Much is expected of a novel by Sara Paretsky. Many reviewers her found her lates novel, Dead Land, to meet expectations. I did not
I found the plot to be too incredible, and frankly, I was bored. It's a fairly long novel and I tried several times to pick it up again, but still could not get past the half-way mark. The story just didn't interest me. It's well-written, but that alone was not enough.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Another excellent mystery featuring hard-boiled detective V.I. Warshawski. This latest installment places Vic in the middle of conflicting forces surrounding a waterfront redevelopment plan, a homeless singer/songwriter, and Chilean politics. If you can't imagine how these three concepts go together, no worries, Paretsky will do all the heavy lifting....readers just get to enjoy the twisty ride. I was happy to see a few beloved characters pop into the storyline, but really could use more of them in the plot. Mr. Contreras in particular is a delight. And more Lotty and Max...please! I'm looking forward to the next installment, should Ms. Paretsky grace her readers with another V.I. novel.

So happy to see a new Sara Paretsky title -- and I can't wait to recommend this to our mystery readers. Paretsky fans will love this one, but readers new to her will as well. Detective V.I. Warshawski stumbles upon what looks like a fairly straightforward crime, then little by little peels back the layers to reveal multiple complications and conspiracies. It makes for fascinating reading. As always, she keeps you guessing until the end with a plot that keeps you turning the pages and characters you truly care about.

Dead Land by author Sara Paretsky finds V.I. Warshawski in a very edgy and deadly case. Her God-daughter Bernie leads Vic into a mystery surrounding the deteriorating condition of a popular activist singer/songwriter, Lydia Zamir. As the threats to Bernie increase after the murder of her friend Leo, V.I. knows there has to be more than land management of the Chicago lakefront area at stake for a few of the powerful people who 'pay to play'.
V.I. is drawn across the country to the prairies of Kansas and cliffs of Horsethief Canyon. She has to stay vigilant to avoid being the next murder victim. V.I. uncovers some long lost facts concerning Hector Palurdo's heritage which could make a huge difference in a family mining operation in Chile. What is the link between the billion dollar control of Chicago parks to the massacre during a concert and a Chilean family mining empire?
Dead Land is fast-paced and filled with action as V.I. tries to find and get Lydia to help before it is too late.
I love the friendship of V.I. and Mr. Contreras!
Publication Date: April 21, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and post a review of this book.

Very well written. I stopped reading this author because I thought her books were too similar. tsGlad I had an opportunity to read the advance copy of Dead Land because Sara Paretsky has upped her game.

So great to be back in the land of Sara and V.I. The latest book is exciting and heartfelt, and as always, thoroughly researched. Really terrific and top of the game, and I’m happy to chat it up.

V.I. Warshawski takes up the cause of the emotionally damaged survivor of a mass murder engineered in a conspiracy with international implications. Sara Paretsky consistent theme of the unjust inequality of our world runs through this book. This is well paced, with fully developed characters as well as an underlying hum of threat. I stayed up well past my bedtime reading this one.

I have read every Sara Paretsky novel, since I was fortunate enough to meet VI Warsowski early in her career. I have enjoyed every book and happily, this is no exception. The series has become more sophisticated and moved away from simple cases in Chicago. The characters have evolved and even Vic has aged.

This story is spurred on by her do-gooder goddaughter, Bernie. Vic gets involved in a case that Bernie has pushed her into, which quickly devolves into murder and massive corruption. Of course, there are numerous complications and lots of injuries. I was engaged throughout the book, as always.

I especially love Vic’s relationships with animals, so out of character for a tough PI. This book included yet another very wise dog.

On a personal note, when one of her books became a film, I was there on Day-1 (sadly, not a very good film) and the part of Cat was played by Angela Goethals....who became my daughter’s best friend and eventual college roommate.

So, keep writing these great books, because I absolutely love them! Thank you Netgalley for a great reading experience.

We're in familiar territory with the 20th entry in Sara Paretsky's Dead Land - V I Warshawski once again takes on a series of nefarious characters, puts herself into situations in which no sane person would find herself, and somehow manages to prevail, at least in part. As she says towards the end of the book "Every now and then, you do have luck on your side. I'd had more than my share this time." She certainly did, and much of it is simply not believable. This time the story is as complex as Paretsky could have made it, involving an iconic niche musician who witnesses her lover's murder in a mass shooting, corrupt public officials, media owners with compromised values, a greedy academic, stereotypical mothers - both good and not-so-good, and a bevy of characters who, sometimes inexplicably, put themselves in danger to help others. And there's more, too much more. In truth, the book could have benefited from more rigid editing; there's just too much of it. Readers unfamiliar with the series will be lost among some of the "regulars," one of whom is critical to the story and well explained but others of whom make unexpected appearances for reasons that won't be apparent to the uninitiated. I rounded my rating of 3-3.5 stars to 4 because of the poignant lyrics Paretsky adds at the end, lyrics that reflect the loss of her husband, lyrics that touched me deeply: They end with "Love gets us through those lonely times Hate keeps us up all night. A swan whose lover dies Still lives in love That gets her through the night." Dead Land is, in the end, a story of survival.