I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy of Overboard, the twenty first novel to feature Chicago PI V. I. Warshawski.

Vic is chasing her two dogs in the rocks at Lake Michigan when she finds a badly injured teenager. The girl says one word with no apparent meaning before losing consciousness. As Vic tries to establish the girl’s identity she slips out of the hospital and disappears. It soon becomes clear that Vic is not the only one looking for the girl, but she’s the only one looking to protect her, everyone else wants her dead and Vic too if she gets in the way.

I thoroughly enjoyed Overboard, which is another fine addition to a very readable series. It is told from Vic’s first person point of view so the reader can get absorbed in her world and ride the roller coaster of her investigation. This works well as she has a compelling voice and her thirst for protecting the underdog pits her against formidable adversaries and always involves plenty of drama and action.

The plot is complicated with Vic not only looking for the missing teenager, but helping out some elderly Jews whose synagogue is under threat from developers and another teenager who wants help protecting his dad, an old nemesis from Vic’s childhood. There is, therefore, a large cast of characters, various nefarious motives and all sorts of initially inexplicable actions on the part of the bad guys. It takes a high level of concentration to keep up and sort through each strand, but it’s definitely worth it as the denouement is a masterclass in weaving the threads together in one big twist. I’m in awe of the skill involved.

As ever the novel revolves around greed and corruption. It seems that Chicago can’t outrun its past and its historic skills are still alive and kicking. There is an out of control police lieutenant running some kind of shady, unaccountable department that I thought was fiction until the author reveals in her afterward that the department exists and she’s taking the rumours around it as truth. It’s not unbelievable in this day and age. Then there are the rich guys who think they can get away with murder, because their wealth and status insulate them from the law. Now, where have I seen this before? At least Vic is there to do her small bit, often at great physical cost, to right some wrongs. That ending, can’t get over how satisfying it is.

Overboard is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Superb, Edgy, Fearless..
Against a pandemic backdrop and a city in recovery, comes a veritable rollercoaster read where one incident swiftly descends into chaos and exposes a web of intrigue, corruption and where dirty dealing is the order of the day. Fluidly told with the usual flair and en pointe observations of a world where nothing much matters beyond the material. Superb, edgy, fearless.

This is Sarah Paretsky’s lockdown novel with many references to masks and. vaccinations. Her heroine has lost nine of her athleticism despite her advancing years. She recovers from all her injuries with alacrity which rather beggars belief.
If you suspend judgement this is an exciting tale of family loyalties against a background of police corruption.

A quick but satisfying read which will be enjoyed by all her loyal readers. .

I have read every book in this series since the first one was published back in the 1980s. I have never been let down by any of the books. In fact, I think Sara Paretsky just gets better and better with each book.
This latest adventure for V.I. Is another gem in the crown. It is brilliantly written, draws in the reader with what, at first, seems to be a simple story about a runaway girl and the people who want to find her. Before long the story races into a murky world that comments eloquently on the way we treat older people in society and how more value is placed on stuff than people.
This book is excellent and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys becoming deeply involved in the story they are reading

After finishing a nighttime surveillance job, V.I. Warshawski, a Lawyer, turned Private Detective, is on her way home with her 2 dogs, when they discover an unconscious girl hiding in rocks at the edge of Lake Michigan. Unfortunately it seems that other people want this girl for various reasons, and V.I. can’t help but get involved - a lot deeper than she wants to but she feels obligated to finish what she started - in her own unique way.

I love V.I., she’s full of character, heart and determination, and someone you’d want in your corner. As always Sara Paretsky has written a fast paced, intricately plotted thriller, covering organised crime, greed, crooked cops and with the background of a world trying to come back from the pandemic. This is a real rollercoaster of a read, with such well developed characters, descriptive and one I didn’t want to end. Whenever I see a book by this author I know I’m going to enjoy it. I was right. Definitely worth a read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.