Hardball

V. I. Warshawski, Book 13

By: Sara Paretsky

Narrated by: Susan Ericksen

Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Chicago's unique brand of ball is 16-inch slow pitch, played in leagues all over the city for more than a century. But in politics, in business, and in law enforcement, the game is hardball.

When V. I. Warshawski is asked to find Lamont Gadsden, a man who's been missing for four decades, a search that she figured would be futile turns lethal. Old skeletons from the city's racially charged history, as well as haunting family secrets - her own and those of the elderly sisters who hired her - rise up to brush her back from the plate with a vengeance.

To complicate matters, Petra, a young cousin whom V.I. has never met, arrives from Kansas City to work on a political campaign. It does not take long for the high-spirited yet likable Petra to win over V.I.'s affections. When Petra goes missing after a break-in at the office, V.I. is determined to find her beloved cousin.

As the search to locate Petra becomes more desperate, V.I. is also having difficulties tracking down Lamont Gadsden. Unable to catch a break, she learns that a nun who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr., has died before she can reveal crucial evidence. V.I. herself almost dies in a blazing fire, and new information has emerged about her father's role in a politically and racially charged trial almost 40 years ago. Afraid to discover that her adored father might have been a bent cop, V.I. takes the investigation all the way to its frightening end.

©2009 Sara Paretsky (P)2009 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Needed more than 1 narrator.

The narration was particularly difficult to listen to while portraying black characters. This narrator is not equipped to portray black characters, her over emphasis comes off mocking & disrespectful.😕

Gread Read

I love Partsky's novels, and Susan Ericksen brings them to life. Kudos to both women on this novel.

Disappointed

I'm upset at how much time Sara Paretzky spent on her political beliefs. In this book she reveals she is Pro Obama, Pro universal healthcare, Pro socialist government, and anti white and thats just the first 30 minutes. I've always been a big fan of V.I.. I even have the Kathleen Turner movie and thought she was a great choice for the part. But for this book i'll have to rethink my choices next time. I'll probably still buy the book because V.I. is a lively protagonist.

I love this character but…

This book compiled every political bs idea the author feels into a lecture and the story is lost