• Bitter Medicine

  • V. I. Warshawski #4
  • By: Sara Paretsky
  • Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
  • Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (511 ratings)

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Bitter Medicine  By  cover art

Bitter Medicine

By: Sara Paretsky
Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
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Publisher's summary

Chicago private eye V.I. Warshawski knows from the start that Consuelo Alvarado's baby is trouble. Consuelo is 16. Diabetic. And the daughter of a friend. When she goes into labor too early, even V. I.'s wild drive to get her to the hospital can't save either Consuelo or her child.

Soon V.I. is investigating possible malpractice at the emergency room - and falling for a doctor who works there. Mixing business and love is always bad medicine, but V.I. finds herself listening to her heart, not her head. And when a brutal murder and the violent destruction of a woman's clinic put her at the center of a very dirty conspiracy, justice may be the only remedy for a hurt that cuts deep...and chills right to the bone.

©2010 Sara Paretsky (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Paretsky is still the best....She doesn't pull punches." ( The Washington Post Book World)
"The plot [is] fast moving, the dialogue snappy, the premise for murder persuasive. This novel hasn't a single snag in its springs." ( Chicago Sun-Times)

What listeners say about Bitter Medicine

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
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  • 4 Stars
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    50
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    6
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Performance
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  • 4 Stars
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
    117
  • 3 Stars
    42
  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Narrator makes listening unbearable

I think the story is actually pretty good. I like this series, and have read several in the past in print. Assumed I would also like listening, but frankly, I’m throwing in the towel, not halfway through. The narration is just unbearable. Words are always accented in all the wrong places, the reading sounds forced, and even when I tried to listen around that, I just couldn’t hear anything except the bizarre narration, which was wooden, off cadence and so distracting that I just couldn’t follow the story. Others may feel differently. That is just my experience.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great

great story, very entertaining, exciting, just like her other stories, pi vic is very good.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Just

Could never connect with either the plot or any of the characters. Seemed dated and boring

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

NOT THAT GOOD

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Stick to just a few storylines and make them less tedious. It took forever to finish this book.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Not a whole lot was interesting. It starts to get interesting then there's too much melodrama in the reading. Whining more than usua in this onel.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The reader gets too melodramatic in parts. This totally detracts from the story. (When you could find the story.) That whole macho chic thing isn't working.

Did Bitter Medicine inspire you to do anything?

Yes, rethink buying several books in a series I know nothing about. It was foolish of me. The story kept dragging along to the point that I didn't realize that I started the next book #5 and still didn't know what happened in #4. #5 may be my last from this author and reader.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Chicago location

Familiar neighborhoods and streets in Chicago.
Fast paced mystery romp. Characters that go throughout the series.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars
  • MJ
  • 10-29-22

Unfortunately not entertainment…

…instead, it is cheap preaching on abortion. First, I like fiction for the escapism it offers from a divisive world filled with ideologues who don’t have the inclination to explore the issues with any honesty.
Second, the abortion issue is complicated, complex in its physical, mental and emotional consequences.
And third, since the author opened the conversation up, people should have choices. But when the first point of decision results in a new life, convenience or disruption in status quo is not an ethical excuse to end the innocent life.

Physician, first, do no harm.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Would have enjoyed it but…

This book started out interesting but morphed into a pro-abortion love fest. Couldn’t listen any more.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Basically a pro-abortion tirade

This book is basically a pro abortion tirade. I was overall liking the story lines ok and putting up with the VI liberal bigoted comment.s. I guess the author gets to create the character any way she wants but it feels in this that she is try to preach her views. Hopefully the books dont continue this way. I will listen to another before I give up on the series,

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good storyline bad language

The storyline was interesting but the language was bad and got VERY bad on occasion. The storyline was good enough to carry on its on! I would not recommend this listen for everyone particularly not young children or even young teens or adults!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sad but great

I was glad about the dog, sad about two of the deaths. Loved the comments about about cubs. Her stories always keep me on the edge of my seat. Love the performance

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