Critical Mass

VI Warshawski, Book 16

By: Sara Paretsky

Narrated by: Susan Ericksen

Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

The brilliant V. I. Warshawski returns in another hard-hitting entry, combining razor-sharp plotting and compelling characters with a heady mix of timely political and social themes.

V. I. Warshawski’s closest friend in Chicago is the Viennese-born doctor Lotty Herschel, who lost most of her family in the Holocaust. Lotty escaped to London in 1939 on the Kindertransport with a childhood playmate, Kitty Saginor Binder. When Kitty’s daughter finds her life is in danger, she calls Lotty, who in turn summons V. I. to help. The daughter’s troubles turn out to be just the tip of an iceberg of lies, secrets, and silence, whose origins go back to the mad competition among America, Germany, Japan, and England to develop the first atomic bomb. The secrets are old, but the people who continue to guard them today will not let go without a fight.

©2013 Sara Paretsky (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Lots of twists and turns. Many surprises.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Mind challenging plot and intriguing glimpses of our country's quest for the atom bomb.
I have always been interested in the nazi era abuses of the Jews.

Too grim and angry for me

I'm about two hours in and I quit. I may come back to it at some time -- I generally enjoy Sara Paretsky's books -- but this one is filled with so much anger and bitterness I just can't take it anymore.

Justifiable anger and bitterness, most probably, especially the Holocaust victims/scenes. But even the rest is rendered in a harsh Germanic accent, so with everyone shouting at everyone else, making accusations, the bitterness and the bombastic talk everyone affects -- even Mr. Contreras comes off as a shouting old man -- then it's too much.

I don't know if you want to listen to this when you're in a good frame of mind, and can tolerate it. Or when you're already miserable, in which case it won't make it worse.

Maybe better read than listened to? Could be.

Borrow the Book from the Public Library

What disappointed you about Critical Mass?

I skipped through most of it just to get to the end.The narrator was terrible. Long pauses after a few sentences were read. I kept waiting for a continuation of the story, this took several seconds, very frustrating Boring Boring BoringThe story was long and drawn out - due to the narrator and the story line.

Would you be willing to try another one of Susan Ericksen’s performances?

NO!

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Critical Mass?

All but the last 10th of the book.

Any additional comments?

I've read all of Sara's books and enjoyed them. The narrator ruined this one.

Usually I love Sara Paretsky, disappointed

I am sorry this one was a disappointment, too much historic information and less of a good mystery,maybe next time?? I enjoy the fact that these stories take place in Chicago, which is very familiar to me.