 |
| Paretsky and friend |
I found the character a wonderful contrast to the male/macho detectives I'd been reading. Plus, Warshawski lived in Chicago, not in New York or LA.
But Warshawski gradually evolved into the kind of hard charging, "damn the torpedoes," kind of macho detective that had persuaded me to stop reading most other mysteries (especially Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone).
I saw Paretsky's Breakdown on the bargain table at the bookstore. I hesitated. But the bargain was so good. I gave in and bought it. I'm glad I did.
Paretsky is still a very good story teller. Her characters are still recognizable and believable, even if there are references to vampires. Warshawski didn't do anything stupid, although she had a near death experience near the end of the story. Well, there has to be a climax. And the final scene in a television studio nearly earns an improbability award.
Nothing memorable here, but I'll live with it. It'll go on the pile for next spring's community used book sale.
Have you read Breakdown? Have you read other recent Paretsky novels? Write, and tell this little bit of the world what you thought of it/them.
- The author's web site
- M.E. Collins' review in the Chicago Sun-Times
- Maureen Corrigan's review at National Public Radio Jessica Garrison's review in the Los Angeles Times
1 comment:
Dan Conrad wrote:
I've read four or five of her series with V.I. Warshawski and have liked them all.
Most recently read Critical Mass which followed Breakdown and I think is the latest--and possibly the best one I've read so far.
She keeps her heroine fresh and interesting in a way that Jacqueline Winspeare (Maisie Dobbs) and Rhys Bowen (Molly Murphy) can't seem to do.
Critical Mass, as is typical, is terribly complicated without being hard to follow, and hits on everything from the stealing of early computer designs, to the Manhattan Project, to drug addiction and some really terrible guys from Homeland Security. Oh, and the usual close brushes with death.
I liked it and think I'll turn to Breakdown. How Paretsky knows so much about so many esoteric subjects is beyond me. I'll admit to getting a little lost in the intricacies of computer models, but it didn't matter.
Post a Comment