Review: Guardian Angel by Sara Paretsky

Review: Guardian Angel by Sara Paretsky

Cover of Guardian Angel

Synopsis

In the 7th installment of the Chicago's PI V. I. Warshawski’s novels, Vic becomes involved more with her Racine street neighborhood. The area undergoes gentrification of a kind and some unpleasant yuppies have moved in. New neighbours not only renovate their houses and trim their lawns, they are also complaining about the old residents and positively harassing an elderly lady, a Mrs. Frizell, who owns more dogs than she could take care of. When she falls in her bathroom and is taken to the hospital in a very bad state the friendly Mr. and Mrs. Pichea obtain the guardianship over her in record time and put down all her dogs immediately afterwards. Why were they in such a hurry? What do they want to find in her dilapidated, filthy house? As Vic’s and Mr Contreras’s dog, Peppy, got pregnant by one of Mrs. Frizell’s dogs, Vic decides she is responsible for Mrs. Frizell's fate and tries to get a closer look at these suspicious activities.

In the meantime an old friend and colleague of Mr. Contreras, Mitch Kruger, is in trouble and then missing. Before the disappearance he often boasted about becoming rich any time soon. When his body turns up in the morgue Mr. Contreras is devastated. Allegedly his friend was found on the bank of a sanitation canal flowing through his old workplace, Diamond Head. The police are sure it was simply a result of an ill-fated accident – Mr. Kruger liked drinking a bit too much. They fail to persuade Mr. Contreras, though, who wants Vic to investigate - he doesn’t believe his old buddy was stupid enough to stroll drunken along the well-known, dangerous waterfront, fall into water and drown. What was he doing on the premises anyway? Getting any info in this case will prove to be extremely difficult as people in high places are involved and they don’t want anything to leak out - an action indicating that there's plenty of illicit money involved.

What I liked:

Like any Warshawski story, this one is a page-turner. I had a lot of fun stepping back to the times before omnipresent cell-phones, when computers had a blinking cursor or a menu - no Windows - and the main lead can still use her Olivetti (if you don’t recognize the brand name it was a typewriter, very popular and rather sturdy) The disgust at corporate shenanigans and rip-offs can resonate today and, I suppose, any time. I also enjoyed finding out more about Vic’s ex-husband and how they had split up. Peppy the golden retriever had puppies btw!

What I didn’t like:

I admit - the plot was a bit different and less schematic here; still, Vic, as usual, supports an underdog’s case, endangers her life for a pittance and whines a lot because life is not exactly fair and she can’t buy a pair of new running shoes. At least in this installment she didn’t forget about her paying clients and we could even glimpse her elegantly dressed in the company of upscale people for a change. More such fragments and I would like the novel better.

Well, perhaps it is true that most detective stories, if boiled down to the bone, are very schematic tales of crimes and each and every one of them is alike. Good writers, though, know how to stretch a simple story into a few hundred pages without losing readers' patience. Agatha Christie is, in my humble opinion, the master of the art. Most of her stories are simple crimes committed by ordinary people. However, the way she unfolds the plots and develops the characters differs and it is so captivating that I turn page after page with great anticipation of the final conclusion and I eagerly read one book after another, although of course I know well what roughly it will be about. I am sorry but I can’t tell the same about Ms. Paretsky’s books.

The final verdict:

The book wasn’t bad but also nothing outstanding – still too formulaic to keep me truly riveted although I did enjoy some parts of it very much.

Review: “Hard Time” by Sara Paretsky

Review: “Hard Time” by Sara Paretsky.

Cover of Hard Time (V.I. Warshawski Novels)

Synopsis:

V.I. Warshawski, the female private investigator created by Sara Paretsky, is back, every bit as tough-talking, and justice-seeking as ever. In the book published after a four-year hiatus, Vic is also noticeably older, a tad more jaded and once again unavoidably broke.

Multimedia conglomerate, Global Entertainment, has purchased the Chicago Herald-Star, and nobody knows who will stay employed and how long. Reporter Murray Ryerson, V.I.Warshawski's longtime friend, manages to reinvent himself as the host of a television show on Global's network, featuring Lacey Dowell, the local Chicago girl of Hispanic origin ho has risen to Hollywood stardom. However, driving home from a party thrown for the occasion V.I. almost runs over a badly battered woman lying in the street in a Lacey Dowell t-shirt. Vic brakes hard and tries to help her, ruining her car in the process. The medics take the unconscious woman, called Nicola Aguinaldo, to a nearby hospital but she dies during the night.

The Good Samaritan act will drop V.I. squarely in the middle of a boiling intrigue. Next day some policemen visit her and try to blame her for the accident in a very persistent manner. Acting in self-defense, Warshawski has to dig hard into Nicola's past. She discovers that the victim was a prison escapee from a private prison facility run by B.B. Balladine, the owner of Carnifice, the world's largest providers of private security and prison services. Why did she wear a hugely popular t-shirt then? The case becomes even more interesting because Nicola, although an illegal alien, had been formerly employed as a nanny to Balladine's children, and was in prison for stealing a necklace from his wife. Why did she make such a desperate move? Soon enough V.I. finds out that there is a connection between Balladine and Lacey Dowell's employer, Global Studios mogul Ted Trent. In this case V.I. will be ahead of the game if only she gets out alive. It is a big “if”. After all the entertainment industry is a formidable enemy – even the closest friends might balk at supporting her in such a crusade.

What I liked:

I admit the book is a good read in the best Paretsky/V.I. tradition: the plot is fast and absorbing, including some unexpected twists and turns. The author apparently hasn’t lost her touch - the lead characters come across as very real especially because, contrary to many other mystery series, they age and must face that challenge. I also appreciate the fact that Paretsky doesn’t forget background characters from other parts. The prison scenes, although quite disturbing, are vivid and well drawn in my opinion.

What I didn’t like:

Although Paretsky has allowed V.I. to age, she definitely hasn't allowed her to mature. V.I still acts as if she had nothing to lose and then, facing the consequences, she becomes rather whinny. A little bit responsibility and listening to advice of Lotty, her mother substitute and a long-time friend, would do her some good. After all, like in the previous novels, nobody wanted her to do that job and nobody asked her to stay involved.

I hate to say it but I noticed that most of the Vic series books revolve around an ossified formula. The heroine remains relatively poor as she can’t keep enough of well-paying clients, yet she perseveres and in the end, like in some cheesy B class movies, everything turns out just fine – all of a sudden she ends up with a fat check from a grateful rich person, who is only peripherally involved in the story. Strange thing is the money vanish quickly in the next book, as if only a poor investigator would make a good investigator, leaving  V.I. penniless again. Maybe it’s time for a change?

Finally, too many of the characters in this book seemed to be two-dimensional: either all good or all bad. They are also easy to distinguish. A tip: baddies can’t pronounce V.I.’s Polish surname. A bit spurious, taking into account the fact that Chicago is one of the biggest centers of Polish immigration in the USA.

The final verdict:

I still liked the story but, unless the formula changes, I might think twice before reading the next installment.

Review: Killing Orders by Sara Paretsky

Review: Killing Orders by Sara Paretsky

Synopsis

Cover via Amazon

V.I. Warshawsky is a successful female detective, a specialist in financial crime. When a Chicago Dominican priory needs money for a new roof, the brothers discover that five million dollars worth of stock certificates in their safe are worthless forgeries. Were they fakes when they were willed to the order or clever substitutes that cover a recent theft? The shadow of suspicion falls also on V.I. Warshawsky’s great-aunt Rosa who’s worked part-time for the priory as an accountant. The elderly lady summons her niece, asking to investigate and clean her name. The problem is that Rosa is V. I.’s least favourite family member, an aunt straight from hell who loves bullying Vic and nourishes a family grievance. Vic resents the command (because Rosa’s will is an order, nothing less) but she decides she must keep the word given to her mother, Gabriella, on her deathbed; she promised she would help aunt Rosa no matter what. Both Rosa and Gabriella came from Italy – it explains the strength of the familial obligation.

However, from the very beginning the whole investigation seems a bit strange. Not only after several days aunt Rosa, so panicky before, decides that she doesn’t want Vic sniffing around anymore but also the FBI is rather unwilling to help. The fact that the original certificates are found (undoubtedly by some miracle) only increases Warshawsky’s professional interest and her determination to solve the case. All hell breaks loose when, after very unpleasant anonymous calls a mysterious opponent tries to throw acid in Vic’s eyes and then burns down her apartment. Finally a friend who’s involved in the case is brutally murdered. Now, with or without Rosa’s consent, discovering the identity of the culprit becomes for Vic a matter of honour. Where to begin, though? Vatican seems a good place but the boss of Chicago mob might also know a thing or two…

What I liked:

I must admit the main character, V.I. Warshawsky, is undoubtedly a huge asset. It’s a rare creation - a convincing woman sleuth who is not simply an imitation man (although Raymond Chandler’s detective, Philip Marlowe, does come to mind when you think of it). Victoria Iphigenia (thus the initials) is a policeman’s daughter, a lawyer who became fed up with the criminal justice system while working as a public defender. Her character was build in a very careful way and I must admit the authoress didn’t overdo it – Vic is intelligent, without being a know-it-all, sexy without being vulgar, feminine but still carrying a gun. You would like to befriend her even though it might be a bit dangerous. You get involved in her story very quickly.

What’s more, the plot is interesting - we encounter lots of great little twists throughout the book. I liked them so much because they helped to develop the main character into a 3D being although I must admit I sometimes was more curious about Vic's family than about the crime itself.

What I didn’t like:

There's a lot going on in this novel; so much in fact that it seemed as if Paretsky may have overexerted her heroine a bit. I had a feeling from time to time that if there were less action the book would be better. The Archbishop gets blown up in the end – isn’t this single fact a bit over the top? The princes of the Church rarely are killed in such a way...

The final verdict:

One of more original criminal mysteries I've read - I enjoyed it very much!  I certainly would like to read more of Mr Paretsky as V.I. is a treat!

Special thanks for my friend Tracy, who recommended this author to me!