I love this series because while we all wail ineffectively on Twitter about corruption and inequality, Sara Paretsky shows that people can and do fight against such.
In this case, a cabal of wealthy politicians are trying to turn lakefront property on Lake Michigan into an enclave for the rich. V I gets involved when a once famous singer songwriter surfaces on the streets of the city, homeless and unhinged. The fearless private investigator finds a trail back to American interference in South American politics littered with the deaths of persons trying to fight agribusiness in the midwest.
I love this series because while we all wail ineffectively on Twitter about corruption and inequality, Sara Paretsky shows that people can and do fight against such.
May 24, 2020
My hardcover copy of Dead Land* showed up in my mailbox shortly after the public library branches in Omaha shut down temporarily because of COVID-19, and it has been a lifesaver during the pandemic. I took my time reading it, savoring every page. The plot took me back to Chicago (where I lived from 1980 to 1994) and rural Kansas, the state just south of my home state of Nebraska. A series of seemingly disparate events kept me guessing and were ultimately tied together so that everything makes sense.
The main character in this series, Chicago private investigator V.I. Warshawski, is a three-dimensional human being with flaws, vulnerabilities, and tremendous strengths. The other characters (some ongoing, some new to each book) are unique individuals as well. I particularly enjoy V.I.'s interactions with her protective and feisty neighbor, Mr. Contreras, and the dogs they share. The bad guys are detestable and all too familiar to anyone who is paying attention to the growing divide in the United States between the ultra-rich and everyone else.
V.I.'s creator, Sara Paretsky, is a brilliant writer who does her homework and keeps readers engaged. I was fortunate to see Sara in person during the 1980s when she made a guest appearance at a meeting of Chicago Women in Publishing (I am a freelance editor). I was struck by Paretsky's intelligence and her sense of humor. I didn't read her books immediately, but when I started reading them I couldn't stop. Now I eagerly await each new book so I can spend some time with V.I. again. Dead Land lived up to my expectations, and I would recommend it to anyone who has intelligence, compassion, and a sense of humor.
*I entered the Goodreads Giveaway contest and felt very lucky to receive this book. Thank you, Goodreads!
The main character in this series, Chicago private investigator V.I. Warshawski, is a three-dimensional human being with flaws, vulnerabilities, and tremendous strengths. The other characters (some ongoing, some new to each book) are unique individuals as well. I particularly enjoy V.I.'s interactions with her protective and feisty neighbor, Mr. Contreras, and the dogs they share. The bad guys are detestable and all too familiar to anyone who is paying attention to the growing divide in the United States between the ultra-rich and everyone else.
V.I.'s creator, Sara Paretsky, is a brilliant writer who does her homework and keeps readers engaged. I was fortunate to see Sara in person during the 1980s when she made a guest appearance at a meeting of Chicago Women in Publishing (I am a freelance editor). I was struck by Paretsky's intelligence and her sense of humor. I didn't read her books immediately, but when I started reading them I couldn't stop. Now I eagerly await each new book so I can spend some time with V.I. again. Dead Land lived up to my expectations, and I would recommend it to anyone who has intelligence, compassion, and a sense of humor.
*I entered the Goodreads Giveaway contest and felt very lucky to receive this book. Thank you, Goodreads!
January 16, 2020
I have read every Sara Paretsky novel, since I was fortunate enough to meet VI Warsowski early in her career. I have enjoyed every book and happily, this is no exception. The series has become more sophisticated and moved away from simple cases in Chicago. The characters have evolved and even Vic has aged.
This story is spurred on by her do-gooder goddaughter, Bernie. Vic gets involved in a case that Bernie has pushed her into, which quickly devolves into murder and massive corruption. Of course, there are numerous complications and lots of injuries. I was engaged throughout the book, as always.
I especially love Vic’s relationships with animals, so out of character for a tough PI. This book included yet another very wise dog.
On a personal note, when one of her books became a film, I was there on Day-1 (sadly, not a very good film) and the part of Cat was played by Angela Goethals....who became my daughter’s best friend and eventual college roommate.
So, keep writing these great books, because I absolutely love them! Thank you Netgalley for a great reading experience.
This story is spurred on by her do-gooder goddaughter, Bernie. Vic gets involved in a case that Bernie has pushed her into, which quickly devolves into murder and massive corruption. Of course, there are numerous complications and lots of injuries. I was engaged throughout the book, as always.
I especially love Vic’s relationships with animals, so out of character for a tough PI. This book included yet another very wise dog.
On a personal note, when one of her books became a film, I was there on Day-1 (sadly, not a very good film) and the part of Cat was played by Angela Goethals....who became my daughter’s best friend and eventual college roommate.
So, keep writing these great books, because I absolutely love them! Thank you Netgalley for a great reading experience.
July 24, 2020
Twenty books ago, I first met an extraordinary woman V.I. Warshawski, a resolute Chicago private investigator. As much as I loved the earliest novel, the last four or five have blown me away each time. Chicago is known for city politics where you must "pay to play," as Warshowski states in this book. As she untangles the tendrils between a homeless woman musician, a mass shooting in Kansas, a park proposal and a Chilean radical poet, she endangers her own life. This is the epitome of a great crime novel, and one with a social conscious. BRAVO!
May 29, 2020
I tried this author because I figured if she’s written this many novels around one character, that must be a good sign. Unfortunately, the character seems to cluelessly stumble around, asking all kinds of people all kinds of questions until she stumbles into the answer. The setting of Chicago was interesting at least.
April 14, 2020
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I have read and loved the V.I. Warshawski series for a looooong time, since it started in 1982! I've read and loved them all and Dead Land is number 20. I was happy to get this on audio for review. I think it would be difficult to jump into the middle of the series because of all the characters developed and their relationships. But each book is its own case, so they could be read as standalone. If you know me, it's something I try not to do.
There are things which are part of every book, familiar and comfortable. The characters like Mr. Contreras, some of Vic's regular clients, her lawyer, and many of her friends are often part of her days and support system. Mitch and Peppy are also welcome breaks in long days. The newsman, Murray, is more involved with this "case" than she would prefer.
But the real instigator here was her goddaughter, Bernie. Bernie is quite dramatic and impetuous for her age. I'm a little tired of her antics and the trouble they cause. Vic has recently been dragged into situations for personal connections, rather than her paying clients' cases bringing difficulty.
Vic gets into extreme danger, following a trail of murders, with the killers after her, also. Until they have been exposed and caught, Vic and Bernie may not ever be safe. Vic takes some hits but fortunately is saavy enough to stay alive. The action is suspenseful.
Narration:
Susan Ericksen is the voice of the series for me, providing a very enjoyable performance. We get a lot of Vic's thoughts in a stream of consciousness. There is some dialogue but less than average. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip:
https://soundcloud.com/harperaudio_us...
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I have read and loved the V.I. Warshawski series for a looooong time, since it started in 1982! I've read and loved them all and Dead Land is number 20. I was happy to get this on audio for review. I think it would be difficult to jump into the middle of the series because of all the characters developed and their relationships. But each book is its own case, so they could be read as standalone. If you know me, it's something I try not to do.
There are things which are part of every book, familiar and comfortable. The characters like Mr. Contreras, some of Vic's regular clients, her lawyer, and many of her friends are often part of her days and support system. Mitch and Peppy are also welcome breaks in long days. The newsman, Murray, is more involved with this "case" than she would prefer.
But the real instigator here was her goddaughter, Bernie. Bernie is quite dramatic and impetuous for her age. I'm a little tired of her antics and the trouble they cause. Vic has recently been dragged into situations for personal connections, rather than her paying clients' cases bringing difficulty.
Vic gets into extreme danger, following a trail of murders, with the killers after her, also. Until they have been exposed and caught, Vic and Bernie may not ever be safe. Vic takes some hits but fortunately is saavy enough to stay alive. The action is suspenseful.
Narration:
Susan Ericksen is the voice of the series for me, providing a very enjoyable performance. We get a lot of Vic's thoughts in a stream of consciousness. There is some dialogue but less than average. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip:
https://soundcloud.com/harperaudio_us...
April 18, 2020
Dead Land is is a good, enjoyable read as we’d expect from Sara Paretsky, but I don’t think it’s one of the very best of the V.I. Warshawski series.
This time, Vic becomes involved with a homeless street musician who turns out to be a once-successful singer-songwriter and political activist. A twisty plot ensues, involving political corruption in Chicago, some very painful history in Chile, the right-wing economics of the Chicago School and a number of other things – plus a welcome cast of familiar characters, of course.
Paretsky, as always, writes and structures her plot very well and I enjoyed reading the book, but I do have some reservations. The large cast of characters makes it quite hard to follow sometimes and it’s too long – both reflected in the number of times Vic has to summarise events to someone for our benefit. Some of the politics, even though I agree with what she’s saying, is very clunky and heavy handed, the ending is rather too pat after all the convoluted developments...and so on. None of this really spoils the book, but I think Sara Paretsky can do better and a firmer editorial hand might have helped the book.
Reservations notwithstanding, Paretsky remains a class act and this is still a good enjoyable read. Recommended.
(My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC via NetGalley.)
This time, Vic becomes involved with a homeless street musician who turns out to be a once-successful singer-songwriter and political activist. A twisty plot ensues, involving political corruption in Chicago, some very painful history in Chile, the right-wing economics of the Chicago School and a number of other things – plus a welcome cast of familiar characters, of course.
Paretsky, as always, writes and structures her plot very well and I enjoyed reading the book, but I do have some reservations. The large cast of characters makes it quite hard to follow sometimes and it’s too long – both reflected in the number of times Vic has to summarise events to someone for our benefit. Some of the politics, even though I agree with what she’s saying, is very clunky and heavy handed, the ending is rather too pat after all the convoluted developments...and so on. None of this really spoils the book, but I think Sara Paretsky can do better and a firmer editorial hand might have helped the book.
Reservations notwithstanding, Paretsky remains a class act and this is still a good enjoyable read. Recommended.
(My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC via NetGalley.)
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