Hard Time: A V. I. Warshawski Novel

Once more Ms. Paretsky has given us a book peopled with characters that we can feel about. There are those who we can love, hate, feel sorry for. The story is great and is told in such a way that I did not want to put the book down. I wanted to keep reading to know what would happen to V. I. and the other characters.Beyond the story and characters is a tale that should raise the social consciousnous of the readers. Hopefully all prisons are not like Coolis...but I do wonder how much of this kind of thing might be going on and wonder what I could do to help if it is.All and all, a first rate novel. I worried that we might never read about V. I. again, but am glad that Ms. Paretsky took her time and came out with a great novel...instead of trying to come up with any old thing just to have a book to publish each year. I hope there is another V. I. book in the future...I will be waiting.

I just want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I like reading about the good fight V. I. is fighting and all the hardships she has to endure. My life is quite tame so that makes it all the more interesting for me to read about it in a book. I couldn't put this book down; I found it to be adventurous and suspenseful. I've read all the V. I. books and this one is my favorite. I'm so glad she's back!

I bought Hard Time on a whim having dimly remembered the Kathlene Turner movie. I was expecting a standard tough cookie woman detective novel and instead got a great read. The book starts off with VI almost running over the body of an "escaped" woman prisoner and rapidly develops into a complex web of Chicago politics, media scheming, and win at all costs capitalism. All without Paretsky losing her lightness of touch and humorous prose.Although the final third of the novel becomes rather uncomfortable because of the unremitting terrors of the womans' prison scenes, the book achieves important social commentary without being exploitive or in your face. As VI points out, this is an area of society that we non criminals never think about and if we do we reflexively agree that it should come with truckloads of punishment.The key villain and wife, Eleanor, seem too evil to be real and the final confrontation in church is a little too contrived and symbolic. Overall though I gave it five stars for being a real page turner.

V.I. is not a detective out of the English drawing room style. She is an original, and as such will be appreciated or rejected by the degree that you look for originality in your mysteries. The plot is deliciously complicated, hard to anticipate, and moves along nicely. Although some will quibble that the whole thing is improbable, it could be made very probable with one small change in the motives of the killers. As such, I'd have to say this is by far the most sophisticated and exciting of the books in the series. V.I. is a lot like Robert Parker's Spenser: Principle is the thing. In an age when many unthinkingly take the easy way out, it is valuable to explore what a modern Dona Quixote would do. V.I. fills the bill perfectly in this fine novel which rises above the detective genre into regular fiction. Keep up the good work!

It's nice to finally have VI Warshawski back on the mystery scene. I'm sure it's a challenge for an author to stick with one genre year after year but VI had become such a central figure on the mystery scene that I was really angry with Paretsky for leaving her out of the picture for several years now. VI is in top form in Hard Time. Things have changed as we learn her relationship with Murray is much strained as a result of the takeover of the leading Chicago news outlets since her last book. Mr. Contreras is still looking out for her and VI is still getting herself into hot water with the local police. Yet, as usual, she prevails. A great return. Let's have more VI on a regular basis now that Paretsky has experimented with a couple of other writing genres for the past few years! VI reigns!