Body Work

V.I. certainly does know how to find trouble (or does trouble just find her?) and this time is no exception. An evening at a club leads Vic into a murky and dangerous case involving an angry Iraqi veteran turned scapegoat for a back-alley murder. Chad, the accused vet, is in a coma and his father hires V.I. to prove his son's innocence.

What makes this series so enjoyable is not just the twisting mystery (which I can never seem to figure out). The characters are fantastic--diving into a V.I. Warshawski novel is like returning home to visit old friends with Vic as the driven, hard-boiled detective; Mr. Contreras as the nosy yet helpful neighbor; Lotty as the doctor who always patches Vic up; and who can forget the two dogs, Mitch and show more Peppy, who help keep V.I. sane and in shape (good dogs!).

But Vic's getting older and getting beat up isn't like it used to be. No knock-down, drag-out fight one night and easy bounce-back day the next for her anymore. And she's found herself a nice, musical boyfriend who gets queasy at the sight of blood. I kind of got the impression he'd be much happier if she didn't do what she does, especially when she comes home to him covered in bruises or bleeding.

Plus, she has to deal with her super-annoying young cousin, Petra. Petra bugged the crap out of me. If I were Vic, I would not be nearly as tolerant with her whining and manipulating. I think I would have kicked Petra to the curb. But that's not V.I.'s style. She's all about reforming the un-reformable and helping those who can't help themselves (or just don't want to help themselves), one of the reasons she's such a sympathetic main character. On the outside, she's a tough nut but inside, she's got a soft heart.

Sara Paretsky keeps V.I. working hard and spins a great mystery, proving there's nothing stale in BODY WORK, the fourteenth novel of this series. show less

Sara Paretsky continues the V.I. Warshawski series with the same high quality of writing I have been expecting ever since my mother put me onto her with Indemnity Only, the first book of the series. This book Body Work is intriguing from the title and draws you in right from the first page. Here. Paretsky is dealing with the consequences of war, greed, grief, shame, and how it affects people's lives. The case V.I . has to solve now has her fighting through the intersection of all those things trying to find the truth as to the murder of a woman, one who died in her very arms. For those who know the series, the usual cast of characters appear.. For those who don't, this is a human private detective on the streets of Chicago who keeps you show more involved as the story unfolds. This is not a book to miss and it will definitely make you think. Sara Paretsky has created another gem. show less

I seldom start a book without finishing it, but in this case I gladly made an exception. I listened to it as an audiobook, and made it through just 2 disks of the total of 7 -- over 25%, I found the story line incongruous and far fetched, and every character, including the protagonist, most unpleasant. Meanwhile, the narration was delivered in angry, querulous tones -- as called for by the content -- such that listening to it was an ugly experience. Far from looking forward to the next episode, I found myself yelling at the narration (while alone in the car, fortunately). Online reviews revealed that in upcoming chapters, the number of characters would mount greatly, and the plot become convoluted and not believable. Facing many more show more hours of daily commutes with this work, I gave up on it. I am mildly curious what message the bar patron was transmitting by painting long strings of numbers on "the body artist's" body, but not enough to put myself through any more of this audio book. show less

Having followed the V. I. Warshawski stories for two decades, I looked forward to another visit with my Chicago "friend." Paretsky always shows me something about Chicago (and sometimes about life) that I didn't know, and BODY WORK is no exception. The complex plot provokes thought about Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome in Iraq war veterans, violence against family, different family dynamics in different sub-cultures, homophobia, and performance art. Despite this ambitious scope, the mystery plot was tight, well-told, and unfolded in a way that allowed the reader to make guesses, test them against the facts, and learn along with Vic. The denouement tied up all loose ends neatly.
However, there are a few things about this book that are a show more bit "off." As Vic storms into and through middle-age, she doesn't seem to have progressed, learned, matured in all the ways you might expect from her fast-paced, intense work and personal life. She hasn't changed and adapted as I would have expected. And there's that annoying little niece Petra, who serves no purpose in the stories except to annoy the reader.
Still a great read! show less

I started out vaguely irritated with this book, as Vic was being obnoxiously pushy, but by the end I was totally engrossed, and I do feel this is one of the best books in the V.I. Warshawski series.

'Body Work' begins in violence, then delves into an increasingly puzzling tale of conspiracy, threats and matters of the heart. Two families, lives shattered by cruel acts, struggle to understand what's happening to them. It's up to Vic, her ditzy cousin Petra, and assorted other friends to uncover the truth so these long-suffering people can have some measure of peace.

The base premise - an uber-pretentious performance artist - may annoy some. But that's really just a vehicle for the heart of the story. Paretsky does a great job at describing show more the respective families' anguish. She introduces some new side characters who are colorfully charming, which enhances the overall feel of the book. I think what really sold me was a particularly wonderful action sequence halfway through. It starts off a fairly standard thug assault scene when, in the space of two sentences and approximately 20 words, Paretsky changes the situation entirely. Looooved it! And things just got steadily more awesome from there.

A great romp of a book, with real heart at its core. show less

Ms. Paretsky's writing gets stronger and stronger with each book she writes. She writes books with very tight plots, great characterizations and complicated mysteries, while at the same time she uses this medium to champion some of her more cherished causes. This book delivers all of that with a bang. V I is drawn into a murder investigation when a girl dies in her arms near a nightclub. Once she starts to try to find out what caused everything Vic encounters a very scary mob guy, a very greedy company and a coverup that ricochets right from Chicago all the way to Afghanistan. It takes almost everything that she has to try to resolve this one and to help two families who have been going through hell due to corporate greed. This is a show more long and complex book that touches on many issues, but Vic does triumph in the end with the help of her curmudgeonly neighbour Mr. Contreras, her zany niece Petra, her two Golden Retrievers and some much needed help from some very likable ex-marines. show less

Three and a half stars. I enjoyed it, although I put it down a couple of times because my need to move overrode my desire to pay attention. It can be a risk putting down a Paretsky book, as some of her plots are extremely convoluted, and the number of players becomes difficult to keep track of. Not as convoluted a mystery as her normal ones, which actually made it enjoyable. There are times at the end of Paretsky's books that I would have trouble articulating exactly what the chain of events and misdeeds were due to situational complexity. She doesn't make too many annoying mistakes, and it was a relief to have her finally call Petra out on her self-centeredness. I get so tired of Vic allowing herself to be castigated by the people show more around her when she is acting out of honorable principles. But I suppose that is one way to move a plot along.

The Body Artist was interesting, and provided a fascinating side discussion on women's bodies and artistic expression. I wish Paretsky would have spent a little more time on that discussion, as one of the most interesting things about her works are her feminism and class consciousness. That's actually a compliment, as it often results in a book that is more intelligent and aware than most; this time she included a storyline that touched on Iraqi veterans, PTSD and private defense contractors that showed how the cost of joining the military is born by a family. I wonder if she's slowing down; most of her old side characters make an appearance in this book, from Graham to Finchley to Murray to Boom-Boom. show less