Book Review: BlackList

Reviewed By: Gina Metz - RAM

BlackList     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Sara Paretsky
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Private Investigator   Woman Main Character
Series: V.I. Warshawski # 12
GP Putnam's Sons; Oct 2003; 415pp

This was my first V.I. novel and I honestly don’t know how I have missed this series. I did miss some background information by starting this far in the series but it did not detract from the book at all. It only served to make me want to go back and start from the beginning of the series to catch up on all that I have missed. The story takes place right after the events of September 11th and V.I.’s love is in Afghanistan.

The story begins when V.I. is hired, by a long time client to do some investigative work. His mother, who is in her nineties and now living in a nursing home believes she sees lights at night in the attic of her old estate, which is now vacant. The police are not taking her seriously so V.I. is hired to investigate. She readily accepts the case to take her mind off worries of her boyfriend, Morrell.

As soon as her investigation begins, she stumbles on a recently dead journalist in the ornamental pond of the estate. The police declare the death a suicide but V.I. doesn’t believe it and feels if the death had been one of the wealthy residents of the area, rather than a black journalist, more investigation would have been done.

V.I. winds up hired by the sister of the journalist to find out what really happened to him. The course of her investigation takes her back through old secrets of the wealthy community, the McCarthy hearings and blacklisting, involvement with a young Egyptian boy and finding herself in quite a bit of trouble with several law enforcement agencies through the course of the book.

I truly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to others. I look forward to going back and starting at the beginning of the series and also hope to see future installments of this series.

Gina Metz - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Gina Metz - RAM