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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
I am not really sure how to start here. I have read Sara Paretsky's V I Warshawski novels in the past. I haven't read them in any particular order. I just pick them up at garage sales or ebay in wholesale lots etc. I have always enjoyed the ones I read in the past. For some reason they remind me a little of the Sue Grafton novels. But, just a little. This book - Blacklist- was published in 2003, while the event of 9/11 were still really fresh in our minds. V I's boyfriend, a reporter is in Afghanistan covering events there. V I is feeling a little tender as a result of his being in constant danger and out of touch with her. She is hired by her client Darraugh Graham to stake out the estate formerly owned by his mother. Geraldine thinks she sees lights on in the attic of the abandoned mansion on the estate she once owned. While watching the old estate V I finds a dead body. The victim was a reporter, and his family doesn't buy the official cause of death. So, they hire V I to uncover what really happened.
My main issue with this book is that I feel the author used her postiion as an author to preach to us through a beloved character. Authors often hear from readers about the opinions expressed in novels. Usually, the author will explain that the character's views don't necessarily mirror their own. However, in this case, the author is so offended by the Patriot Act, that she spends, literally, the entire first half of the novel on a rant. I don't think the V I detective novels are usually as long. But, this one is over 400 pages. If we could have simply established the political climate of the time and then moved on, the mystery would have been much more fast paced and easier to follow, a much shorter novel. When I pick up a novel, I like to read fiction. I want to escape the real life news and tragedy we are exposed to and live with everyday. I don't really mind social commentary showing up in a novel, but not to the point of overkill. I also don't care for a novelist using his or her work as a platform for their personal beliefs, whatever they may be. It doesn't matter if I agreed or disagreed with author, the point is I don't want a running commentary in a mystery novel. If I was interested in those things, I would read non-fiction. I wish I had counted how many times the patriot act was mentioned in the first half of the book. It was just ridiculous. Finally, when I was nearly 60% into it, the author stepped off her soap box, or at least took it down a notch, and the mystery actually started to become interesting. The last 40% wasn't half bad, but it was certainly not the best mystery I've ever read. Things just didn't come together in the end to my satisfaction. Overall a lukewarm experience, mostly diappointed.
My main issue with this book is that I feel the author used her postiion as an author to preach to us through a beloved character. Authors often hear from readers about the opinions expressed in novels. Usually, the author will explain that the character's views don't necessarily mirror their own. However, in this case, the author is so offended by the Patriot Act, that she spends, literally, the entire first half of the novel on a rant. I don't think the V I detective novels are usually as long. But, this one is over 400 pages. If we could have simply established the political climate of the time and then moved on, the mystery would have been much more fast paced and easier to follow, a much shorter novel. When I pick up a novel, I like to read fiction. I want to escape the real life news and tragedy we are exposed to and live with everyday. I don't really mind social commentary showing up in a novel, but not to the point of overkill. I also don't care for a novelist using his or her work as a platform for their personal beliefs, whatever they may be. It doesn't matter if I agreed or disagreed with author, the point is I don't want a running commentary in a mystery novel. If I was interested in those things, I would read non-fiction. I wish I had counted how many times the patriot act was mentioned in the first half of the book. It was just ridiculous. Finally, when I was nearly 60% into it, the author stepped off her soap box, or at least took it down a notch, and the mystery actually started to become interesting. The last 40% wasn't half bad, but it was certainly not the best mystery I've ever read. Things just didn't come together in the end to my satisfaction. Overall a lukewarm experience, mostly diappointed.
Another excellent VI Warshawski story, filled with disturbing history and current events, all related to racism of one kind or another. Never preachy, Paretsky keeps you fascinated from page one right to the end.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Definitely my favorite VI yet. One of the main issues in this book (civil liberties being stripped post-9/11) is one of the first political issues I was old enough to really get mad about, and I think that’s so well-illustrated here. I also think this is one of the better Paretsky books (so far) that discusses racial issues in Chicago. A good mystery that at least kept me mostly guessing until the end.
Most the time I don't enjoy when authors get preachy but I'm OK with Sara Paretsky's preaching in this one.