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OUR COOL HEROINE ONCE AGAIN GOES DASHING OFF INTO AVOIDABLE DANGER...COMING UP FOR AIR (NOT TO MENTION HOSPITALIZATIONS) AND OUT SHE GOES AGAIN...YEA...NATURALLY THE MYSTERY IS TOP NOTCH BUT THE LOVEABLE CHARACTERS ARE IN FULL PLAY. V. I. WARSHAWSKI IS BACK....

I have read all of Paretsky's novels, and wait hungrily for the next to be published. This time, I have to admit I was a trifle disappointed. Don't get me wrong; this is still a better book to buy and read than some unknown writer or potboiler hack. Even at her worst, Paretsky is better than most. But you like to see a writer progress and excel over her previous efforts, and through most of this book, I felt she was floundering, or perhaps in search of what to do next with her much-loved main character. The thing that holds this story back the most is the excessive angst. Here we have a character old enough to be a grandmother, yet who still obsesses daily over her long-dead parents. Enough, enough. You want to give her a little shake, tell her to get on with her life and be a grown-up. Enough with Gabriella, the singing, the wine glasses. Dad comes into the story, but the overall tone becomes too maudlin. The thing that made me continue turning the pages was my previous attachment to the author and her character, but I found that, rather than having difficulty putting this one down, I was setting it aside and turning out the light early. The story does become gripping in the end, but the reader must be committed to slogging through more than half a book of tedium and oh-brother to get there. This is not a terrible book, but it isn't Blacklist, or any of the writer's other top-drawer stories. It seems to me that perhaps Paretsky would be well served to write one novel about an entirely different character, then return and get back on the horse.

When I started this book I was certain that it was going to be a "oh poor ole Vic" yet again. It seems the "poor me" theme has been running through this series for a while. Unlovable Vic Warshawski just cant seem to please anybody anymore. However after getting about a 1/3 of the way into the book I found myself hooked (even with the poor me still going on) and the story came alive with characters from the past. The chicago riots, Martin Luther King Jr., the anacondas gang and the nuns all began to grab me. I carried it around the house and read while making dinner even. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending of the story and glad that I made it past the first part of the book to get there. Give this a try and dont give up before making it to the middle of the book..its worth the time.

I've always love Sara Paretsky's books. I grew up with her and VI has been one of my strongest rolemodels since I can remember. I love her courage, guts and attitude, especially when it comes to dealing with abusive people with power and authorities that crush the little person. I like to reread when I feel in need of some of that strength and hope it will rub off on me. The series has always been very political and in the earliest works the stories weren't always that strong but I read them mostly for the characters and the strong themes of feminism and standing up to powerhungry and greedy tyrants. I admire the way Paretsky brings up the rights of the forgotten and weak, like the abuse that goes on in prisons and speaks up about Bush's Patriot Act. Anyway, lately somethings happened, and the stories in Total Recall, Blacklist and now this latest one have become incredibly strong, riveting pageturners while at the same time being absolutely gutwrenching. I stayed up way to late last night finishing this one because I had to know how it ended and at the end I was blown away and heartbroken at the same time.

I have read all of Paretsky's books and Hardball continues to impress! This was a fun read and having a knowledge of the South Side of Chicago it was insightful and intriguing. I have recommended this novel to several folks already.

Reviews

Good audio book that would have been more interesting with different readers for the books. The same voice playing different roles took away from the stories which were very inviting. This was especially the case for the book by the alphabet murder author. I am so drawn to the voice of Kinsey Milhone in her books that this new voice did not match personality of this detective.

So this is a fun audio collection -edited by Sara Paretsky, part of the Great Mystery Series. Includes 4 audio tapes with 8 mysteries. Narrators are Lorri Holt and Gina Leishman- 1st is American, second is English. Ms Leishman's English accent is ideal for the stories here by some of the United Kingdom's best mystery talent. Stories are listed here: 1. Settled Score by Sara Paretsky - this one is also included on Skin Deep read by Kathleen Turner- I prefer the Turner reading for the grittier turn she gives to V.I Warshawski. 2. The Scar by Nancy Pickard 3. Lucky Dip by Liza Cody- this is great! Has an English street urchin finding a huge treasure on a dead man and then having to scramble through the London streets to keep her bounty. 4. Full Circle by Sue Grafton- a Kinsey Milhone short story 5. Death & Diamonds by Susan Dunlap- done well here- this is a great short story. Also available in "Crime's Leading Ladies" and read by Sharon Gless. 6. Her Good Name by Carolyn Hart 7. Ghost Station by Carolyn Wheat- scary story with the NYC subways as setting 8. Getting to Know You by Antonia Fraser