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.

excellent story fantastic narration.

There is no better narrator, she makes this excellent writers characters come alive. Worth every minute.

So-so narrator and one AWFUL new character

I think there are two books here -- the one that includes Vic's obnoxious, terminally perky, lying cousin Petra, whom everyone else adores (shades of All About Eve?) and the blissful portions of the book when Petra has disappeared (we hope never to return). I found the first part of the book so tedious, and then when Petra disappeared and Vic actually got to do some great investigating, I remembered why I love this writer and this series. The narrator only accentuates the novel's flaws -- her Vic is either calm or shrilly furious, with no nuances. Petra is a whiny Valley Girl, her father roars all the time (that may be how the character is written, but it's like being screamed at) and Lottie -- who must be in her 70s or 80s and is European -- sounds as young as Vic with an American accent. Bizarre that the reader is quite good at other accents and characterizations but doesn't bother to bring Lottie to life and makes the main characters maddeningly two-dimensional.

One of my Favorite!

This was at times hard to listen to with race being the central narrative. But at the same time I couldn’t stop. It was narrated beautifully. Not gonna lie. I was mad at Petra and Mr. C. because they don’t give V.I. her due! Highly recommend!

Love Paretsky - not so much the narrator

It was classic V.I. Warshawsky - not the best but a good read. The narrator was questionable. I had difficulty distinguishing the difference between some characters, many seemed unnecessarily loud and what the heck happened to Lottie's and Max's accents? Weird.

Genius author

Sara Paretsky is a wonderful author. I enjoyed listening this novel, as I have enjoyed, listening to most of her other novels. I am so happy that I’ve come across this author. At the end of each novel, all questions are answered.

a new fave

this book was terrific and had a great narrator. I would definitely search for more books in this series

Not too exciting.

While I can't say I was really bored listening to this book, I can say that I wasn't overly stimulated either. This is a mystery novel where the detective doesn't really solve mystery but more or less stumbles on the solution. The protagonist, VI Warshawski, isn't particularly likable either, so this wasn't a particularly satisfying listen.

So Enjoyed Re-Discovering V.I. - Great Listen!!!

It's been a decade or more since I read, let alone listened to, a VI book. What a great enjoyment this was! Excellent narrator - differentiated the various characters & seemed to have a good empathy for the tone & feeling of VI & the "central cast" that surround her. A wonderful way to start off the new year!

Thrilling nailbiter & interesting historical read!

I won the owl badge (late night reader) because I couldn't stop. Excellent narrator gave life to the characters. Novel itself was thrilling read and it was all I could do to not jump forward to find other what happens! But I was also enjoying hearing all about Chicago from description of the Bean, to the history of the impacts of Civil Rights marches on Chicago of the time. really good story, really well read!

Love this narrator

Erickson sounds the most the way I picture V. I. I have a hard time with the other narrator.