Shell Game, by Sara Paretsky

Shell Game by Sara Paretsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Every time I think that Sara Paretsky can't outdo herself with her next V.I. Warshawski novel, she proves me wrong.

In Shell Game, V.I. Warshawski's mentor Lotty Herschel's nephew is a murder suspect. When Vic sets out to save Felix Herschel, she suddenly finds herself in the middle of an international ring of thieves trying to steal Mid Eastern artifacts.

On top of this, Vic's niece (by way of ex-husband Dick Yarborough), Reno, goes missing, presumably because of problems with the higher-ups at Rest EZ, where she works. Now Vic has to prove Felix is innocent, while trying to find Reno, protect Harmony (Reno's younger sister), tangle with her ex-husband, outrun international thugs, find missing artifacts, keeping her neighbor Mr. Contreras up to speed (and letting him "help" by keeping an eye out for Harmony), all while trying to stay alive. In other words, another exciting V.I. Warshawski novel set in Chicago.

In the end, Vic finds Reno (barely alive), fights her way out of the shack where Reno was placed by thugs, proves Felix is, indeed, innocent, and protects both nieces, while showing up her ex- and sending thugs packing. (Oh, and she also finds a new love interest, because, of course, even a strong feminist P.I. needs someone to occasionally lean on, right?)

If you haven't read Shell Game by Sara Paretsky, it's high time that you do. Definitely a great read.

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Critical Mass, by Sara Paretsky

I love a good mystery. There, I said it. Give me a mystery with believable characters, believable plot that winds its way through the story rather than taking a short-cut from point A to point B, add crisp dialogue and clean writing, and there's a good chance I'll read straight through to the last line. Add a strong female character, and I'm hooked enough to want more. For these reasons, I love Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski mysteries.

If, like me, you've read through from the first novel (Indemnity Only) through to the latest offerings, you know that Ms. Paretsky has not kept Vic as a static person: Vic ages, has relationships that last through several books, updates her cars as needed, as happens in real life. She also works for herself as a Private Investigator; the mysteries deal with these.

Critical Mass deals with Vic's friend and mentor Lottie Hershel's past.

When Lottie calls to say a childhood playmate's daughter is in trouble, V.I. springs into action. Lottie and Kitty escaped the Holocaust together as children; however, the two have drifted apart. When Kitty's daughter calls Lottie, fearing for her life, she trusts that Lottie will try to save her; the doctor responds by sending Vic. The trail leads Vic to a remote area, and nearly costs her her life as she deals with drug dealers, crooked cops, and people paranoid over industrial theft.

Interspersed are flashbacks to Lottie and Kitty's past, first in Nazi Germany, then to the U.S., giving the reader probably one of the best glimpses to Lottie's past of any of the V.I. Warshawski books.

When Vic finds Judy - Kitty's daughter - she realizes that what looks like paranoia may be caused by someone trying to kill Judy - someone who does kill Kitty. The group responsible for Kitty's death is also trying to find Judy's son Martin, a science whiz who is trying desperately trying to uncover his family's past.

This is not the first V.I. Warshawski book to bring up Lottie's escape from Nazi Germany; Total Recall also touched on this back-story. However, Critical Mass dives deeper into the past while tackling a current problem. While it becomes obvious that answers won't fall into place until Kitty's grandson, Martin, is found, Vic isn't able to find him until the last few chapters.

While Vic still lives in Chicago, much of the action takes place away from the city; in fact, the book opens away from the city, with Vic looking through a drug den in the middle of nowhere, which felt a little disconcerting. Considering the story-line, though, it fit in perfectly.

In the end, though, Critical Mass is a thoroughly good read. For those who have followed and enjoyed Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski, this is a must read. For anyone who has yet to dive into the series, this is a good book to try.