Customer Reviews

Blood Shot (V.I. Warshawski Novels)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This was the first VI Warshawski book I ever read, and it did an excellent job of whetting my appetite for more. I think Paretsky did an excellent job of drawing me into VI's world, which is rich with unique characters. VI comes across as individualistic and principled, and I like how Paretsky resisted cliché temptation on several counts: the complex issue of chemical responsibility is not wrapped up in a tidy bundle by the end of the book, and there is no "obligatory sex scene." Not that sex scenes don't have their places, but I just hate it when I'm reading along and I can almost hear the agent say, "Okay, author, you need to steam this up a bit right here if you want to sell this book." In this story, VI is all business, which is a delightful change of pace.

Sara Paretsky's writing has its faults and its biases, but I enjoy her Warshawski novels for their honesty, the uniqueness of her detective, and the warmth of some of her characters, like the older neighbor Sal Contreras. I don't think V.I. is in the least like Kinsey Milhone, in fact, she is more like Sam Spade, and I appreciate her for it. The Warshawski novels get progressively better, with Killing Orders as the worst, for its hints of bigotry, and Guardian Angel as the best, for its humanity. Deadlock is another favorite of mine, for the characters and the tremendous writing of the shipping business and the shipping catastrophe. V.I. is unique, and I cannot get enough of her.

This was my first Paretsky novel. I find V.I. interesting and likable, and the writing style is enjoyable. I like the general premise, that V.I. gets more than she bargained for. I think that the novel gets too crowded with characters. It's not a short book, so I easily forgot who people were (especially the men). I also would have liked a shorter book - some aspects of the plot go on for longer than they need to.

Some people complain that the book is too formulaic. It's easy to say that about genre fiction. I'm not bothered by the formula. The interesting thing to me is how the heroine gets in and out of this particular jam. It was a good read.

I'm going back over some older VI novels, and they're all so good. Love how you can see the progress of technology through the novels.

This is another great V.I. mystery. It keeps up the
suspense until the end. The characterization is good
and their are subtle nuances of personalities. It is
great fun and a good addition to this series.

This is a South Chicago story and probably has more impact if you've lived there. Her business as a private eye helped V. I. Warshawski to escape from the `hood, but she feels ensnared again when a childhood friend's appeal for help draws her obsessively back to investigate her friend's unknown paternity. The quest for the friend's father, the murder of a high school friend, and other threads put her on the trail of powerful and ruthless men, who make her their next target. This story borders on being very good. The detective work and suspense are good but not particularly memorable. I have the feeling that V. I. is intended to be a character of some depth, but something was missing in the recorded book version, read by Donada Peters. V. I. seemed reckless, rather than tough. Maybe I expected Kathleen Turner.

Vic is one of my favorite literary characters of all time. I adore her no nonsense toughness. She has been much criticized for her lack of humor, lack of friends, and her approach to life, which to me make her a unique character in the world of the fuzzy warm soft hearted female PIs. Vic takes nothing off of anybody, and I love her for it! Carry on Sara Paretsky...I hope Vic gets tougher and tougher and time goes by.

Published in Australia under the title, Toxic Shock, this novel shows that Sara Paretsky is getting better every time she puts pen to paper. V. I. is forced to confront the past she thought she'd escaped when a cry for help from an old friend takes her back to Chicago's South Side. In an industrial wasteland of chemical plants and toxic swamps, she must unravel a mystery more than 30 years old, defeat a financial giant and take revenge for an outrageous crime against the people she grew up with, while reliving her memories of childhood. The truth is hard to find, and harder to believe, but with the unwitting aid of friends, old and new, she does deliver - as does Paretsky, whose writing is crisp and powerful, with multi-dimensional characters and a rivetting, unpredictable plot. A provocative and compelling mystery from the First Lady of Crime Fiction.

V.I. Warshawsky is a lady who has difficulty saying "no" to the grown-up little brat for whom she used to babysit. Her effort to find the woman's father leads unexpectedly to fine brandy, toxins, a new uncle, a cold marsh, and a wonderful lady who decides to start living at age 79. Paretsky's writing, always good, has really matured. If you have ever driven through Chicago's south side, or have a yen for a great mystery, read this book

V.I. Washawski is another tough woman private eye who lives without much of a social life - except for the old widower who thinks of her as family. Sound familiar? It did to me. V.I. Washawski is practically interchangable with Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone. In Blood Shot, Kinsey even gets an honorable mention. I don't know which author is copying whom, but I know I prefer Kinsey to the humour- and friendless V.I Warshawski.