This is another amazing detective story from Sara Paretsky! It opens as V. I. Warshawski, chasing her two dogs across a park, stumble upon an injured teen girl, wedged between rocks. The girl utters one word, before lapsing into unconsciousness. V. I. makes the necessary calls to see she is rescued, and soon finds herself in the midst of intertwining crimes, that put both the girl, V. I. and many others in danger. The plot twists and turns provide quite a wild ride, full of crime, corruption, and elder abuse, set against the backdrop of the lingering pandemic fear, just as vaccines became available. The cast of characters is large, and very well developed. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I know, if I ever need a detective, I want V. I. on my side! I did receive a complimentary copy of Overboard from Netgalley, Scene of the Crime and the publisher, and I am very glad I did!

Another hit thriller from the V.I. Warshawski series. These books are fast-paced, packed with an interesting cast of characters and great at wrapping up the loose ends. Not a cozy murder mystery due to some of the violence, but still very satisfying for those of us who want to know what happened to every single character. Easy to pick back up, with an easy to follow plot line.

Sara Paretsky weaves the pandemic and its complications into the plot of her 21st V.I. Warshawski thriller, Overboard, due out in May. Chicagoans are emerging from lockdown as everyone is trying to figure out how to stay safe, and private investigator Vic packs masks and hand sanitizer along with her lock picks and Smith & Wesson.

Alerted by her two dogs, Vic finds a teenage girl who seems near death hiding in the boulders along Lake Michigan. Conscious long enough to whisper one foreign word to Vic before the rescue squad arrives, the teen later disappears from the hospital after being interrogated by a policeman and a janitor who can speak Hungarian.

Vic takes off with her dog Mitch to find the girl again before she comes to harm. For some reason, the girl is a threat to crooks who will kill her once she gives them something they value. To complicate the action, Vic is dealing with another teen, Brad Litvak, who secures her services to figure out if his father Donny is in danger.
The plot becomes a tangle as Vic discovers Brad’s mother may be having an affair with one of the villains who is looking for the missing teen, now identified as Julia Zigler, while the girl’s own uncle Gus Zigler is trying to steal her inheritance.

A belligerent cop with a history of brutality but no convictions figures into all this somehow. Vic clashes with him repeatedly as she works furiously putting all the puzzle pieces together to save Julia and help Brad’s family, all the while running the rest of her investigator business, which includes some pro bono work to help some friends save their Temple from vandals and a city inspector who wants to condemn the building. Seemingly, all these situations are linked as Vic puts her life on the line to find the connecting threads.

Sara Paretsky never disappoints with her multi-layered detective fiction. Kansas raised, Paretsky has been living in Chicago since 1968. She has a Ph.D. in history and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting March 20, 2022.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

Overboard
by Sara Paretsky
Pub Date: May 10, 2022
William Morrow
Thanks to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for the ARC.
After finishing a nighttime surveillance job, V.I. Warshawski, a Lawyer, turned Private Detective, is on her way home with her 2 dogs, when they discover an unconscious girl hiding in rocks at the edge of Lake Michigan. Unfortunately, it seems that other people want this girl for various reasons, and V.I. can’t help but get involved - a lot deeper than she wants to but she feels obligated to finish what she started - in her own unique way.
The girl only regains consciousness long enough to utter one enigmatic word. V.I. helps bring her to a hospital, but not long after, she vanishes before anyone can discover her identity. As V.I. attempts to find her, the detective uncovers an ugly consortium of Chicago powerbrokers and mobsters who are prepared to kill the girl. And now V.I.’s own life is in jeopardy as well.

Told against the backdrop of a city emerging from its pandemic lockdown, Double Dirty lays bare the dark secrets and corruption buried in Chicago’s neighborhoods in a masterly fashion.
This book is great! I love V.I. You feel like you are part of the action!
4 stars

It was a joy to rediscover V. I. Warshawski. I had forgotten how terrific her adventures are. The corruption of the Chicago police department continues. So enjoyable to reconnect with some of the continuing characters. The dogs add heart. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

The always delightful Sara Paretsky has another wonderful entry into the V.I. Warshawski series with Overboard. Vic discovers and semi-conscious teen girl while walking her dogs near Lake Michigan, and gets drawn into this Jane Doe's identity and how she ended up injured and burned seeking shelter among the rocks. Soon a derelict but desirable mansion, a synagogue and a rogue cop are a mixed up web she is seeking to untangle while keeping herself and her new friends free from harm.

Sara Paretsky is truly an author who just gets better with each book she writes. Overboard is such an engaging read. There are enough of the traditional murder mystery elements here to satisfy voracious genre readers, but there is so much more going on here. Social issues, corruption, family relationships, social inequity -- it all adds lots of depth and lends even more appeal, to the point where I would easily recommend this book to a reader who is not generally a mystery reader. Big, giant thumbs up.

A Jewish synagogue being defaced, a teenage Jane Doe and a family from her childhood have Vic running in circles (and ignoring her paying clients) in this excellent novel. For long time fans of Paretsky or new readers - do not miss this book!

Another strong V.I. Warshawski novel, as always with good social issues and engaging characters. I love Mr. Contreras and Lotty/Max - don't let them be aged out of the series please!! The key to reading these books is either a spreadsheet to track characters/plots or to let yourself go with the flow, not expecting to understand everything. I do the latter and enjoy thoroughly.

Without a doubt, V. I. Warshoski is the best detective around. This book is simply fabulous. It’s Paretsky at her best. I was mesmerized from start to finish. I felt I was with Vic as she fought off too many bad guys. The plot was intricate, but amazing came together like tge pieces of a well designed puzzle.

For those of us who have read all of the Paretsky books, it’s lovely to revisit our long standing friends. I think the number of characters might confuse someone new to this series.

As always, Vic stumbles into an exceeding Quixotic adventure when she and her dogs discover a young girl, near death. Her involvement with the Chicago Police Department and their tactics are sadly very timely. Vic remains dogged and unshakable.

Although I often dislike novels with large numbers of characters, this is an exception since so many are familiar and often beloved. I can honestly say this is one of the finest detective novels I have read in years. I highly recommend this to all my fellow Paretsky devotees.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

VI is a great character but this new book stretches the imagination if we remember she is supposed to be 50+ now -- only the brutal physical stuff because we know she is whip smart and wiley! I love how this the author worked in all the upheaval of 2020 -- unrestrained police brutality by (some) sworn peace officers, Covid-19, senior isolation, mistreatment of the elderly, nursing home malfeasance, greedy relatives, corporate greed/theft, and more. Writing a book this complex while unable to do in-person research must have been difficult. An entertaining read; though not quite 100% believable, we all cheer on people like VI who work to champion the smaller and weaker people while still trying making a living and a life of her own. Kudos. Loved it.