Hard Time

A V.I. Warshawski Novel

By: Sara Paretsky

Narrated by: Jean Smart

Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

What secrets hide behind the razzle-dazzle of the entertainment industry? V.I. Warshawski is about to find out. Her friend, reporter Murray Ryerson, has just landed a plum job as host of a Global Entertainment network television show. On her way home from the party celebrating the event, V.I. stops to help a woman lying in the street. Her Good Samaritan act exposes dark truths, and suddenly V.I. finds herself playing a game she can only win by staying alive. This is the ninth novel in Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski series.

©1999 by Sara Paretsky (P)1999 by NewStar Media, Inc.

“Hard Time” Listening To Not So “Smart” Narrator

I have listened to many of Sara Paretsky’s novels about private investigator V. I. Warshawski and I was looking forward to listening to this one as well. I’ve barely started listening to Jean Smart’s narration and I’m having a very “hard time” recognizing different characters. Ms. Smart doesn’t change the tone of her voice to help listeners differentiate between them. Sometimes she runs into one sentence after another. It’s obvious when one section bores her, as she speeds through it without changing pace or inflection. Sometimes she even takes breaths in the middle of sentences, which disrupts the flow and is ever so annoying. I am finally giving up on listening to it and now buying the Kindle version to read it.

NOTE: Sara Paretsky, please get Susan Erickson to narrate this novel too. Her narration makes Vic’s rough and tough character come alive. I am positive that anyone who follows this series feels the same as I.

Never figured out who the protagonist was.

Just couldn't get interested enough to be able to track who was who and why it mattered.

Sorry Jean Smart, you do not do a good job

Book is great,just like the rest BUT please quit changing narrators. Susan Erikson was perfect, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Jean Smart is yuck

Excellent V.I. Story With the Best Narrator

This is one of those V.I. Warshawski stories that kept me right on the edge of my seat. I listened to this while commuting to and from work over a period of a few weeks. I found myself white knuckling the steering wheel during the really tense parts... and occasionally taking the long way home just to listen to more. V.I. goes through hell in this one, and takes her closest confidants with her. There is little Lotty in this one, but when she does show, the scenes are packed with emotion that seizes your heart. We are treated to quite a bit of Mr. Contreras and Peppy and Mitch, though. Jean Smart does the best narration of the V.I. novels, in my opinion, with Susan Ericksen falling a close second.

For those who are passingly familiar with the V.I. timeline, this is book 9, and the book in which she meets Morrell.

(*Reposting this as some of my reviews seem to have been disassociated with my Audible account).

Hard Time

I had no problem with the sound on this book. Found this to be one of the most suspenseful of the V. I. books. While she was in the prison I could not stop listening until she was out. Enjoyed her dogs in the story. The pace moved right along and the "trip about Chicago" was fun. Jean Smart did a okay job narrating the story. The story has a bit of action, suspense and comic scenes.

Great story; distracting narration and production

I have been listening to these excellent books in order and Susan Ericksen had been an outstanding narrator for the previous books and suddenly she is gone and person with different rhythms and clearly less practiced audio production capabilities is reading instead. I was very bummed out by this.

bad recording, good story

recording was sketchy at times but the story is good. I enjoy this series. VI certainly has adventures!

Rereading the V. I. Warshawski books after many years

I’m rereading these books after a lengthy interim, and I still enjoy them. Hard Time is probably the best thus far. After a few chapters I wasn’t bothered by Jean Smart’s narration, although I prefer the performances of Susan Ericksen. Jean Smart talked so rapidly that I resorted to changing the speed to .9. (Normally, if I change the speed, I increase it.) The story line is mostly plausible, although there has to be, as always, an element of exaggeration in V. I.’s ability to survive countless physical attacks and her determination to persist in pursuing the “bad guys.”

My only complaint was a mechanical one in that this book had a difficult time downloading completely. It was a struggle I really hope I don’t encounter with the remainder of the books, which I intend to also reread.

Despite any difficulties, I would definitely recommend this book.

I could not get used to this narrator

What did you love best about Hard Time?

Story is classic Warshawski.

Would you be willing to try another book from Sara Paretsky? Why or why not?

I will listen to all of them, but it's frustrating that so many different narrators have been used.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jean Smart?

Any of the narrators of the previous 3 novels in the series

Poor performance by Jean Smart

Most of the VI Warshawski books are skillfully narrated by Susan Erickson. This book unfortunately is not. Jean Smart has moments in which she gives us a pleasing performance, however for the most part it is painful to listen to her. Her diction is poor, her accents are absurd, and her phrasing is disturbing.
I would rather read this book silently.