Fallout

I loved this book taking V.I. out of her Chicago comfort zone and putting her smack in the middle of America—Kansas. Paretsky has woven a story about two missing people that encompasses the racial history of Lawrence Kansas. As a rural small town girl, Paretsky was right on track with local citizen suspicion of outsiders. Although at times, I though the story line was a little convoluted, it only added to the challenges VI faced.

I’ve been a fan of Paretsky’s fiction for longer than I care to remember. She’s one of those authors whose books I buy as soon as they’re published. Sort of. She’s never been for me a collectable author, so I’ve never bought her books in hardback, but I’ll happily pick up a paperback copy, or even borrow one, or, more recently, buy the ebook, should it be on promotion. Fallout is something of a departure from the typical formula – for a start, much of it takes places outside Chicago. VI Warshawski is hired to investigate the disappearance of a young black film-maker, which leads her out into deepest darkest Kansas – incidentally, Paretsky’s own home ground – and various shenanigans from decades before, involving show more lesbians, a nuclear missile silo, corruption among university faculty, and a government-sponsored research programme that went slightly wrong. It’s all good solid Warshawski material, given an added boost because it’s not about Chicago or that city’s endemic corruption. I cannot recommend this series enough. The first half dozen or so can be read in any order, but I think the last dozen or so books probably need to be read after reading that first six. If so, you have a treat ahead of you. Paretsky is one of the best crime writers currently being published. These are excellent books. Read them. show less

Oh, the joys of returning to an author you once loved after a long break and finding that she hasn't lost her touch! [b:Fallout|31214805|Fallout (V.I. Warshawski, #18)|Sara Paretsky|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1492763684s/31214805.jpg|51869860] is a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Warshawski is away from her beloved Chicago in this volume, having traveled to Kansas (where Paretsky grew up; she works in a passing reference to her father's work as a cell biologist at the University of Kansas). Characters who typically have prominent roles in the Warshawski novels are in less evidence here, while Peppy the golden retriever, who Vic brings along for company, serves as her emotional support and sounding board.

The plot is vintage Paretsky, show more with the sins of the past coming back to haunt the inhabitants of the present. Vic's original quest is sidelined as she stumbles on seemingly inexplicable events both old and new, annoys or converts the locals, and eventually ties everything together. Foreshadowing and red herrings are handled deftly.

The characters include a diverse mix of the good and the bad dispersed across genders, races, ages and even national origins, with a very contemporary feel. Tensions and plot lines arise from the relationships between the city of Lawrence, the University, the economic, racial and cultural frictions within the city, the effects of industrial agriculture, and oh, by the way, the presence of the military.

Vic remains what she has always been - independent, smart-mouthed, loyal, and compassionate. I was glad to be in her company again. show less

I found this book on the local YMCA's book exchange shelves. This series had been recommended to me years ago when I was ready Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone Alphabet Series. I've been reading the series in order (sort of--I guess there are a few short story compilations that fall somewhere between the numbered series. For example--one site listed "Windy City Blues" as book 18 with this coming in as book 19--which has confused me to the point where I've now requested the next two books probably in the wrong order.)

This book is a bit of a departure in that V.I. ends up in Kansas rather than in her usual Chicago. This means that most of her regular "crew" is only heard from in short bursts rather than taking part in her investigative life. show more

I was sorry to see Jake departing from V.I.'s life--it reminds me a bit of Les Roberts's Milan Jackovich series where Milan couldn't keep a girlfriend for more than a few books (though I think that series is in hiatus or perhaps ended and he did have a girlfriend who's been around for at least 2 books I've read now and still going strong so . . .we'll see if that changes.)

In one way, Jake's departure didn't surprise me. It would change the tone of the series if V.I. got into a long-term romantic relationship. I don't think it's fair that he requires her to change if she wants to stay with him. He certainly has the right to request that she evaluate her life and to bring up the parts of it that concern him or bother him. But I suspect if V.I. changed for him in the manner that he wanted her to, she would eventually resent him making her do that and it might become another Dick Yarborough scene. In another sense, I'm sad to see him go because he was the one who got Gabriella's recordings digitized for V.I. and he seemed to give her comfort and stability. I wonder if he will just get written out of the series by deciding to stay in Europe or will V.I. end up having to live in the same building with him and go through that angst now that they're broken up. show less

This is one heckuva book! V. I. is back and she's stronger, braver and funnier than ever. And she's not even on her home turf. She has taken on a case that has her in small-town Kansas. And she's not all alone either. She has taken her dog Peppy with her for moral support. It turns out that it's a good thing she has Peppy there for her own protection because she's on a doozy of a case. She's been hired to find an ageing movie star and a young film director who are travelling together and she knows that they have to the town of Lawrence, Kansas to film the movie star's early life. The two have misteriously disappeared and V.I. finds that no one in the town wants to talk to her, but they sure do want to keep an eye on her and on what show more she's doing there every minute. In typical V.I. fashion, she uncovers a real hornet's nest of a mess that somehow involves the military, the scientific community, and even, in a remote way Russia. History is buried very deep in Lawrence, and no one wants V. I. to find out a thing, and the whole town will stop at nothing to thwart her every move. This is a fast-paced, thriller that never lets go right from the opening page.. Sara Paretsky proves once again that she belongs with the highest echelon of mystery writers with this book. V.I. does what only she can do - dig as deep as she has to to get to the bottom of the mystery, and she puts herself right on the firing line while she's out ferreting the truth. Thank you Sara for a really enjoyable ride. I can't wait for the next V.I. Warshawski mystery. You never disappoint. show less

Fallout by Sara Paretsky is the highly recommended 18th book in her long-running V. I. Warshawski series. This time the case takes V. I. out of Chicago to Lawrence, Kansas.

Angela Creedy and Bernadine Fouchard (Brush Back, 2015) want Warshawski to find Angela's cousin, August Veriden. The aspiring film maker is missing and the police want to question him over the ransacking the Six-Points Gym, where he works as a personal trainer. It appears that August left Chicago with aging black actress, Emerald Ferring. The two were headed to Kansas to film a documentary about her origins. The trail leads to Lawrence, KS, where the University of Kansas is located and the story evolves into more than simply a search for missing persons.

In Kansas show more Warshawski becomes enmeshed with events that happened in 1983 involving a protest at a missile silo outside of the town and plenty of small town gossip and politics. In response to posters she put up downtown, Sonia Kiel, the mentally -ll daughter of imminent retired KU professor Nathan Kiel, contacts Warshawski to tell her where she saw Emerald and August, but the call ends abruptly. When Warshawski goes to the bar Sonia called from she finds the woman drugged and unconscious. Warshawski calls 911, but this marks the first of several calls she will have to make while unraveling the events of 1983 and how they relate to her present case.

The plot on this outing does meander a bit off track and loses sight of the original case for a good chunk of the novel. Paretsky does pull it all together in the end and solves her case. There are several bad guys in this novel along with several ill-informed citizens. Warshawski continues to have an amazing ability to follow the least of clues and ingratiate herself with the right people while antagonizing the bad guys.

In the opening "Thanks" Paretsky explains that she grew up in Lawrence and her father was a professor and researcher at the University of Kansas. Lawrence is home to KU (1866), but also to Haskell Indian Nations University (1884). The population is probably around 90,000, not huge, but the city is an easy commute to nearby cities, including Topeka and the KC metro area. There are numerous colleges and universities nearby. I'm going to have to take this review a bit personal because of the location Paretsky choose. I totally get taking a place you knew growing up, and switching things up to suit your story by using the real location but with a new layout and altered terrain. I guess what I found rather troubling was her dislike of Lawrence. It became rather obvious that she harbors some latent animosity toward the city. I've live in Lawrence for about six years, but I have yet to encounter the cliquish behavior, city-wide gossip, or the prejudice she implies still exists. I actually lived in this area of the country many years ago. After moving several times to cities in other states across the country, I chose to move back to this area. So, if you were ever thinking of relocating to the area don't base your decision on what how this fictional novel portrays Lawrence.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2017/04/fallout.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1974400163 show less

4.5 stars.

In Sara Paretsky's, Fallout, the latest installment in the V.I. Warshawski series, the intrepid sleuth must travel to Lawrence, Kansas in order to locate a missing filmmaker and an aging film star.

Vernie Bourchard's friend Angela Creedy is worried about her missing cousin, August Veriden, who has not been seen or heard from in quite some time and they convince V.I. to find him. Discovering the police would like to interview August about a break in and robbery at the gym where he works as a personal trainer, she quickly learns his apartment has also been recently ransacked. Quickly learning August is filming a documentary starring African American actress Emerald Ferring, she is soon attempting to retrace their steps. Her first show more stop is an Army post in Kansas where she meets Colonel Dante Bagetto. V.I. and her dog Peppy then journey to Lawrence where the townspeople are not exactly eager to answer her questions. However, V.I. is quite tenacious and she eventually discovers Emerald's long ago visits to Lawrence in 1983 are tied to an anti-nuclear protest at the Kanwaka Missile Silo and her mother Lucinda's funeral. As V.I. continues searching for August and Emerald, she uncovers some puzzling clues and unsettling information about these long ago events. What, if any, connection is there between what happened in 1983 and her current case? And most importantly, where are August and Emerald?

V.I. has good instincts and she cannot help but wonder why everyone she meets is so reluctant to talk to her when she arrives in Lawrence. Her first solid lead almost ends in tragedy for local Sonia Kiel, a homeless woman with a history of mental illness and an alcohol problem. Although Sonia only confirms her suspicion that August and Emerald were recently in town, the confirmation is enough for V.I. to continue searching for answers. Her quest keeps leading right back to the now defunct Kanwaka Missile Silo which abuts a local farm owned by Doris McKinnon. A shocking discovery at the farm puts V.I. under the close scrutiny of local law enforcement who are none too pleased she is poking around in the town's secrets. When V.I. stumbles across a meeting with Colonel Bagetto, local Sheriff Gisborne, the oddly familiar Marlon Pinsen and agricultural executive Bram Roswell, her curiosity is definitely piqued but she remains uncertain whether or not the tête-à-tête has anything to do with her missing duo.

V.I.'s search for August and Emerald continues circling back to the events that occurred in 1983 and local researcher Dr. Nathan Kiel, who also happens to be Sonia's father. A little more sleuthing turns up unexpected links to Emerald but V.I. is having difficulty piecing together the disparate clues. V.I. refuses to give up trying to find Emerald and August and she is growing more and more concerned for their safety after a second attempt is made on Sonia's life and another person turns up dead. When she continues to see Bagetto, Giborne and Pinsen together, V.I. is certain her case is linked to what happened at the Kanwaka Missile Silo in 1983. After Vernie grows impatient with V.I.'s lack of progress in locating August, she makes an impulsive decision to join her in Lawrence and inadvertently puts herself and V.I. in danger. Will V.I. be able to escape from a precarious situation? Will she locate August and Emerald?

With a refreshing change of scenery, a unique case to solve and a cast of interesting characters, Fallout is a fast-paced and engrossing mystery that old and fans of the V.I. Warshawski series do not want to miss. Sara Paretsky keeps the series fresh as she changes the setting for this latest release from Chicago to Kansas. V.I. has to contend with unusual surroundings, and without her usual go to people to help her out, she is forced to rely on herself to unlock the increasingly puzzling mystery she is currently embroiled in. The novel comes to a pulse-pounding conclusion that completely wraps all of the various story arcs. I highly recommend this absolutely brilliant and intricately-plotted mystery to fans of the genre. show less