REVIEW and GIVEAWAY
Wildcat: V. I. Warshawski's First Case
by Sara Paretsky
Wildcat: V. I. Warshawski's First Case by Sara Paretsky is currently on tour with Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours. The tour stops here today for my review and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Check out the full list of V. I. Warshawski books here.
Description
Sara Paretsky, one of the most legendary crime writers of all time, presents an exclusive and thrilling short story featuring beloved investigator V. I. Warshawski as a ten-year-old girl on her first investigation.
V. I. Warshawski developed her strength and sense of justice at a very early age. It’s 1966 and on the south side of Chicago racial tensions are at an all-time high. Dr. Martin Luther King is leading marches at Marquette Park and many in the neighborhood are very angry.
With nothing but a bicycle, eighty-two cents in her pocket, and her Brownie camera hanging from her wrist, Victoria sneaks off to Marquette Park alone to protect her father Tony, a police officer who is patrolling the crowds.
What begins as a small adventure and a quest to find her father and make sure he is safe turns into something far more dangerous. As the day goes on and the conflict at the park reaches a fever pitch, Victoria realizes she must use her courage and ingenuity if she wants to keep herself and her family members out of harm’s way.
Book Video
"Sara Paretsky is a Grand Master and proves it once again in this novella, this time set in the 1960s when V.I. is just 10 years old and still known as Victoria. Not to be missed, especially by die-hard fans of the V.I. series." ~ DCReader1
"Enjoyed reading about the younger Warshawski and the interaction with her parents and cousin. Kind of wish that there were more background stories prior to her becoming a full-time detective." ~ Mystery fan
"I really enjoyed this introduction to V.I. - so to speak. Being able to see and get to know her mother and father was wonderful! Fun read." ~ hardworker
"Terrific story of a young VI and her family. Good background for later stories." ~ J. Vandegriff
"Despite its brevity, Wildcat is rich in atmosphere. You can feel the anger spew into the sweltering heat, turning neighbors into vicious mobs. The writing is intense and immensely visceral forcing us to feel the emotions of the characters, indeed the emotion of the era." ~ Cozy Up With Kathy
My Review
By Lynda Dickson
Sara Paretsky is the author of eighteen V. I. Warshawski novels. This is the story of her famous detective's first case, when young V. I., then know as Victoria or Vic, is only 10 years old. Set in Chicago in August 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King's visit sparks a race riot in Marquette Park, where Vic's police officer father is on duty. Vic sets out to warn him of impending danger and gets caught up in a murder. She uses lessons learned from her mother to survive by her wits and manages to solve her first case with a bit of help from her trusty Brownie camera - not quite a digital, but it does the trick!
The story includes appearances by her cousin Boom-Boom, her mother Gabriella, her father Tony, and his friend Sergeant Bobby Mallory. An adventurous story in its own right, I'm sure long-standing fans of the series will find it a hoot. At the end of the story, Vic makes a promise to her mother that we know, in hindsight, she will not be able to keep.
The author includes a complete backstory about her character V. I. Warshawski, from her childhood to her education, marriage, divorce, and career as a private investigator.
This edition also includes the first two chapters of her newest V. I. Warshawski novel, Fallout, due out 18 April 2017.
Warnings: coarse language, violence.
About the Author
Hailed by P.D. James as "the most remarkable" of modern crime writers, Sara Paretsky is the New York Times bestselling author of nineteen previous novels, including the renowned V. I. Warshawski series. She is one of only four living writers – alongside John Le Carré, Sue Grafton, and Lawrence Block – to have received both the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers’ Association of Great Britain. She lives in Chicago with her husband.
Before there was Lisbeth Salander, before there was Stephanie Plum, there was V. I. Warshawski. She took the mystery world by storm in 1982 with her first appearance in Indemnity Only. A gifted private eye with the grit and smarts to tackle the mean streets, V. I. transformed a genre in which women were typically either vamps or victims. As a "courageous, sexually liberated female investigator", she "has a humility, a humanity, and a need for human relationships which the male hard-boilers lack" (P. D. James).
Sara Paretsky lives in Chicago with her dog.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win one of five ebook copies of Wildcat: V. I. Warshawski's First Case by Sara Paretsky (US/Canada only).
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