About the Book
Chicago's V. I. Warshawski confronts crooked politicians and buried family secrets in this gritty mystery from New York Times bestselling author Sara Paretsky.
No one would accuse V. I. Warshawski of backing down from a fight, but she'd happily avoid tangling with Chicago political bosses. Yet that's what she ends up doing when she responds to a plea for help from an old high school flame, Frank Guzzo. Frank's mother Stella was convicted of killing his kid sister, but now that she's out of prison, she's looking for exoneration. Even though the Warshawskis and Stella never got along, V. I. agrees to make a few inquiries after she sees how hard life has been on Frank and her other childhood friends.
Only, that small favor leads her straight into the vipers' nest of Illinois politics--and soon her main question isn't about Stella's case but whether or not she'll make it out of this investigation alive...
A Washington Post Best Mystery of 2015
About the Author :
Sara Paretsky is the New York Times bestselling author of the renowned V.I. Warshawski novels. Her many awards include the Cartier Diamond Dagger Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Crime Writers' Association and the 2011 Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award. She lives in Chicago.
Review :
Praise for Brush Back
"Truthfully drawn and mercilessly insightful."--The New York Times Book Review
"[An] unquenchable need to know whodunit."--Chicago Tribune
"Paretsky's plotting is always ingenious."--Los Angeles Times
"An old-school crime-writing pro."--The Boston Globe
"One of the most-loved characters in crime fiction."--Booklist (starred review)
More Praise for Sara Paretsky and the V. I. Warshawski series
"Sara Paretsky's Chicago private eye, V. I. Warshawski, is one tough cookie."--The New York Times Book Review
"One of our genre's crucial, solid-gold, best-ever series. Paretsky is a genius."--Lee Child
"V.I. Warshawski is one of my all-time favorite investigators."--Lisa Gardner
"For me, the most remarkable of the moderns is Sara Paretsky."--P.D. James
"No one, male or female, writes better P.I. books than Paretsky."--The Denver Post
"Paretsky's books are beautifully paced and plotted, and the dialogue is fresh and smart...V.I. Warshawski is the most engaging woman in detective fiction."--Newsweek
Electrifying Paretsky never shies from tackling social issues, and in this installment she targets political corruption without ever losing sight of her dogged sleuth s very personal stake in the story. Publishers Weekly (starred)
A satisfyingly complex story of decades-old murder, family loyalties, dirty politics, and gangsters .A certain summer hit V. I. Warshawski remains one of the most-loved characters in crime fiction, and this episode, drawing as it does on Warshawski s personal history, will be of particular interest to fans looking for backstory. Booklist (starred)
Paretsky s novels are never boring, but this one is particularly well executed, combining family and city history with local political intrigue and a jaunt into the tunnels under Wrigley Field. The author s many fans won t be let down, while readers new to the series will be able to follow the story line without difficulty. Library Journal (starred)
Paretsky s unsentimental character studies are truthfully drawn and mercilessly insightful. New York Times Book Review
Unquenchable need to know whodunit [Paretsky] treats the women in Brush Back, no matter how disillusioned or threatening, with insight and respect. Chicago Tribune
Superb the new novel s uncompromising feminist message about aging for women is to ignore the pain and hang on to what gives you purpose and identity. Washington Post
Paretsky, who plots more conscientiously than anyone else in the field, digs deep, then deeper, into past and present until all is revealed. The results will be especially appealing to baseball fans, who'll appreciate the punning chapter titles and learn more than they ever imagined about Wrigley Field. Kirkus Reviews
The high-octane gritty thriller in the V.I. Warshawski series delivers. RT Book Reviews
In Brush Back, Paretsky has produced another literate, of-the-moment, well-plotted yarn, filled with smart dialogue, savvy social commentary, real people and page-turning action. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Sara Paretsky's V I Warshawski remains the most distinctive female private investigator in US crime fiction. The Independent
"
Electrifying Paretsky never shies from tackling social issues, and in this installment she targets political corruption without ever losing sight of her dogged sleuth s very personal stake in the story. "Publishers Weekly" (starred)
A satisfyingly complex story of decades-old murder, family loyalties, dirty politics, and gangsters .A certain summer hit V. I. Warshawski remains one of the most-loved characters in crime fiction, and this episode, drawing as it does on Warshawski s personal history, will be of particular interest to fans looking for backstory. "Booklist" (starred)
Paretsky s novels are never boring, but this one is particularly well executed, combining family and city history with local political intrigue and a jaunt into the tunnels under Wrigley Field. The author s many fans won t be let down, while readers new to the series will be able to follow the story line without difficulty. "Library Journal" (starred)
Paretsky s unsentimental character studies are truthfully drawn and mercilessly insightful. "New York Times Book Review"
Unquenchable need to know whodunit [Paretsky] treats the women in "Brush Back," no matter how disillusioned or threatening, with insight and respect. "Chicago Tribune"
Superb the new novel s uncompromising feminist message about aging for women is to ignore the pain and hang on to what gives you purpose and identity. "Washington Post"
Paretsky, who plots more conscientiously than anyone else in the field, digs deep, then deeper, into past and present until all is revealed. The results will be especially appealing to baseball fans, who'll appreciate the punning chapter titles and learn more than they ever imagined about Wrigley Field. "Kirkus Reviews"
The high-octane gritty thriller in the V.I. Warshawski series delivers. " RT Book Reviews"
""
In" Brush Back," Paretsky has produced another literate, of-the-moment, well-plotted yarn, filled with smart dialogue, savvy social commentary, real people and page-turning action. "St. Louis Post-Dispatch"
Sara Paretsky's V I Warshawski remains the most distinctive female private investigator in US crime fiction. "The Independent
""
Paretsky s novels are never boring, but this one is particularly well executed, combining family and city history with local political intrigue and a jaunt into the tunnels under Wrigley Field. The author s many fans won t be let down, while readers new to the series will be able to follow the story line without difficulty. "Library Journal" (starred)
Paretsky, who plots more conscientiously than anyone else in the field, digs deep, then deeper, into past and present until all is revealed. The results will be especially appealing to baseball fans, who'll appreciate the punning chapter titles and learn more than they ever imagined about Wrigley Field. "Kirkus Reviews"
"
Praise for "Critical Mass"
"There are plenty of women among the ranks of genre authors, but not many like Sara Paretsky, whose intellectually lively mysteries featuring her gutsy Chicago private eye, V. I. Warshawski, are fired by political causes and feminist social issues. . . . Paretsky makes us feel both her own love for science and her fury at the way women like Martina have been denied the pursuit of their passion." --Marilyn Stasio, "The New York Times Book Review"
"This is Paretsky at her best, describing with a reporter's eye and a painter's vision the light and texture of a place. A scene that throbs with menace concludes with a shock. . . . Yet the tension, palpable from the first page, is sustained and deftly heightened by brief flashbacks to a wartime and postwar world of shifting loyalties and dangers . . . Warshawski, for her part, must confront not only killers but also crooked federal agents. Which she does, as always, without breaking her stride." --"The Washington Post"
"A daring departure for Paretsky, combining her interests in women's history, science and the Holocaust--and is a career crowning triumph."
--"The Sunday Times" (London)
""Critical Mass" proves that this gifted author is still, justifiably, a star. . . . Paretsky . . . has an impressive knack for weaving gripping history into her swift plot." --"The Seattle Times"
"As usual, V.I.'s quest is fraught with plenty of danger and white-knuckle moments. . . . It is as much a breathless mystery as a historical delving into science and wartime academic politics. An intellectual mystery that will please the author's many fans." --"Library Journal"
"V.I. has a charismatic and blistering way of bringing old secrets to light." --"Kirkus Reviews"
"Stellar . . . Paretsky builds suspense by deftly weaving the contemporary narrative with flashbacks." --"Publishers Weekly "(starred review)
"Paretsky has been on a roll lately, her long-running, trailblazing series at its most dynamic since the early days." --"Booklist "(starred review)
"Sara Paretsky seems to have renewed creative energy, evident in pages that almost turn themselves." --"Erie Times-News"
"Readers don't have to understand all the physics to get inside this riveting story." --"Shelf Awareness"
"With entombments, solved mysteries, loose ends neatly tied, good writing and a little bit of love, "Critical Mass" is a thoroughly satisfying read." --"St. Louis Post-Dispatch"
"Sara Paretsky mystery capers are always full of twists and turns, including surprising elements that this reviewer eagerly anticipates when reading her books. "Critical Mass" is a complex family mystery that reaches from the past into the modern day, and is one of Paretsky's best. . . . It takes a character like V. I. Warshawski, who is willing to see justice served at any cost, to get to the truth. And this is exactly what has endeared Paretsky's time-tested heroine to so many faithful readers." --Bookreporter.com
"Although she has been writing about Vic for more than 30 years, Paretsky always keeps the character fresh and believable. Vic feels the blows and tumbles she takes more than she used to, but she's as relentless as ever. In "Critical Mass," both Warshawski and Paretsky are at the top of their forms." --"Tampa Bay Times"
