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(3.00) - 2,025 listener ratings
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V. I. Warshawski may have left her old South Chicago neighborhood, but she learns that she cannot escape it. When V. I. takes over coaching duties of the girls’ basketball team at her former high school, she faces an ill-equipped, ragtag group of gangbangers, fundamentalists, and teenage moms, who inevitably draw the detective into their family woes.
Through young Josie Dorrado, V. I. meets the girl’s mother, who voices her worries about sabotage in the little flag manufacturing plant where she works. The biggest employer on the South Side, discount-store behemoth By-Smart, pays even less, and Ms. Dorrado doesn’t know how she’ll support her four children if the flag plant shuts down.
The elder Dorrado’s fears are realized when the plant explodes; V. I. is injured and the owner is killed. As V. I. begins to investigate, she finds herself confronting the Bysen family, who own the By-Smart company. Founder William “Buffalo Bill” Bysen, now in his eighties, has four sons who quarrel with each other and with him; the oldest, “Young Mr. William,” is close to sixty and furious that his father doesn’t cede more power to him. And then, there’s “Billy the Kid,” Young Mr. William’s nineteen-year-old son, whose Christian idealism puts him on a collision course with his father, his grandfather, and the company as a whole.
When Billy runs away with Josie Dorrado, V. I. is squeezed between the needs of two very different families. As she tries to find the errant teenagers, and to track down a particularly cruel murderer, her own life is almost forfeit in the swamps that lie under the city of Chicago.
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"I love VI Warshawski novels, as I really enjoy her sweep of large scale themes and their effects on ordinary folk. The set up of the scene is typical Paretsky and the pace of the tale is strong: I polished this one off really quickly! Only problem is that you have to wait a long time between books."
— Rachel (4 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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A USA Today bestseller
Fire Sale Listener Reviews
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" I really enjoy the V.I. Warshawski series. I have not read many but plan to read more when I run out of books to read. "
— Laurie, 2/17/2014 -
" I didn't care for the writing style, but the plot was more than enough to make up for it! "
— Anna-Lena, 2/12/2014 -
" I hadn't read one of these in ages and really enjoyed catching up with V.I. Warshovski as she takes on a WalMart-like family business on the south side of Chicago. At the same time, she is filling in as coach to an impoverished south side girls basketball team. Lots of action and quirky characters. A fun read. "
— Mary, 2/5/2014 -
" You are half way into the book before you ven know what the crime is. Written for screenplays. I like the VI Warshovski character, but the writing is a bore. "
— Joanne, 1/29/2014 -
" I saw a V I Warshawski movie on TV once and thought I would enjoy reading the books. This was my first one, which is #12 in the series. I'm not sure if it was actually the book or the fact that I listened to it on playaway while exercising that I never really got into it. I'm just glad that it's over so I can move on to something else. "
— Syd, 1/18/2014 -
" Very interesting paths this story took, with lots of action. It was, for me, one of the author's more interesting books. "
— Pat, 1/9/2014 -
" Good Warshawski story, as usual. "
— Nancy, 1/7/2014 -
" Unabridged audio narrated by Sandra Burr "
— Sharron, 12/25/2013 -
" Classic Paretsky tale of Vic's most recent investigation. This time, she's investigating a possible saboteur at a local factory who turns out to be quite the firebug. Great tale of religious and class differences in Chicago's South Side. "
— Sharon, 12/16/2013 -
" This book is about a strong woman. Though she is not quite as ridiculous as Stephanie Plum, she does do some crazy things. "
— Heather, 12/11/2013 -
" About 75% good Paretsky fun, this book suffers from a poor reader and too much verbiage. Truly, it takes more skill than Sandra Burr can summon (she sounds much too young for V.I.) to take the listener through all the stream-of-consciousness stuff that pads out this fine plot. "
— Maggie, 11/20/2013 -
" I have read several of Sara Paretsky's books. I particularly enjoy her Polish female detective V I Warshawski character. "
— Robyn, 11/7/2013 -
" As always, a fun easy read by Sara Peretsky. V.I Warshawsky, a female private detective, has a tough, sarcastic exterior with a heart of gold. I always love to read about her exploits. The bad guys always finish last, and the underdogs finish on top in these stories. Love them! "
— Coralie, 10/30/2013 -
" Paretsky continues to tell an intriguing story with plenty of social comment added. "
— Sandy, 5/25/2013 -
" Poor VI sure does get beat up a lot. Kudos for bringing the big guys down! "
— Marianne, 12/11/2012 -
" This book moved too slowly and after about 50 pages I threw it down. I'm going to look for something more interesting. "
— Mary, 12/2/2012 -
" I also love all of the V.I. Warshawski novels--what's not to like about a Polish-Italian private detective with more bravado than precaution and a great dog. "
— Patricia, 11/6/2012 -
" stopped reading after 50+ pages ... a mixed up mess of a story. It looks like I'm the odd one out on this one. Most GR reviews are positive. "
— Lewis, 11/5/2012 -
" Sara Paretsky continues writing in her usual style and with her usual characters plus some. A good fast read, "
— Beverly, 2/22/2011 -
" My first detective/mystery. Series based in Chicago. Was slow at the start, but picked up by the end. And I really did want to know whodunnit... that certainly counts for a good read. "
— Tarah, 12/11/2010 -
" this is the first one of her books I have read and I really enjoyed it. Could hardly put it down. "
— Andra, 3/21/2009 -
" I'd never read any of the VI Warshawski mysteries, and this one was enjoyable. The story drew me in, I liked the Chicago setting, but the author does have a few literary 'tics' that began to bother me. At book club, we questioned whether anyone could seriously refer to someone as their "lover." "
— Holly, 1/4/2009
About Sara Paretsky
Sara Paretsky is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous previous novels, including the renowned V. I. Warshawski series, of which Blacklist won the Dagger Award. She is one of only four living writers to have received both the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and is also the recipient of the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award given by the British Crime Writers’ Association. She is credited with transforming the role and image of women in the crime novel.
About Sandra Burr
Sandra Burr is an AudioFile Earphones Award–wining narrator. She has read more than one hundred books in her career, including the New York Times bestselling Cedar Cove romance series by Debbie Macomber.