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melissa_who_reads's review
4.0
Listened to this in the car, in traffic. Found it difficult at times; at times, there was no one in the story who I liked. And this one was filled with violence and pain ... which most of these are, but violence felt a little more extreme and uncontrolled.
An Iraq war vet is arrested for committing a murder -- and VI held the woman he is accused of murdering in her arms as she died. But the vet is unconscious, and can't give his side of the story. So his parents hire Vic to figure out what happened -- why Nadia? Who killed her? How does the Body Artist intersect with both of them?
Nadia was murdered outside a club whose main attraction is "The Body Artist" - a woman who sits naked (nearly) and allows others to paint on her - but what is going on at the club and with the Artist? How do they figure in the story?
It's convoluted, leading back to events in Iraq, and filled with both corporate bad men and more overtly criminal bad men ... and there is a definite body count before VI solves this one.
At times I was impatient with the story. After listening to three in a row, I can follow the basic plot structure fairly closely, and sometimes I was reluctant to listen as it was stressful. It took me more than three weeks to listen to the 14 CDs (not listening on digital yet). But I did finally finish it, and the end was worth the wait - and the stories do intertwine in a plausible and believable way.
An Iraq war vet is arrested for committing a murder -- and VI held the woman he is accused of murdering in her arms as she died. But the vet is unconscious, and can't give his side of the story. So his parents hire Vic to figure out what happened -- why Nadia? Who killed her? How does the Body Artist intersect with both of them?
Nadia was murdered outside a club whose main attraction is "The Body Artist" - a woman who sits naked (nearly) and allows others to paint on her - but what is going on at the club and with the Artist? How do they figure in the story?
It's convoluted, leading back to events in Iraq, and filled with both corporate bad men and more overtly criminal bad men ... and there is a definite body count before VI solves this one.
At times I was impatient with the story. After listening to three in a row, I can follow the basic plot structure fairly closely, and sometimes I was reluctant to listen as it was stressful. It took me more than three weeks to listen to the 14 CDs (not listening on digital yet). But I did finally finish it, and the end was worth the wait - and the stories do intertwine in a plausible and believable way.
katricia's review
3.0
Read it for a class; not the worst book in the world, but I probably would never have stuck it out if it weren't required reading. The plot just didn't hold my interest that much.
lazwright's review against another edition
5.0
Vic is hard boiled in all the right ways-I love this strong liberal, takes-no-guff-from-anyone character.
lisanussd's review
4.0
I feel like Paretsky has been able to slowly age VI Warshawski which makes her books a little more mature. It is always a wild ride. This one was a little far-fetched but perfect thriller prose.
marie_gg's review
3.0
http://mariesbookgarden.blogspot.com/2014/11/body-work.html
I've been reading Sara Paretsky since my 20s...she's one of my favorite detective novelists. V.I. Warshawski is based in Chicago, and she's a hard-boiled feminist, whiskey-swilling, kick-ass detective. That's why I like her.
In Body Work, V.I. encounters edgy young artist/entertainers, grumpy night club owners, Eastern European gangsters, and Iraq war vets, while trying to help out her young, impulsive cousin Petra.
This novel was not my favorite...I did finish it, but it was not as compelling as her other books.
Still, I will continue reading all of Paretsky's books, in the hope the next one will be better!
I've been reading Sara Paretsky since my 20s...she's one of my favorite detective novelists. V.I. Warshawski is based in Chicago, and she's a hard-boiled feminist, whiskey-swilling, kick-ass detective. That's why I like her.
In Body Work, V.I. encounters edgy young artist/entertainers, grumpy night club owners, Eastern European gangsters, and Iraq war vets, while trying to help out her young, impulsive cousin Petra.
This novel was not my favorite...I did finish it, but it was not as compelling as her other books.
Still, I will continue reading all of Paretsky's books, in the hope the next one will be better!
claudiafp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
charmedrose's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
allerkins's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first audiobook experience in a long time and I must say it got me quite hooked. It was also my first Sara Paretsky novel, and it far surpassed my expectations!
I love the character of V. I. Warshawski. She is so tough and intelligent and so real too. I thought the plot was really fascinating, and there were so many twists and turns and sub plots, but I was able to follow along and I think Paretsky did a wonderful job making sure it all tied together. I loved the strong woman/feminist messages in the book. I thought that was really cool. It left me really wanting to read more of her books. I thought it was great that I could pick this one up and understand it without any problem, even though I haven't read any of the previous books.
My one complaint with the book was how Paretsky portrayed the younger characters, especially Petra. It seemed like she stereotyped young people a bit and found them all annoying and petulant and silly. Maybe that's just Warshawski's view and not the authors, but as a young person myself, I found the descriptions of the personalities of young people in the book a little harsh. Maybe all older women really see us youngsters that way, I don't know.
This was a great read, very thought-provoking, fast-paced and fun. Paretsky is a very skilled author and I can't wait to read more of her books!
I love the character of V. I. Warshawski. She is so tough and intelligent and so real too. I thought the plot was really fascinating, and there were so many twists and turns and sub plots, but I was able to follow along and I think Paretsky did a wonderful job making sure it all tied together. I loved the strong woman/feminist messages in the book. I thought that was really cool. It left me really wanting to read more of her books. I thought it was great that I could pick this one up and understand it without any problem, even though I haven't read any of the previous books.
My one complaint with the book was how Paretsky portrayed the younger characters, especially Petra. It seemed like she stereotyped young people a bit and found them all annoying and petulant and silly. Maybe that's just Warshawski's view and not the authors, but as a young person myself, I found the descriptions of the personalities of young people in the book a little harsh. Maybe all older women really see us youngsters that way, I don't know.
This was a great read, very thought-provoking, fast-paced and fun. Paretsky is a very skilled author and I can't wait to read more of her books!
nocto's review against another edition
4.0
I happily spent the weekend holed up with my old friend VI Warshawski. I'm not going to pretend I can write anything objective about any of the books in this series. VI is aging well, getting beaten up less, still getting involved in things that end up with her taking down big businesses. In many ways it the same old thing as always, but personally I think there is plenty of life in it yet.