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taratearex's review against another edition
3.0
Entertaining, good story and characters, enjoyed the local Chicago references. I listened to this on WPR's Chapter a Day and enjoyed all the voices the reader did, but still got a little lost in how many characters there were. Still enjoyed it and would read another in the series.
pennyriley's review against another edition
4.0
I like Sara Paretsky's books for the tight plotting and excitment. Once you get into one they're hard to put down. Like many of her VI Warshawsi mysteries this deals with corruption in the political world of Chicago and Illinois. Her god-daughter is staying with her who is her dead cousin Boom Boom's niece and like him she aspires to be a hockey player. When Warshawski starts investigating a murder for which time has already been served danger follows her, and her god-daughter who thinks she is not doing enough to clear Boom Boom's name from being tainted by the past. There are heroes and villains a plenty and sorting them out all takes time. While I get caught up in the books they seem to sometimes go to unrealistic lengths. And Warshawski can never get through an investigation without a near-death experience or two or three.
plantbirdwoman's review against another edition
4.0
A sure way to get V.I. Warshawski's attention is to cast aspersions on the character of her beloved family, especially her adored mother and father and her favorite cousin, Boom-Boom the hockey player. In Brush Back, all three of these now long-dead loved ones are attacked by a harridan of a former neighbor named Stella Guzzo and that sends V.I. into action.
Stella is the mother of Frank Guzzo, a high school sweetheart of V.I. The mother always hated and was jealous of V.I.'s family who she accused of thinking they were better than anybody else in their South Chicago neighborhood. The fact that they probably were just lent fuel to the flame of her hatred.
Stella was a violent mother who beat her children and she was convicted of beating her daughter, Annie, to death. She spent 25 years in prison for the young woman's murder and, as we enter this story, she's out and causing trouble again, even though she's almost eighty.
Her son, Frank, visits V.I. and asks her to help with his mother's claim for exoneration. Yes, she now claims she didn't kill her daughter. V.I. is very reluctant but feels sorry for her old friend and finally agrees. However, when she goes to interview Stella, things go completely awry. The old woman attacks her physically and afterwards she contacts the media to claim that she has a diary of her daughter's that implicates Boom-Boom in her murder. That, of course, is a challenge that V.I. can't ignore and she is egged on by her goddaughter, Bernie, who is staying with her.
Investigating Stella's claims opens a very unsavory can of worms with the biggest worms being the movers and shakers of Chicago's and Illinois' corrupt politics. Furthermore, those corrupt politicians have links with the Uzbeki Mob which is very active in Chicago and which is utterly ruthless. The chances of V.I. uncovering the truth and getting out alive seem very slim indeed.
The plot of this one is almost too complicated to follow, featuring multi-generational family trees, as well as incestuous connections between politicians and the Mob and Chicago street gangs, all of whom are eager to beat up V.I. There's also a connection to the Cubs and the eventual answer to the mystery is (or was) hidden in the bowels of Wrigley Field.
As a baseball fan, I was delighted with the connections to the game and the fact that most of the chapter titles as well as the title of the book featured baseball terms. A brush back pitch in baseball is designed to get the batter off the plate, make him nervous, and maybe redirect his attention. It's a good metaphor for what V.I.'s enemies try to do to her.
V.I. is getting a bit long in the tooth and maybe slowing down a bit at 50, but she's still the high-energy, sarcastic, smack-talking, working class P.I. that readers have come to know over the years. She takes guff from no one and doesn't hesitate to bend the rules if they get in her way. At the same time, she is loyal to her adoptive family of Mr. Contreras, the two golden retrievers, and her lover, Jake, and maintains her contacts with friends in the media and the police department and a few old friends from the neighborhood.
V.I. is utterly tenacious in her search for the truth, even if she suspects she's not going to be paid to find it. If I were in trouble and needed the help of an investigator, she's the P.I. I would want on my case.
Stella is the mother of Frank Guzzo, a high school sweetheart of V.I. The mother always hated and was jealous of V.I.'s family who she accused of thinking they were better than anybody else in their South Chicago neighborhood. The fact that they probably were just lent fuel to the flame of her hatred.
Stella was a violent mother who beat her children and she was convicted of beating her daughter, Annie, to death. She spent 25 years in prison for the young woman's murder and, as we enter this story, she's out and causing trouble again, even though she's almost eighty.
Her son, Frank, visits V.I. and asks her to help with his mother's claim for exoneration. Yes, she now claims she didn't kill her daughter. V.I. is very reluctant but feels sorry for her old friend and finally agrees. However, when she goes to interview Stella, things go completely awry. The old woman attacks her physically and afterwards she contacts the media to claim that she has a diary of her daughter's that implicates Boom-Boom in her murder. That, of course, is a challenge that V.I. can't ignore and she is egged on by her goddaughter, Bernie, who is staying with her.
Investigating Stella's claims opens a very unsavory can of worms with the biggest worms being the movers and shakers of Chicago's and Illinois' corrupt politics. Furthermore, those corrupt politicians have links with the Uzbeki Mob which is very active in Chicago and which is utterly ruthless. The chances of V.I. uncovering the truth and getting out alive seem very slim indeed.
The plot of this one is almost too complicated to follow, featuring multi-generational family trees, as well as incestuous connections between politicians and the Mob and Chicago street gangs, all of whom are eager to beat up V.I. There's also a connection to the Cubs and the eventual answer to the mystery is (or was) hidden in the bowels of Wrigley Field.
As a baseball fan, I was delighted with the connections to the game and the fact that most of the chapter titles as well as the title of the book featured baseball terms. A brush back pitch in baseball is designed to get the batter off the plate, make him nervous, and maybe redirect his attention. It's a good metaphor for what V.I.'s enemies try to do to her.
V.I. is getting a bit long in the tooth and maybe slowing down a bit at 50, but she's still the high-energy, sarcastic, smack-talking, working class P.I. that readers have come to know over the years. She takes guff from no one and doesn't hesitate to bend the rules if they get in her way. At the same time, she is loyal to her adoptive family of Mr. Contreras, the two golden retrievers, and her lover, Jake, and maintains her contacts with friends in the media and the police department and a few old friends from the neighborhood.
V.I. is utterly tenacious in her search for the truth, even if she suspects she's not going to be paid to find it. If I were in trouble and needed the help of an investigator, she's the P.I. I would want on my case.
tvisser's review
4.0
VI in an attempt to stop slanderous statements about her long deceased cousin, Boom Boom, is drug back to the south side that she worked hard to escape from years ago. A great addition to the VI Warshawski series.
gordondym's review
5.0
After being extremely disappointed with CRITICAL MASS, I really found myself enjoying Sara Paretsky's latest VI Warshawski mystery....
What I love about Ms. Paretsky's writing is that she integrates a strong sense of social background into her work without coming across as preachy or overbearing. This has it all - politics, sports, and crime - and it's definitely a welcome comeback.
BRUSH BACK is a definite must-read.
What I love about Ms. Paretsky's writing is that she integrates a strong sense of social background into her work without coming across as preachy or overbearing. This has it all - politics, sports, and crime - and it's definitely a welcome comeback.
BRUSH BACK is a definite must-read.
trusselltales's review against another edition
3.0
Vintage classic Warshawski, slightly too long a book. Got to love a character who stays true to herself!
eowyn's review against another edition
3.0
Another solid VI Warshawski mystery. These books are all kind of the same but I enjoy them.
shalms's review against another edition
4.0
As usual, Sara Paretsky delivers an excellent thriller with one of my favorite characters, V.I. Warshawski.
psalmcat's review against another edition
5.0
One of the better Paretsky books, one that doesn't end in absolute despair. Yes, Washawski ends up tearing up Chicago in a blind panic for much of the book, but ultimately she clears Boom-Boom (again) and figures out what the HELL is going on with all her former neighbors.
helenkierce's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this better than the last V.I. book I read, that is, Brush Back. It was more succinct and like the V.I. books of old. Sometimes the plot seems a bit convoluted. The back stories and plot twists involve some coincidences that strain credulity but overall I enjoyed the characters and the pace of this novel.
Overall, I enjoyed it will be going back for me V.I. Warshawski, one of the first, best and most original in the female Private Investigator series.
Overall, I enjoyed it will be going back for me V.I. Warshawski, one of the first, best and most original in the female Private Investigator series.