Chicago private eye V.I. Warshawski knows from the start that Consuelo Alvarado's baby is trouble. Consuelo is sixteen. Diabetic. And the daughter of a friend. When she goes into labor too early, even V.I.'s wild drive to get her to the hospital can't save either Consuelo or her child. Soon V.I. is investigating possible malpractice at the emergency room--and falling for a doctor who works there. Mixing business and love is always bad medicine, but V.I. finds herself listening to her heart, not her head. And when a brutal murder and the violent destruction of a women's clinic put her at the center of a very dirty conspiracy, justice may be the only remedy for a hurt that cuts deep...and chills right to the bone....
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Since her debut in Paretsky's Indemnity Only, Chicago private eye V. (Victoria) I. Warshawski has been attracting both enthusiastic readers and critical acclaim. This fourth story narrated by the spiky detective is the series' most suspenseful so far. V. I. brings a teenager about to give premature birth to a private hospital where the mother and her baby die. Since the poor girl's own obstetrician is unavailable, Warshawski's friend, Dr. Tregiere, arrives from his inner-city hospital to check procedures; he's found murdered later. So is the supposedly bereaved husband, member of a street gang that atacks Warshawski during her tenacious investigation of the related cases. There are other appalling deaths as tough V. I. gets to the facts behind a tawdry coverup. The cast of the earlier mysteries again adds flavor here, and the big city's ethnic mix, as enlived by Paretsky, does too.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"No one, male or female, writes better P.I. books than Paretsky."
--The Denver Post
"Paretsky's books are beautifully paced and plotted, and the dialogue is fresh and smart.... V.I. Warshawski is the most engaging woman in detective fiction."
--Newsweek
"The plot [is] fast moving, the dialogue snappy, the premise for murder persuasive. This novel hasn't a single snag in its springs."
--Chicago Sun-Times
"Paretsky is still the best...she doesn't pull punches."
--The Washington Post Book World --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
--The Denver Post
"Paretsky's books are beautifully paced and plotted, and the dialogue is fresh and smart.... V.I. Warshawski is the most engaging woman in detective fiction."
--Newsweek
"The plot [is] fast moving, the dialogue snappy, the premise for murder persuasive. This novel hasn't a single snag in its springs."
--Chicago Sun-Times
"Paretsky is still the best...she doesn't pull punches."
--The Washington Post Book World --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Details
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More About the Author
Sara Paretsky is the award-winning creator of the V I Warshawski detective novels. When Sara introduced V I in Indemnity Only in 1982, she revolutionized the mystery novel. By creating a female investigator who uses her wits as well a her fists, Sara challenged a genre in which women were traditionally either vamps or victims.
V I is the quintessential urban woman. She grew up in the shadow of the old steel mills on Chicago's Southeast side and knows her way around every alley in town. She's a street fighter, a singer, a bit of a clothes horse, and a woman of great intensity and passion.
So how much like V I is her creator? They certainly come from very different places. Sara grew up in rural Kansas where she attended a two-room school. She continues to believe the high point of her life came at the age of twelve when she was picked to play third base for the Kaw Valley District 95 baseball team.
Bleeding Kansas, Sara's 14th novel, is set in the part of the Kaw River Valley where Sara grew up.
Sara first came to Chicago in 1966 to do community service work in the same neighborhood where Martin Luther King was organizing. It was a time of fierce passions in the city and in the country as people fought over racial justice, the rights and wrongs of the war in Vietnam, and women's rights. Sara has always felt that that summer changed her life forever, and when she finished her undergraduate degree at the University of Kansas, she came back to make Chicago her home. Some of the history of that summer is recounted in her essay collection, Writing in an Age of Silence.
Like V I, Sara likes to sing, in an amateur way, has a hopeless passion for the Cubs, loves Italian shoes'and is obsessed by the search for the perfect cappuccino, so much so that she even went to cappuccino school.
In other academic ventures, Sara received a PhD in American History and an MBA from the University of Chicago. In 1976, she married physics professor Courtenay Wright. The two live in the city of Chicago with their wonder dog Callie. Their lives are made brighter by their adored granddaughter, Maia.
Sara shares V I's passion for social justice. She founded Sisters in Crime in 1986 to support women readers and writers in the mystery world. To give back to the community, Paretsky established the Sara and Two C-Dogs Foundation, which primarily supports girls and women in the arts, letters, and sciences. She has endowed several scholarships at the University of Kansas, and has mentored students in Chicago's inner city schools. She serves on the advisory boards of Literature for All of Us, a literacy group for teen moms, and Thresholds, which serves Chicago's mentally-ill homeless.
Sara has received numerous awards, including the Diamond Dagger for Lifetime achievement from the British Crime Writers Association, the Gold Dagger for best novel for her book Blacklist, and the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from several different universities. Sara's books have been translated into almost thirty languages.
V I is the quintessential urban woman. She grew up in the shadow of the old steel mills on Chicago's Southeast side and knows her way around every alley in town. She's a street fighter, a singer, a bit of a clothes horse, and a woman of great intensity and passion.
So how much like V I is her creator? They certainly come from very different places. Sara grew up in rural Kansas where she attended a two-room school. She continues to believe the high point of her life came at the age of twelve when she was picked to play third base for the Kaw Valley District 95 baseball team.
Bleeding Kansas, Sara's 14th novel, is set in the part of the Kaw River Valley where Sara grew up.
Sara first came to Chicago in 1966 to do community service work in the same neighborhood where Martin Luther King was organizing. It was a time of fierce passions in the city and in the country as people fought over racial justice, the rights and wrongs of the war in Vietnam, and women's rights. Sara has always felt that that summer changed her life forever, and when she finished her undergraduate degree at the University of Kansas, she came back to make Chicago her home. Some of the history of that summer is recounted in her essay collection, Writing in an Age of Silence.
Like V I, Sara likes to sing, in an amateur way, has a hopeless passion for the Cubs, loves Italian shoes'and is obsessed by the search for the perfect cappuccino, so much so that she even went to cappuccino school.
In other academic ventures, Sara received a PhD in American History and an MBA from the University of Chicago. In 1976, she married physics professor Courtenay Wright. The two live in the city of Chicago with their wonder dog Callie. Their lives are made brighter by their adored granddaughter, Maia.
Sara shares V I's passion for social justice. She founded Sisters in Crime in 1986 to support women readers and writers in the mystery world. To give back to the community, Paretsky established the Sara and Two C-Dogs Foundation, which primarily supports girls and women in the arts, letters, and sciences. She has endowed several scholarships at the University of Kansas, and has mentored students in Chicago's inner city schools. She serves on the advisory boards of Literature for All of Us, a literacy group for teen moms, and Thresholds, which serves Chicago's mentally-ill homeless.
Sara has received numerous awards, including the Diamond Dagger for Lifetime achievement from the British Crime Writers Association, the Gold Dagger for best novel for her book Blacklist, and the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from several different universities. Sara's books have been translated into almost thirty languages.
Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Reissue,
By
This review is from: Bitter Medicine (Mass Market Paperback)
I read this book back in 1988 when it was first published. Having forgotten this, I purchased this newly reissued edition. I really wish publishers would make it clear right up front (on the cover) that these books have been previously published. This is a good story, but not worth reading a second time.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Partially spoiled by later books in the series,
By Neal C. Reynolds (Indianapolis, Indiana) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Bitter Medicine: A V.I. Warshawski Novel (Mass Market Paperback)
It's not all that big a deal, but there is one element in this book that will alert those who have read later books that something's going to happen to one specific important character.As noted by another reviewer, Sara Paretsky does use this book to strongly express her pro-choice views. I don't mean to be critical by pointing this out, but strong anti-abortionists will likely be made angry by this book.That said, this is one of the weaker books in the series. If you are a fan of V. I. Warshawski, then by all means read this one. But if you're not a strong fan, or haven't yet read any in the series, I suggest starting with one of her other books such as the first, INDEMNITY ONLY.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining,
By
This review is from: Bitter Medicine (Mass Market Paperback)
While it is clear that Paretsky used the story to pontificate around the abortion issue, the story was not (in my opinion) held hostage by her views. Of course, she must have known that those who hold opposing views might be somewhat derailed by her machinations. Apparently she felt it was a risk worth taking. For my part, the story was entertaining and amusing. There were sufficeint plot twists and turns, a romantic interlude, loveable yet annoying characters... all the stuff that makes us enjoy V.I. This is what I call hot-fudge-sundae fiction. I read it for its entertainment value--not intellectual nutrition. YUM!
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