Pay Dirt: A V.I. Warshawski Novel
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- Create Date：2024-03-19 07:21:59
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Sara Paretsky
- ISBN：B0CMYKBXH3
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Summary
Legendary detective V。I。 Warshawski uncovers a mystery with roots dating back to the Civil War in this edge-of-your-seat thriller from New York Times bestseller Sara Paretsky。 V。I。 Warshawski is famous for her cool under fire， her sardonic humor， and her unflinching courage。 All that changes when a case ends with a father killing the child she’d been hired to find。 She’s second-guessing herself， forgetting to eat， forgetting her workout。 Her worried friends send her down to Kansas for a weekend of college basketball; Angela， one of her protégées， is a Northwestern star。 And that’s when V。I。’s troubles really begin。 Sabrina， one of Angela’s roommates， disappears and V。I。 agrees to stay behind to try to find her。 Finding a missing person in a town where she doesn’t know anyone and has no snitches is hard， but not as hard as the local reaction to the detective。 When V。I。 finds Sabrina close to death in a drug house， the mother’s gratitude quickly turns to suspicion。 V。I。 finds herself in the FBI’s crosshairs， and the young men running the county’s opioid distribution are not happy。 When V。I。 discovers a local troublemaker’s dead body in the drug house a few days later， she is pitched headlong into a local land-use battle with roots going back to the Civil War。 Today’s combatants are just as willing as opponents in the 1860s to kill to settle their differences。 V。I。’s survival depends on keeping one step ahead of players in a game she doesn’t even know she’s playing。
Reviews
Donna Davis
，
Sara Paretsky is a badass author with a badass protagonist。 Her hero， Vic Warshawski， is a rough and ready private eye， and though based in Chicago， she sometimes—as now—finds herself elsewhere when duty beckons。 Author Paretsky is one of the three that pioneered the hardboiled female private eye subgenre; the first in this series， Indemnity Only， came out in 1982， over 40 years ago， and that is how long I have been reading them。 And though I was lucky to receive a review copy， thanks to NetGall Sara Paretsky is a badass author with a badass protagonist。 Her hero， Vic Warshawski， is a rough and ready private eye， and though based in Chicago， she sometimes—as now—finds herself elsewhere when duty beckons。 Author Paretsky is one of the three that pioneered the hardboiled female private eye subgenre; the first in this series， Indemnity Only， came out in 1982， over 40 years ago， and that is how long I have been reading them。 And though I was lucky to receive a review copy， thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow， this is one of those rare books that I would have paid full price to read if that was the only way I could get it。 This book will be available to the public April 16， 2024。 This story finds Vic in bad shape， both mentally and physically。 She has attempted to help a student of her boyfriend Peter’s， a trans youth whose father blew out the kid’s brains rather than accept their new identity。 The brains stuck to Vic， and the experience sent her reeling emotionally。 She’s been forgetting self-care， not eating or exercising。 What she needs is rest and quiet。 But that’s not how it goes。 Her godchild Bernie persuades Vic to attend a basketball championship game in Kansas。 A group of them will be going down there; it’s just what Vic needs， she says。 Reluctantly， Vic agrees， but once they are there and the game is over， one of the parties disappears， and Vic is enlisted to find her。 When Vic finds the missing basketball player， she inadvertently finds a dead body。 The cops in Lawrence， Kansas as well as the FBI like her for the killing。 It’s so convenient to have a mouthy， street smart outsider blunder in; hopefully， they can pin it all on her， and then life will go on as it has been。 And so Vic must stay behind because she’s been told not to leave town， but also in order to clear her name。 Now， this is one of the elements that generally irritates me in most mysteries; the whole clearing-my-name trope is desperately overdone。 There’s another trope that shows up later in the story， but I won’t share it here because it’s a spoiler。 But for every rule， there is an exception， and in the case of both tropes， Paretsky breezes through， and I barely bat an eye; this is because the characters are so real to me， and the situation they’re in is so immediate， that I blow it off so I can find out what happens next。 And as is so often the case， Vic Warshawski finds herself up against the town’s wealthy power brokers， who have a vested interest in not having the real killer caught。 As for Vic， she makes friends with a few people that have no wealth and no power， but the small ways they assist her make all the difference。 Once she solves the crime， persuades the local police and others that she is innocent and that the blame lies with the men in the suits， are they hauled off in shackles？ Don’t hold your breath。 As one of her new pals reflects， “That is justice in America， plain and simple， before you wrap it up in a pretty package of Constitutional rights that only the rich get to have。” The thing that sets this particular book apart from the other very good mysteries I’ve read recently is the development of the protagonist。 She’s vulnerable because of her earlier trauma; her boyfriend left the country on business， and he hasn’t been responding to her texts。 She is miserable， and she’s isolated。 But as the pressure builds， Warshawski delivers。 The last quarter of this novel is impossible to put down， and even before that， I set aside my usual rotation of books， because I wanted to read this， and only this。 This novel is written in such a way that a first time reader can jump into the series， but chances are good that once you do， you’ll reach back for some or all of the others。 Highly recommended to those that love gritty， rough and tumble detectives; feminists; and those that lean to the left。 。。。more
Barbara Tobey
，
It was a delight to be back in the company of V。 I。 Warshawski。 She was not in Chicago anymore。 Sorry， that was a vague reference to a line in the Wizard of Oz。 This adventure has Vic in Kansas， no Dorothy in sight。 An engaging mystery。 A look at man's inhumanity to man in the past and they are not so nice in the present。 Race may not be the current issue， but lives are still in jeopardy。 Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley。 My review is voluntary。 It was a delight to be back in the company of V。 I。 Warshawski。 She was not in Chicago anymore。 Sorry， that was a vague reference to a line in the Wizard of Oz。 This adventure has Vic in Kansas， no Dorothy in sight。 An engaging mystery。 A look at man's inhumanity to man in the past and they are not so nice in the present。 Race may not be the current issue， but lives are still in jeopardy。 Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley。 My review is voluntary。 。。。more
Jaybee
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Reading this book was like sitting down with an old friend。 Although Vic is emotionally and mentally battered after witnessing the murder of a teenager by their father and her boyfriend fleeing to Europe in the aftermath， she is still quintessentially Vic。 As is typical， she gets pulled into a case after her goddaughter's friend goes missing after a college basketball game in Kansas。 Vic gets stuck with the case and in Kansas after finding the missing friend and discovering a murdered woman and Reading this book was like sitting down with an old friend。 Although Vic is emotionally and mentally battered after witnessing the murder of a teenager by their father and her boyfriend fleeing to Europe in the aftermath， she is still quintessentially Vic。 As is typical， she gets pulled into a case after her goddaughter's friend goes missing after a college basketball game in Kansas。 Vic gets stuck with the case and in Kansas after finding the missing friend and discovering a murdered woman and being accused of being involved in the crimes。 I enjoyed this one， like I enjoy all of Paretsky's books。 Vic's sense of justice and toughness is always enjoyable and it was nice to see Vic prevail and hopefully move in the direction of recovering from the trauma she experienced。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC。 I was thrilled to have an early read of a favorite series。 。。。more
Jo Dervan
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Pay Dirt V。I Warshawsk， a private detective from Chicago， had been very sad after the murder of one of her boyfriend’s students。 Her friends persuaded her to go with some young girls to see their friend play in a collegiate game in Lawrence， Kansas。 One of the young girls disappeared after a night of partying and the girl’s mother paid Warshawsky to find her。The search and rescue of the girl led Warshawsky to illegal drug activities at a remote house。 Then the private investigator found the body Pay Dirt V。I Warshawsk， a private detective from Chicago， had been very sad after the murder of one of her boyfriend’s students。 Her friends persuaded her to go with some young girls to see their friend play in a collegiate game in Lawrence， Kansas。 One of the young girls disappeared after a night of partying and the girl’s mother paid Warshawsky to find her。The search and rescue of the girl led Warshawsky to illegal drug activities at a remote house。 Then the private investigator found the body of a woman in the house who had been killed。 The investigation into the murder exposed another suspicious death and a trail of corruption that led to the wealthiest family in Kansas。This is the latest in a series of 22 books about the detective。 The author， who grew up in Kansas， did extensive research while writing this book。 It is as entertaining as the others I have read in the series。I received this ARC from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Homerun2
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3。75 starsThe indomitable V。I。 Warshawski is back， but beaten down by her last case， which involved a brutal murder that she witnessed。 It split her and her boyfriend， who was also involved， and left her with flashbacks and stress that she can't seem to overcome。 She is unfocused， disorganized， not really engaged in daily life。Her young friends talk her into going to Lawrence， KS for a basketball weekend。 But there's more drama that sucks V。I。 in -- the disappearance of a friend of theirs and Vi 3。75 starsThe indomitable V。I。 Warshawski is back， but beaten down by her last case， which involved a brutal murder that she witnessed。 It split her and her boyfriend， who was also involved， and left her with flashbacks and stress that she can't seem to overcome。 She is unfocused， disorganized， not really engaged in daily life。Her young friends talk her into going to Lawrence， KS for a basketball weekend。 But there's more drama that sucks V。I。 in -- the disappearance of a friend of theirs and Vic's subsequent discovery of the young woman nearly dead from an overdose。 She reluctantly sets out to investigate but recognizes she is out of shape mentally， emotionally and physically。 But she doggedly succeeds in pursuing leads that the local law enforcement team miss。 It disturbs her that the local P。D。 has links to the powerful and wealthy of the community。These adventures are always action-packed and highlight Vic taking on the establishment。 This one is a bit grimmer than most but by the end of the book it feels like she is coming back around。 I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 。。。more
TC
，
Pay Dirt is another fantastic entry in the VI Warshawski series。 It starts off on a tragic note: a student VI was trying to find is killed by their father in a murder-suicide right in front of her。 She loses confidence in herself and shuts everyone out。 In an attempt to cheer her up her goddaughter Bernie invites VI to watch a college basketball game down in Kansas （Bernie's friend Angela is the star player）。 VI agrees， thinking it will be a short trip。 However， when Bernie and Angela's friends Pay Dirt is another fantastic entry in the VI Warshawski series。 It starts off on a tragic note: a student VI was trying to find is killed by their father in a murder-suicide right in front of her。 She loses confidence in herself and shuts everyone out。 In an attempt to cheer her up her goddaughter Bernie invites VI to watch a college basketball game down in Kansas （Bernie's friend Angela is the star player）。 VI agrees， thinking it will be a short trip。 However， when Bernie and Angela's friends goes missing after the game VI feels compelled to investigate。 This sets off a firestorm that threatens local land rights and drug operations。 VI has to dodge threats from every angle as she tries to uncover the truth。 Sara Paretsky is so skilled at weaving together a story that engages the reader from start to finish。 VI is such a compelling character because she is still evolving after 22 books。 She searches for the truth no matter what。 She also has very loyal canine companions， which I love。 Another great books from one of the best in the business。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Mary Robinson
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Intriguing plot and beloved protagonist V。I。 Warshawski combined in a new-er location （revisiting Lawrence， KS） combine for a can't-put-it-down mystery of the first order。 With multiple threads pulled from current events， Vi pieces together how a drug house and multinational corporation relate to the death of local history gadfly， all before she gets the blame squarely aimed at her by the culprits。 Intriguing plot and beloved protagonist V。I。 Warshawski combined in a new-er location （revisiting Lawrence， KS） combine for a can't-put-it-down mystery of the first order。 With multiple threads pulled from current events， Vi pieces together how a drug house and multinational corporation relate to the death of local history gadfly， all before she gets the blame squarely aimed at her by the culprits。 。。。more
Donna
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What an amazing book， blending both a modern-day crime with a bit of history。 This book has quite a complex， complicated and twisting plot that finds V。 I。 Warshawski on vacation to Kansas， to watch her young friend Angela compete in a college basketball tournament。 She soon finds herself involved in finding another student who has disappeared。 VI has not yet fully recovered from the emotional trauma of her last case， and she is also hindered by investigating in an area she is not familiar with。 What an amazing book， blending both a modern-day crime with a bit of history。 This book has quite a complex， complicated and twisting plot that finds V。 I。 Warshawski on vacation to Kansas， to watch her young friend Angela compete in a college basketball tournament。 She soon finds herself involved in finding another student who has disappeared。 VI has not yet fully recovered from the emotional trauma of her last case， and she is also hindered by investigating in an area she is not familiar with。 Still， she persists。 The case leads her in down dark and twisted paths of murder， deceit and fraud， and she finds her own life in grave danger as she uncovers past unsolved crimes。 This is a very timely book that brings to light how prejudices of the past still reverberate today。 Sara Paretsky has created a bit of an everyday superhero in V。 I。 Warshawski， a strong woman that fights for justice， even when she's in danger and struggling herself。 V。 I。 is one of my favorite fictional characters！ Thank you to the author， publisher， and Netgalley for my advance copy。 The opinions of this review are my own。 。。。more
Alma
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So glad I got my hands on an arc！ I loved it。 Paretsky never disappoints。
surfemme
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Pay Dirt， by Sara Paretsky， is #22 in the V I Warshawski series。 V I who is still recovering from her last case but ends up helping a friend’s roommate who disappeared。 V I is going to stay and try to find her but looking for her in a place that she knows no one can be challenging。After finding her， things get weirder。 Drug folks don’t play around and she may not come back from Kansas！I struggled through reading this book but it could just be me。 Read it and let me know what you think。
Carole Barker
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She’s in the wrong place at the right time。V。 I。 Warshawski is a Chicago private investigator who is smart， experienced， and doggedly persistent。 She has always been a strong support for her clients and for those in her personal life， but right now V。 I。 Is struggling。 The violent death of one of her college professor boyfriend’s students， for which she feels somewhat complicit， has shaken her to the core。 Her boyfriend has left the continent to deal with the emotional fallout in his own way， le She’s in the wrong place at the right time。V。 I。 Warshawski is a Chicago private investigator who is smart， experienced， and doggedly persistent。 She has always been a strong support for her clients and for those in her personal life， but right now V。 I。 Is struggling。 The violent death of one of her college professor boyfriend’s students， for which she feels somewhat complicit， has shaken her to the core。 Her boyfriend has left the continent to deal with the emotional fallout in his own way， leaving V。 I。 to cope by herself。 The always calm and competent P。I Isn’t sleeping or eating well， is having nightmares on the regular can barely do work， and isn’t sure if she can continue in the profession which has defined her for so long。 When her goddaughter Bernie invites her to come to a women’s college basketball game in the neighboring state of Kansas where Bernie’s roommate Angela is playing， V。 I。 reluctantly agrees。 No good deed goes unpunished， and soon she is caught up in the disappearance of another of the young women’s roommates after the game and later the death of Clarina Coffin a history buff who has been annoying the residents of the area with her claims to know long-buried secrets。 V。 I。’s instinct is to get out of town， but she succumbs to the pleas of first Bernie and Angela and then the mother of the missing girl Sabrina to do a little poking around 。 She soon finds herself one of the chief suspects in Sabrina’s disappearance and the murder of Clarina， is told not to leave town， and has to summon whatever internal strength she can find…because if she can’t figure out was is actually behind these events， she may just find herself convicted of murder or worse。V。 I。 is one of the OG female private eyes， and has long been a personal favorite。 She is savvy and compassionate， has worked hard to build a business in an industry that did not always respect female practitioners， and has always displayed both a strong moral code and a willingness to fight long and hard against seemingly insurmountable odds。 As Pay Dirt kicks off， she is not at her best， and doubts that she is up to the task at hand。 But she’s a fighter， and even when its her own demons that she’s fighting she won’t give up easily。 Away from her usual stomping grounds， she doesn’t have all of the contacts with whom she works back in Chicago， but she finds a few allies （and makes more than a few enemies） as she digs into matters。 As always， the pacing of the story is outstanding， the characters well developed and the plot full of unforeseen twists and complications。 What keeps this from being a full five stars is what I found to be a distraction， the apparently random insertion of sentences throughout the book that are not particularly related to the story at hand and that seemed political in nature。 In these times of highly divisive political views， I neither expected nor wanted to read about the virtues of mask-wearing， the intolerance of parents protesting critical race theory， the evils of book bans， etc。， especially not as a one or two line phrase thrown in for no particular reason。 I found that it detracted from the flow of the story。 Still， a slightly flawed Warshawski outing is still a pleasure overall， and I would recommend it to fans of Sara Paretsky （of course）， but also of Sue Grafton， Linda Barnes， and PI enthusiasts of all stripes。 Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for allowing me access to an early copy of the latest novels by one of the best crime novelists out there。 。。。more
Robin
，
Pay Dirt finds V。I。 Warshawski knocked off her square。 After a traumatic incident back in Chicago， she’s reluctantly in Kansas for a basketball game – one of her proteges， Angela， is on the Northwestern team – and all she wants， after the game， is to crawl back to Chicago and lick her wounds。 When she wakes up the morning after the game， she gets a call from Angela: her friend Sabrina， a rising soccer star， has vanished。 V。I。 had noticed the girl didn’t look right at dinner the night before and Pay Dirt finds V。I。 Warshawski knocked off her square。 After a traumatic incident back in Chicago， she’s reluctantly in Kansas for a basketball game – one of her proteges， Angela， is on the Northwestern team – and all she wants， after the game， is to crawl back to Chicago and lick her wounds。 When she wakes up the morning after the game， she gets a call from Angela: her friend Sabrina， a rising soccer star， has vanished。 V。I。 had noticed the girl didn’t look right at dinner the night before and finally surrenders to Angela’s pleas to try to find her。The problem: V。I。 is in a strange town with no contacts and no connections。 Being V。I。 she’s already witnessed a confrontation outside the game， and using her brain， she begins to nose out possible drug locations as she thought the girl looked like she might be using。 V。I。 does find the girl in a house out in the middle of nowhere， suffering from an O。D。 She gets her to the hospital and her panicked family asks V。I。 to help。 She reluctantly agrees， but once the girl is medevacked to rehab （not something that actually happens） the mother calls off her search。In typical V。I。 fashion， she unearths a nest of conspiracies， cover ups， and all kinds of subtle and not so subtle racism permeating the small town。 It takes all her strength to find the culprits behind not only Sabrina’s OD but of the murdered woman she finds in the same drug house when she goes back to look for clues。 The police think she’s hinky and the FBI is on her ass。 This has an interesting historical thread running through it regarding rightfully held land and the ways it was wrested away from African Americans through “legal” means。 This was a strong V。I。 story， with V。I。’s endurance， strength and resilience front and center。 。。。more
Susan Pober
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Another winner from Sarah Paretsky！ （In case you didn't get the hint from my first sentence， I am a fan of Ms。 Paretsky。 "Pay Dirt" is another of her books that is set primarily in Kansas， Lawrence Kansas to be precise。 There are many character names to keep track of， which gives the reader the opportunity to try and figure out the culprit。 Not only is the mystery itself interesting， but the historical context in which the plot unfolds adds an additional flavor to the book。 Another winner from Sarah Paretsky！ （In case you didn't get the hint from my first sentence， I am a fan of Ms。 Paretsky。 "Pay Dirt" is another of her books that is set primarily in Kansas， Lawrence Kansas to be precise。 There are many character names to keep track of， which gives the reader the opportunity to try and figure out the culprit。 Not only is the mystery itself interesting， but the historical context in which the plot unfolds adds an additional flavor to the book。 。。。more
Sbatdorf
，
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of Pay Dirt by Sara Paretsky。 This is my first V。I。 Warshawski novel but it will not be my last。 The author creates a great story of intrigue with all the twist and turns。
Patricia Romero
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V。I。 Warshawski #22V。I。 is still hurting from her last case。 Physically， Emotionally， she isn’t okay。 Trying to get her out of herself， her friends have sent her to a college basketball game to see Angela play。 But when Angela’s roommate disappears， it turns into something else。Of course， V。I。 is going to stay and try to find her。 But looking for her in a place that she knows noone， is difficult。But when she finds her， things get weirder。 Drug folks don’t play around and she may not come back fr V。I。 Warshawski #22V。I。 is still hurting from her last case。 Physically， Emotionally， she isn’t okay。 Trying to get her out of herself， her friends have sent her to a college basketball game to see Angela play。 But when Angela’s roommate disappears， it turns into something else。Of course， V。I。 is going to stay and try to find her。 But looking for her in a place that she knows noone， is difficult。But when she finds her， things get weirder。 Drug folks don’t play around and she may not come back from Kansas！This was a real thriller of a read！ I’m already looking forward to the next one！NetGalley/ William Morrow Out April 16， 2024 。。。more
Obsidian
，
Please note that I received this book via NetGalley， this did not affect my rating or review。A solid VI novel but it gets so complicated at the end it was just a bit too much。 4。5 stars rounded to 5 because of the explanation about a character who was missing for almost the entire book。 It wasn't necessary and I would have left that on a cliffhanger。 "Pay Dirt" follows a down and out V。I。 She's shaken and broken after a case she gets involved in results in a young woman being murdered by her fat Please note that I received this book via NetGalley， this did not affect my rating or review。A solid VI novel but it gets so complicated at the end it was just a bit too much。 4。5 stars rounded to 5 because of the explanation about a character who was missing for almost the entire book。 It wasn't necessary and I would have left that on a cliffhanger。 "Pay Dirt" follows a down and out V。I。 She's shaken and broken after a case she gets involved in results in a young woman being murdered by her father in front of her and her boyfriend Peter。 V。I。 hasn't taken a case in months outside of her regular clients and she's lost weight and the ability to sleep without nightmares。 When her almost goddaughter Bernie pops up and invites V。I。 to watch a basketball game in Kansas she agrees。 But Bernie being the worst （yep I said it） still pushes at V。I。 to help her when a friend of hers that came on the trip disappears。 V。I。 doesn't want to get involved， but does and finds herself rusty and being almost out thought by something deeper and darker in Kanas that wants the past to stay buried。I thought that the insight into V。I。 and how she's feeling like she's running on fumes was true to form。 It was also a good idea to get her out of Chicago。 It was fascinating watching her meet new people and make all new enemies。 The flow though gets to be a bit much after a while。 I think it's because we keep getting the truth dangled in front of our faces but it gets ripped away again and again。 And I don't know if I buy the whole story since I still don't understand [redacted]。 But the book definitely shows a U。S。 that is coming out against trans women and anything being "woke" which makes V。I。 wonder what she's even fighting for anymore。The ending was good， almost all tided up， but then I said， there's an 11th hour explanation that was not necessary I thought。 。。。more
Susan Willis
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V。I。 is still attempting to recover from a horrific act she witnessed months ago when her God daughter convinces her to travel to Lawrence to watch a friend play。 Another girl disappears that night and， against her better judgement， V。I。 agrees to stay and search。 From that point on，the book is a heart stopping， end-of-your seat read。 Beyond good！
Ruth
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VI gets herself in some serious scrapes while out of town to see a friend play basketball。 The next day everything goes wrong and stays wrong for several weeks。 However， our heroine figures everything out before the police and saves the day， as usual。 What is really wonderful about this latest novel is that the author finally has VI act like the 50-something woman she is - the physical aches and pains she suffers at the hands of the bad guys actually slow her down a bit。 I love that this fit and VI gets herself in some serious scrapes while out of town to see a friend play basketball。 The next day everything goes wrong and stays wrong for several weeks。 However， our heroine figures everything out before the police and saves the day， as usual。 What is really wonderful about this latest novel is that the author finally has VI act like the 50-something woman she is - the physical aches and pains she suffers at the hands of the bad guys actually slow her down a bit。 I love that this fit and athletic character is now really believable。 Besides， she still kicks butts when necessary and doesn't back down when threatened， she's just smarter about it！ Thanks to the publisher and #netgalley for the advanced readers copy。 。。。more
Jennifer Hazen
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This is one of the series that helped create the reader that I am。 VI Warshawski might be my favorite character of all time。 What I love most about the series and this book is that， years later， Paretsky has kept up the momentum of the first books。 Pay Dirt continues the excellence。 If you read this series， this is a must-read。 If this series is new to you， start at the beginning！ It's worth it。 This is one of the series that helped create the reader that I am。 VI Warshawski might be my favorite character of all time。 What I love most about the series and this book is that， years later， Paretsky has kept up the momentum of the first books。 Pay Dirt continues the excellence。 If you read this series， this is a must-read。 If this series is new to you， start at the beginning！ It's worth it。 。。。more
Natalie
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