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A review by annrawson
Breakdown by Sara Paretsky
4.0
The only reason I held back on that fifth star was that I was a little disappointed by the ending of this novel. Somehow it was all too neat and tied up too easily, as if, indeed, it were a one hour TV documentary. But I love Sarah Parestky's novels, and this was no exception. It was a very enjoyable read.
As always in Paretsky's work, there's a great deal of politics - in this case up to the minute, with a focus on TV news - and who owns and controls the content. There's also a very interesting, and dark, backstory. The political issue at the heart of the story is immigration - and here we have stories that go back to the Holocaust, as well as modern day illegals. The TV station in the novel is clearly related to Fox News - and I suppose that readers who prefer that source for their opinions are not going to like this liberal take on these issues.
V.I. Warshawski is one of my all time favourite characters. She is a female private eye, and she is complex, and imperfect, but she is also a real heroine. In many ways she is the female successor to Chandler's Philip Marlowe. The world which they inhabit is noir - but they are not. They seek justice, and often at some personal cost.
An excellent read, and thought provoking as always.
As always in Paretsky's work, there's a great deal of politics - in this case up to the minute, with a focus on TV news - and who owns and controls the content. There's also a very interesting, and dark, backstory. The political issue at the heart of the story is immigration - and here we have stories that go back to the Holocaust, as well as modern day illegals. The TV station in the novel is clearly related to Fox News - and I suppose that readers who prefer that source for their opinions are not going to like this liberal take on these issues.
V.I. Warshawski is one of my all time favourite characters. She is a female private eye, and she is complex, and imperfect, but she is also a real heroine. In many ways she is the female successor to Chandler's Philip Marlowe. The world which they inhabit is noir - but they are not. They seek justice, and often at some personal cost.
An excellent read, and thought provoking as always.