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reikista's review against another edition
4.0
Vic helps her aunt Elena out and winds up in the midst of corruption around freeing up land to build close to the convention center.
Touches on homelessness, alcoholism, corruption between police and developers, neighborhood loyalties, fictive kinships, Chicago as a character.
Touches on homelessness, alcoholism, corruption between police and developers, neighborhood loyalties, fictive kinships, Chicago as a character.
liberrydude's review against another edition
3.0
This story’s plot can be summed up in two aphorisms: no good deed goes unpunished and don’t shoot the messenger. At times Vic is more a social worker than an investigator.
Vic takes in her indigent, alcoholic Aunt Elena after her apartment building burns down. Vic even finds another apartment for her but her aunt goes off and reappears later with a young black woman who is pregnant and a junkie. They steal from Vic and disappear. Vic finds that the apartment building is insured by a company she’s done business with previously and is hired to investigate its arson. Meanwhile the police arson investigator accuses her of being the arsonist and treats her like a criminal. Concurrently one of her Latina friends is running for office and has the support of “the machine” and warns her not to be bringing up her past.
Vic soon finds the connections between the politicians, corrupt police, and the ultimate goal of “the machine.” Lots of danger close for Vic in this one.
As usual the misogyny and paternalism from the cops makes you want to gag. This is set in the 1980’s and it’s like time traveling.
Vic takes in her indigent, alcoholic Aunt Elena after her apartment building burns down. Vic even finds another apartment for her but her aunt goes off and reappears later with a young black woman who is pregnant and a junkie. They steal from Vic and disappear. Vic finds that the apartment building is insured by a company she’s done business with previously and is hired to investigate its arson. Meanwhile the police arson investigator accuses her of being the arsonist and treats her like a criminal. Concurrently one of her Latina friends is running for office and has the support of “the machine” and warns her not to be bringing up her past.
Vic soon finds the connections between the politicians, corrupt police, and the ultimate goal of “the machine.” Lots of danger close for Vic in this one.
As usual the misogyny and paternalism from the cops makes you want to gag. This is set in the 1980’s and it’s like time traveling.
lazwright's review against another edition
3.0
This one seemed to drag a bit and it took nearly three quarters of the novel for me to get into the story. The "good old boys network" just isn't that compelling, especially when paired with Chicago politics.
henrismum's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Audiobook (All of my entries on The Story Graph are audiobooks.)
#6 in series (I started reading this series in Sept 2022 and I have been committed to this series since April 2023.)
Will I read other installments?Probably Not Maybe Definitely
I'm committed and have purchased almost all of the series.
Comparison to others in series:Not as good About the same Better
Everyone was against V.I. in this book and she was bitchy to everyone. She had a bad struggle and people were trying to kill her. An intense story and I think a couple of hours could have been cut.
The narrator was Susan Ericksen. She's the voice of V.I.
Source: Audible (own)
#6 in series (I started reading this series in Sept 2022 and I have been committed to this series since April 2023.)
Will I read other installments?
I'm committed and have purchased almost all of the series.
Comparison to others in series:
Everyone was against V.I. in this book and she was bitchy to everyone. She had a bad struggle and people were trying to kill her. An intense story and I think a couple of hours could have been cut.
The narrator was Susan Ericksen. She's the voice of V.I.
Source: Audible (own)
kflemingg12's review
slow-paced
2.5
Very hard for me to actually be interested in. Ending okay I guess.
reddybeast's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
rclz's review against another edition
3.0
These are starting to have a sameness about them. I think I'll wait awhile before I read the next one.
ncrabb's review against another edition
3.0
It’s best if you start this series with the first book; I didn’t, and it turned out ok because Paretsky gives you just enough information that you’re not feeling lost, but not so much that you’re bored if you’ve read books prior to this one.
Some Chicago officials are on the take, (no news there), and the scam involves old buildings. V. I. Warshawski, a tough female detective who insists on embracing the city, grittiness and all, gets involved when her booze-saturated aunt shows up at her door one early morning, having been burned out of her shabby residential hotel.
Why are buildings burning in the city? And why don’t the politicians and even the cops want Warshawski involved?
Tension grows as Warshawski discovers the body of a drug addict friend of her aunt’s in a burned-out construction site. It’s up to her to figure out who’s on the take to such a degree that committing murder makes sense.
As is true with all of these books, you get such a vivid portrait of Chicago in the 1980s and 1990s. I always expect Mike Royko to make a cameo appearance in these books so vivid is her description of the city. He never does, of course, but if he did, you wouldn’t be surprised or wonder why he’s in the book.
Some Chicago officials are on the take, (no news there), and the scam involves old buildings. V. I. Warshawski, a tough female detective who insists on embracing the city, grittiness and all, gets involved when her booze-saturated aunt shows up at her door one early morning, having been burned out of her shabby residential hotel.
Why are buildings burning in the city? And why don’t the politicians and even the cops want Warshawski involved?
Tension grows as Warshawski discovers the body of a drug addict friend of her aunt’s in a burned-out construction site. It’s up to her to figure out who’s on the take to such a degree that committing murder makes sense.
As is true with all of these books, you get such a vivid portrait of Chicago in the 1980s and 1990s. I always expect Mike Royko to make a cameo appearance in these books so vivid is her description of the city. He never does, of course, but if he did, you wouldn’t be surprised or wonder why he’s in the book.