Published by William Morrow on May 10, 2022

I always enjoy the plot complexity of V.I. Warshawski novels, but there’s a little too much going on in Overboard. The primary story involves the mystery of a young woman who is running from a danger she won’t articulate. Subplots involve art theft, blackmail, Chicago land development shenanigans, elder abuse, vandalism of a synagogue, a drone that supposedly sucks everyone’s data from the air, and a kid who is trying to survive bad parenting. Sara Paretsky depends on unconvincing coincidences to bind the subplots together. Trimming a subplot or two might have added some urgency to an uncharacteristically slow story. Still, any Warshawski novel is worth a reader’s time, if only for the rich Chicago atmosphere.

Overboard begins with Warshawski’s dogs finding an injured teenage girl near the river. Of all the millions who inhabit Chicago, it’s an amazing coincidence that Warshawski finds the girl, but that’s a forgivable contrivance because it sets the story in motion. The girl (Julia) speaks only one word to Warshawski, a word that might be Hungarian. Warshawski takes her to a hospital that she trusts. A janitor who speaks some Hungarian makes an unsuccessful attempt to communicate with Julia. The police visit and soon the janitor is dead, Julia disappears, and the woman sharing Julia’s hospital room suffers misfortune.

Warshawski spends most of the novel eluding a corrupt police officer who is convinced that the girl gave something to Warshawski. After Warshawski is in the news for finding Julia, a teenage boy (Brad) wants her to help him discover whether his father is in trouble. Warshawski has a history with Brad’s family that does not endear his quarreling parents to Warshawski. Eventually Warshawski will need to hide Brad and Julia, both of whom possess knowledge that might endanger their lives. Part of Warshawski’s quest involves learning what the two kids have that the cops and their gangster pals are trying to make them surrender.

The story follows Warshawski as she pounds the pavement to find Julia (although the manner in which they reconnect depends on another unlikely coincidence) and pounds it some more to figure out why Julia and Brad and an elderly woman are in so much danger. Warshawski is twice taken to the Chicago Police Department’s version of Gitmo, from which she makes an extraordinarily unlikely escape. A final action scene has Warshawski playing a daring but stupidly dangerous role. None of this quite added up to a believable story.

Key plot points hinge on a small drone doing impossible things, like causing a blackout and blocking all cellphone coverage in a building. (The drone also magically absorbs all digital data contained within a building, but the plot doesn’t depend on that remarkable feature to save the heroine.) The drone’s conventional ability to take pictures is a more believable plot driver, although the picture it happened to take is — yes, once more — an unlikely coincidence.

The corruption and brutality of the Chicago Police Department is legendary. Paretsky makes it central to the plot. It is also part of the novel’s Chicago atmosphere, along with crooked real estate deals, a polluted river, and the city’s ethnic diversity. Paretsky’s novels are a joy to read for anyone who has explored Chicago. Paretsky’s prose and atmospheric writing give the novel its value, but the story is a bit ho-hum compared to other books in the series.

RECOMMENDED

I'm a die hard VI Warshawski fan so of course, I loved this! Sara tends to integrate relevant issues, and does do with themes of hate crimes and immigration. Always enjoy the Chicago backdrop. This one is a fairly complicated web but it gets tied up
I'm the end, as usual.

I’ve read several books from this series and have enjoyed the character, VI Warshawski and the Chicago setting. This storyline was very intriguing about VI finding a young Jane Doe and suddenly becoming the focus of a police investigation and the target of some wise guys.
The issues I had with fully enjoying this book was the redundant use of everything pandemic. The overuse of words like virus, c*vid, mask & infection were overwhelming just to represent the time frame.

Overboard is a fast paced mystery by the ever popular Sara Paretsky. She brings all the pieces together to solve thie crime.

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2022/05/17/%f0%9f%8e%a7-overboard-by-sara-paretsky/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

I have read and loved the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=✓&q=fallout+++sara&search_type=books&search%5Bfield%5D=on" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong><em>V.I. Warshawski</em></strong></a> series for a looooong time, since it started in 1982! Each book is another case, so you could read them out of order but I wouldn't.  I enjoy the progression of the characters and they are all great to read.

Every story in this series has a civil rights kind of issue.  They are often not connected with the regular work Vic does but with her efforts to help her friends or the innocent.  In <strong>Overboard</strong>, Vic tries to help a couple of teens in bad situations and some elderly being abused.

The situations end up having some odd connections, but the root is from old mob to new mob.  The brutality of the police seemed unrealistic but maybe it is not.  Vic is a white female but anyone threatening the greed or power of old white men can be in great danger.  She is only able to help by doing some unorthodox things with some help from good friends.  Her escapades were exciting and a bit terrifying.

I really enjoy the way Vic gathers information using her legal and financial skills but also her knowledge of old Chicago and criminals.  Vic risks a lot to help these innocents and protect them.  Technology today makes it too easy for the bad guys to track people.  Luckily, Vic was able to use it to her advantage too.

Another great read by Paretsky. Has great pacing, characters, red herrings, and world building. V.I. is and will always be a great protagonist. If anything she keeps getting better.

It has been a while since I read a mystery featuring the private investigator V.I. Warshawski so reading the latest, OVERBOARD, by Sara Paretsky reminded me why I enjoy these stories so much. The strong heroine, the Chicago neighborhood settings, and the almost non-stop action all have strong appeal. This suspenseful story begins when Vic and her dogs find a young girl hiding amongst the rocks between Sheridan Road and Lake Michigan. From there, things get confusing due to multiple story lines involving that girl and also members of the Litvak family, former childhood classmates of Warshawski and her cousin Boom-Boom. True to its Chicago roots, police corruption, suspect real estate deals, innovative tech, hate crimes, and even elder abuse add conflict and drama, too. At one point Vic muses: “Between Julia and her grandmother, Brad, the Skyrocket, the Shaamar Hashomayim synagogue, I felt as though I was carrying a giant plastic bag so filled with unwieldly shapes I couldn’t see around it.” Fortunately, she has her dogs and many good friends like reporter Murray Ryerson, Dr. Lotty Herschel, and neighbor Mr. Contreras who always seem to have a connection or helpful advice. As Booklist notes, "Two teen characters will extend the reach of Paretsky's latest to mystery-loving YA readers." Enjoy!

Sara Paretsky is one of my all-time favorite writers; I’ve been reading her Victoria Warshawski detective novels for most of my adult life. Paretsky is one of four living authors to have received both the Grand Masters Award from the Mystery Writers of America and Cartier Diamond Dagger Award from the Crime Writers’ Association of Great Britain. She, together with the late Sue Grafton and Marcia Muller, have pioneered the image of women detectives in fiction, departing from the femme fatale of yesteryear who could only reveal the truth by using her sexuality to coax disclosures from men, instead creating capable women professionals that can ferret out the truth using their brains and bulldog persistence. A sympathetic cop friend tells Vic, “You’re a pit bull, Warshawski. You’ll go into the ring with anyone, as long as they’re at least three times your size.”

My thanks go to Net Galley and William Morrow for the review copy. This book is for sale now.

If I knew nothing of this author and her scrappy detective, the first line in the book would have reeled me in: “It was Mitch who found the girl.” As it is, I already know that Mitch is one of the two dogs she shares with her elderly neighbor friend, Mr. Contreras, and I feel as if I am greeting an old comrade.

The girl in question is in bad shape, and she doesn’t speak. For a while her identity is a mystery. Vic would be happy to offload her to medical professionals and get back to her own life; she’s got a lot of clients, and Lotty, her doctor friend that serves as a mother-figure in Vic’s life, is urging her to investigate the rash of attacks on the local synagogue. She doesn’t need more work.

But the cops—generally not friends of Vic’s at the best of times—are ready to haul Vic in. In fact, given their track record, Vic is amazed at the attention the girl is getting. All manner of monied movers and shakers show intense interest in the girl, and it makes Vic suspicious.

She’s right.

A sixteen year old boy comes to her office, asking her to look into a dicey situation involving his father. He believes his dad is in danger, and his parents won’t tell him anything. And so, there’s this kiddo, and there’s the girl: “Two teens, two life-threatening secrets—I have to assume they’re connected somewhere, somehow.”

She’s right again.

Before we know it, her apartment and office have been searched and bugs are left; her phone is being tracked; and Vic has to resolve the case in order to get her life back. She’s jumping in the cold river to elude capture, hiding in the least likely places, and keeping the kids safe from the forces that would harm them. Her attorney chuckles that “You get in over your head faster than Houdini in a water tank.”

He’s right, too.

When I opened this galley, I was already reading a handful of others that I liked, and figured I’d put this one into the rotation, but as often happens when I read Paretsky, everything else sat untouched until I’d torn through this book feverishly, as if the lives of Vic, her clients, and Chicago’s working class depended upon it.

Highly recommended to those that love strong detective fiction; feminists; and champions of the working class.

21 books and still going strong. VI Warshawski is a wonderful character to spend reading time with. She has heart, compassion, smarts and is one very, very good private detective. While out with her dogs, Mitch and Peppy needed a bathroom break and break is just what they did - Mitch headed across the road in heavy traffic and down the boulders along Lake Michigan. He was on a mission and VI had no choice but to let Peppy follow his lead. It ended with the discovery of a young girl hidden in between the rocks and in urgent need of medical care. The first chapter grabs the reader and it's a book that had me saying just one more chapter until the end.
Chicago is the setting and the pandemic restrictions have started to relax. Then the young girl disappears from the hospital and VI finds herself crossing paths with a crooked cop. Another case comes to her when the teenaged son of a family she has known since she was growing up on the South side of Chicago. Many story lines to follow but all the threads are tied up at the end. Reading this series is like a visit with dear friends. We should all be so lucky to have someone like VI Warshawski in our lives.
My thanks to the publisher William Morrow & Company and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a book written during the pandemic, my first. Vic, V I Warshawski, runs across a victim on her way home in the rocks by Lake Michigan. Being Vic, she rescues the girl and takes her to the hospital. The girl escapes before Vic can find out her identity. But Vic is determined to find her and ensure her safety. The adventures begin with Vic’s life falling into jeopardy several times, but with her determination, always finding a way out, and successfully. As with the other books in this series the villains loose and Vic wins! But it’s the adventures that keep your interest in the city of Chicago and the book. I loved this read as I have enjoyed the other books. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who likes a loose police procedural because Vic is a private detective, not a cop. I thank Net Galley, Scene of the Crime, and Harper Collins for this experience!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Books for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Overboard is book 21 in the V.I. Warshaski series, and the first book I've read by Paretsky. I enjoyed the well-developed characters, the crazy suspense, and thrilling action. This fast-paced, rollercoaster of a read can be read as a standalone if you haven't read other books in the series like myself. Highly recommend!

Overboard, by Sara Paretsky, is an action-packed investigative procedural featuring veteran Chicago private investigator, V. I. Warshawsky.
Reading about Vic’s latest adventures was like reconnecting with an old friend!
This story is just as suspenseful and well-written as the previous 20 in the series. Vic finds an injured girl whose situation is accompanied by intrigue and by nefarious characters dealing in illicit activities, and Vic is, as usual, motivated to do the right thing, in spite of the local police department’s disdain for her.
There are several threads to this story, and they are all handled with skill by the author. I enjoyed the local color and the descriptions of gritty Chicago neighborhoods juxtaposed with the sophisticated lakefront. The references to Chicago PD and its problems with accusations of excessive force (and its protective unions) felt very current, as did the allusions to the pandemic and its restrictions. The chapter titles are fun—read it and you will see—and the references to classic books and characters are an added treat.
Ms. Paretsky has again written a very readable action-packed detective novel with heart and humanity. I highly recommend this for readers who enjoy a smart sassy heroine in a well-written story.

4 stars

Thank you to Scene of the Crime FB group/William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my unbiased.

Private detective V.I. Warshawski is walking her dogs after an overnight stakeout when one of the dogs discovers a teenage girl, stuck on the rocks on the shore of Lake Michigan and barely alive. Saving this young woman should make V.I. a hero, but instead makes her a target for violence. However, V.I. won't back down from protecting those who need her help, many of whom have nowhere else to turn.

I have been reading this series for years and enjoy the character of V.I. I know when reading a book in this series to expect a well-written mystery with V.I. (Vic) getting into dangerous situations to help others. This book is no exception with Vic working herself into exhaustion on behalf of those she cares about.

I also know that a book in this series will include a fair amount of Chicago politics. This book takes place during the pandemic and while nothing that happens is objectionable to me, I'm not quite ready to have this included in my leisure reading. Police brutality also plays a large role in the story. This is an important topic, but the way it's presented is too over-the-top and one of the crooked cops becomes a one-note villain. I think the author could have used a lighter touch and still gotten her message across in a more believable way.

Although the cardboard bad guys took away from the story for me, the complex plot kept my interest. I also enjoyed the two teen characters who are introduced in the book and would love seeing more of them in a future book. In spite of all the sadness and drama in the story, I liked the ending that was both exciting and satisfying.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of William Morrow. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

I was sadly ignorant of the legacy that is the V.I. Warshawski series. Entering with no more details about the book than its genre, it was not until the second chapter where I understood that the narrator was supposed to be a private detective. I kept feeling off-kilter, missing some context somewhere till then.

The author had my attention from the first page though, from her epigraph of the modified (and somewhat amusing) quote from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.

The story takes place during the Covid pandemic. It was a bit bizarre reading about masks, sanitizers and social distancing in the book. The author captured the worries and alarms of the whole pandemic very credibly. The writing style is very promising, evoking all sorts of emotions-from humor to worry to hatred to confusion. All the chaotic threads of the mystery are brought to a solution very neatly at the end.

I am glad to say that this world of Sara Paretsky has gained yet another fan. Thank you William Morrow and Netgalley for providing me this ARC.

My first Warsharsky mystery. Not bad, all the names kept getting confusing. I will assume that most of the characters are familiar to her readers. Some I liked, some not so much. Vic is tasked with helping keep an old Synagogue and its elderly members safe. From that ongoing task she finds herself getting more involved with others from her past. Yes violence is involved but not outright murder. Keeps briskly moving along, and poor Vic is the one who keeps getting brutalized. Is this normal. We shall have to see.
Thank you edelweiss for the opportunity to read, for me, this new author.

VI has no idea how complicated things are about to get when her dogs find a young girl wedged under rocks on the Lake Michigan shoreline. This latest installment in the long running series sees old neighborhood enemies and others resurface in a complex story about greed and real estate. The nameless girl disappears from the hospital and suddenly everyone, but most viciously Scott Comes, a Chicago PD officer, is looking for her- but why are they also harassing VI? What did the girl have that they want? And why do they think VI has it? So, of course she's got to identify and find the girl, which leads her down and up against a few powerful and corrupt individuals. Paretsky has done an especially nice job of incorporating late pandemic issues (masks, no masks) but not so well with her portrayal of Comey, who repeatedly hits VI in different situations and so on. VI's also working with a local synagogue which has been targeted and readers of the series know it will link into the main plot thread but how? Favorite characters appear (Mr. Contreras, Murray) and if there's not enough time spent with Lotty and others, well, there's always next time. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. I'm a fan of the series and always enjoy it but know that while you like me might not find this the best of the lot, it's still a good read.

A young girl, badly burned, is found by Chicago’s most dogged and intelligent private investigator, V.I. Warshawski. Quickly proving that no good deed goes unpunished, her rescue of the teenager quickly pulls Sara Paretsky’s heroine into a tangled web of conspiracy and corruption in Overboard, the twenty-first in her enduring series.

To call Sara Paretsky and Vic Warshawski institutions would be to undersell it at this point. Forty years strong this year, this series has continued to evolve with each novel released, while the quality and heart of these books has remained as consistently excellent as ever. Each entry stands alone, with plenty of context to ensure those new to the series aren’t confused, while allowing the author to maintain a network of characters that long term readers will recognize from previous adventures. There’s a whole world here, full of individuals that feel real and add a rich, deep, background to an intricately plotted mystery.

And what a mystery it is – it’s nothing unusual to see Vic Warshawski taking on intrigues that are as multi-layered as they are mysterious, but Sara Paretsky really takes plotting to a new level. Ranging from corrupt police to the aged-care industry, shady developers to neighborhood thugs, Overboard contains an intriguing mystery that kept me guessing all the way to the end. As is tradition now for Sara Paretsky, that central plot is surrounded by the “meat and potatoes” work of Vic’s regular, smaller clientele, and it allowed for breaks in the tension without letting the momentum drop. It also emphasizes the kindness and community that differentiates our heroine from so many of her counterparts – no matter what is happening around her, Vic truly cares about the people close to her, and it shows.

This was an excellent book, one I enjoyed greatly and that I feel shows just what can be accomplished by a great writer building on decades of experience. Overboard makes full use of a world that’s been developing over forty years, and one I hope to see continuing to grow for many more years to come.

It’s been many years since I’ve read a VI Warshawski novel. I need to fix that. This book dropped me right back into Vic’s Chicago world and it’s residents. Set during the pandemic, it feels fresh and personal. Family dynamics and mysteries sit side by side with murder and other mysteries. If you love a rough talking private eye and a good mystery, this book is for you!

Will review in the future, was offered as a free book with no review needed. However, as soon as I read this I will review. Thanks for offering free reads for Scene of the Crime.

Those of us who are long-time V.I. Warshawski fans know that series mysteries can wax and wane. The author admitted in the afterward of this one that she had a tough time writing during the pandemic and I would say this isn't one of the stronger entries.

But, V.I.'s indomitable brand of uber-toughness is on full display here and there's certainly lots of action. V.I. discovers a young girl in bad medical shape, hiding in the rocks on the shore while she's walking her dogs after a stakeout. The girl is taken to a hospital, but disappears quickly after being questioned by a mysterious man. That's one plot thread: who is the girl and why is the Chicago PD so interested in her whereabouts?

Another element is the harassment and vandalism to a local Jewish synagogue. V.I. uncovers evidence that an unscrupulous developer is trying to railroad the synagogue into signing over their land. And in yet another line of inquiry, the son of an old high school nemesis of V.I.s comes to her convinced that his father is in danger. This is a toxic family with a lot of current and old animosities.

If this all sounds confusing, I did find it to be a bit overpopulated with problems and characters. There's a lot of over the top action here -- V.I. being tortured in a hidden building by rogue cops (and the building part is true although I imagine most of the victims were not middle aged white women). V.I. also gets punched out in public several times by the cartoonish villain cops who are almost too evil to be believable.

This is clearly a pandemic book both in terms of the setting and in the general mood of miasma and uncertainty. Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.