Those of us who are long-time V.I. Warshawski fans know that series mysteries can wax and wane. The author admitted in the afterward of this one that she had a tough time writing during the pandemic and I would say this isn't one of the stronger entries.

But, V.I.'s indomitable brand of uber-toughness is on full display here and there's certainly lots of action. V.I. discovers a young girl in bad medical shape, hiding in the rocks on the shore while she's walking her dogs after a stakeout. The girl is taken to a hospital, but disappears quickly after being questioned by a mysterious man. That's one plot thread: who is the girl and why is the Chicago PD so interested in her whereabouts?

Another element is the harassment and vandalism to a local Jewish synagogue. V.I. uncovers evidence that an unscrupulous developer is trying to railroad the synagogue into signing over their land. And in yet another line of inquiry, the son of an old high school nemesis of V.I.s comes to her convinced that his father is in danger. This is a toxic family with a lot of current and old animosities.

If this all sounds confusing, I did find it to be a bit overpopulated with problems and characters. There's a lot of over the top action here -- V.I. being tortured in a hidden building by rogue cops (and the building part is true although I imagine most of the victims were not middle aged white women). V.I. also gets punched out in public several times by the cartoonish villain cops who are almost too evil to be believable.

This is clearly a pandemic book both in terms of the setting and in the general mood of miasma and uncertainty. Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Overboard by Sara Paretsky
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Published: May 10, 2022

Overboard is the 21st book in the V.I. Warshawski series by Sara Paretsky. I had not read the previous books in the series, but was easily able to read this as a standalone mystery.

This book was incredible! I loved the characters! They were fascinating and well developed. The story was fast paced and intense! There were so many great twists and turns and I was definitely on the edge of my seat!

The author dealt with some very difficult issues, such as life during the pandemic and police brutality. I thought that added a sense of realism to the story and I thought the author handled it very well!

I look forward to reading the other books in this series because I could not get enough of this book! I highly recommend reading this one!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

V. I. Warshawski is back and as feisty as ever.
When her dogs find a badly injured girl near the shore of Lake Michigan, Vic tries to identify and find her after she disappears from the hospital. This leads to real danger to herself and others from greedy developers and corrupt cops in league with them, but she manages to solve the mystery with the help of her friends and unwilling aid from some in her old neighborhood. The series continues to delight. Thank you Net Galley for the book.

V.I.Warshawski is a private investigator who is out taking a walk with her dogs when she stumbles upon an injured girl. She has no idea that the plight of this girl would take her back to her childhood as she comes face to face with the neighborhood goons. She also didn't know that she would be on the wrong side of the police during the pandemic.
The book was your typical private investigator story. It had acton and intrigue and a mystery to solve. It was an enjoyable read. It was easy to follow and piece together the plot but it was fun to read as you figured it out.
Thanks to Netgalley, William Morrow, and the Scene of the Crime Early Reads for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

I love a good detective story and this was my first introduction to V.I Warshawski. (Yes, I’ll need to go back and read the other 20 books in the series!) I’m enjoying reading books that take place during the COVID pandemic. Somehow, it makes the pandemic more tolerable, This was a nice mystery, one that I became invested in immediately. Looking forward to starting the series from the beginning, although this book worked beautifully as a stand alone.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

I've been reading about detective V.I. Warshawski for so long that she feels like an old friend I don't see often enough. This is the 21st book in the series, and yes, I was very happy to bump into her again.

This one takes place during the Covid pandemic, and I'll give kudos up front for the author's handling of the masking issue (i.e., making the importance thereof up close and personal throughout the book). Victoria not only wears one herself on just about every out-of-home venture, but she insists that others around her do the same.

Following an all-night job for a client, Vic's two boisterous dogs go nuts on the banks of Lake Michigan - leading her to a crevice where a seriously injured young girl is (presumably) hiding out. The girl manages to utter a single word - something with no meaning to Vic or later the police - before she's taken to a hospital. She's treated and put in a room, but before anyone can talk to her or determine her identity, she disappears. One of the investigating police officers in particular seems unusually upset that she's gone missing - a long-time officer who has a history of unchecked violent behavior that's been overlooked by his higher-ups. Thwarted, he turns his full wrath toward Vic - to the point of trying to make her life miserable (often with more than a modicum of success).

As this is happening, a very old local synagogue is defaced, upsetting the elderly congregation, several of whom are Vic's friends. At this point, the corruption for which Chicago's political elite are known rears its ugly head; someone seems to be intent on getting ownership of the synagogue for unknown reasons. More investigation turns up more political corruption (a revolting development, so to speak), but not before hitting close to home with a nod and wink to some of Vic's family members that she's almost forgotten she had and almost certainly can do without. Along the way, she got support when she needed it most from old friends Lottie Herschel and her helpful elderly neighbor Mr. Contreras. Notably missing - off on assignment - is her significant other, archaeologist Peter Sansen, who is thousands of miles away.

By this time, the sheer number of characters grew far beyond the number of my brain cells; I finally gave up trying to keep them all straight and decided it all would work out in the end. It does, of course, but not without more than one nail-biting chapter in which Vic's own life is put on the line. All in all, very satisfying - and a big thank you goes to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to meet up one of my fictional BFFs once again. Can't wait till she comes for a visit again (soon, please)?

So, I didn’t realize it, but it’s been a lot of years since I’ve read a V.I. Warshawski book. And you know what? I suddenly remember how much I liked them!

I’ll admit that being away from the series for so many years likely colored my experience here. I think a frequent reader may love this. However, as a returnee (admittedly a little lost on relationships right now), I definitely liked it!

I was extremely interested in our mystery and was invested in seeing if the girl would be okay. The pandemic stuff I didn’t really need, though it actually served to give some insights into character personality (yes, we judge people based on whether or not they use masks and why).

A good read. I do think I need to read the books I’ve missed along the way.

*ARC via Publisher

Despite not having read any previous V.I. Warshawski novels, the overall storyline and history of the character was easy to follow and I found this to be an excellent, multi-layered whodunnit!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Detective v I warshawski always to find trouble. After working late one evening she found a young teenager that was left for dead. When the girl dissappear from the hospital it will take everything v I has to solve the mystery. This was an enjoyable read.

V.I. Warshawski finds a young girl hiding in the rocks along Lake Michigan. She gets the girl to the hospital, where the girl later escapes from. V.I. Warshawski attempts to find her, uncovering corruption and greed. The story moves along at a good pace and kept me interested.

I’m positive I have read other books by Sara Paretsky that featured “plucky heroine” V.I. Warshawski, Chicago PI – but I couldn’t name one or recall a plot – just went into this one expecting a well-written story to take my mind off the pandemic, crime, corruption, etc. And Overboard is definitely well-written, as expected. There is a complex plot, well-developed characters, and a relatively satisfying ending (although perhaps a bit too clever to be true?). In any case, thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

In this latest installment in the V.I.Warshawski series (#22), V.I. is out walking her dogs when they rush off and lead her to discover a teenage girl, not quite dead but badly injured, lying wedged among the rocks on the shore of Lake Michigan. Before she gets her to a hospital, the girl speaks a single word. After a short time in the hospital, the girl disappears, and no one knows who she is, but apparently some highly placed powerbrokers and mobsters (along with some very creepy corrupt cops) REALLY want to find her and the mysterious hidden object she possesses, an unknown item which V.I. tries to find first.

I don’t know if V.I.’s relationship is new, or if Peter is a recurring character who has been around for awhile, but I look forward to books with more of V.I.’s “other” life (in addition to solving crimes/mysteries). This book can be read as a standalone, although I suspect I might have had less trouble with the many characters if I had “known” them before I started reading this book. I am pretty sure that was just my fuzzy brain, but I found I had to go back and find out just who some of the characters were and how they related to the story. I appreciate the themes of personal privacy, elder abuse, and greedy developers and landowners. The protagonist is always willing to put herself at risk to help others (which likely drives Peter crazy) and her perseverance is unlimited. Overall, good story and nice inclusion of the feel of the challenges created by the pandemic along with the other aspects. Four stars.

Sara Paretsky nailed it again with Overboard. VI Warshawski's mission in this novel begins when her dogs discover a still-live body stuck--hiding?--in breakwater rocks. From there, the story progresses, including visits to hospitals and nursing homes, the Homan Square interrogation facility, and burner phones. The nuances of the Covid-19 pandemic are woven into the story, keeping VI and her experiences planted in reality. A great read that goes too fast!

Another great Paretsky book. Interesting story line about big brother antics, difficult family dynamics and elder abuse all woven together with a heavy dose of greed. I would like to see a variation on Vic always antagonizing those around her and the often stressful dynamics between her and Lotty. Overall though the book drew me in like all her books do and I found it hard to put down.

Who is V.I. Warshawski?
Apparently, a private investigator in Chicago and the main character of 21 novels before Overboard, #22 in the series. This book can be read as a stand-alone novel. This was the first book by Paretsky that I have read, and while the story stands alone, it lacks a full introduction to the main character, Warshawski. By the end of the book, I knew that she is a PI with a law degree, 2 dogs, a red Mustang, assists her adopted old Jewish people, and likes red wine. She’s also a mask fanatic, even though wearing a mask to stop Covid is like using a chain link fence to keep out a mosquito.
If you’re looking for a book that’s Covid-heavy (without a warning in the book’s summary) and super woke (police brutality, black rights, and constant mask references), you will love this book. We’ve all lived the pandemic so making that such a focus without telling the reader beforehand was disappointing; it certainly wasn’t what I wanted to read about.
While it is obvious Paretsky has writing skills, this story seemed thrown together. After finishing it, I can’t tell you why the title is Overboard. There were lots of different threads woven together, but in order to actually make the story come together there was a point where one of the characters just started saying how the threads all fit together - seemed sloppy and contrived. The last 10-15% of the book was the best, but overall it was not very engaging for me and the wokeness was a huge turnoff.
I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this, but I won’t be reading more novels from this author.

This book was pretty good, i hadn't read the series so it felt like a Lot of characters to get to know and try to keep track of. The story had humor, had action, had a political bent and took place last year during the pandemic. The main character is very likeable and takes a lot of risks to protect those she loves. She takes on corrupt cops and various other villains

law-enforcement, private-investigators, family, family-dynamics, violence, murder, multicultural, multigenerational, Chicago, crime-fiction, criminal-injustice-system, crooks, triggers, antisemitism, dogs, pets****

As someone who worked alongside good coppers and deputies for years, I found the behaviors of the "self-entitled bad cops" in this story more than disgusting and very hard to read. The same goes for the blanket condemnation of care homes that are chronically understaffed by people who are more than just underpaid and verbally abused for the thankless work that they do. But the mystery and solution are very well done, and I think it's a good thing for fiction to record the timely realities of living through a pandemic. There is a lot of action at a fast pace, plot twists, red herrings, and exposure of bad politics and worse policework.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from William Morrow Books via NetGalley.

I received an ARC of, Overboard, by Sara Paretsky. The pandemic in Chicago did not stop crime in Chicago. This is a good mystery/thriller. I liked hearing about places I have been to in Chicago. This book kept me on the edge of my seat.

I'm always excited for the latest Sara Paretsky novel, and this book delivered many of her usual thrills--a complex, layered mystery, interesting new characters, and a reunion of the many people in VI's world that we've grown to know and love. However, it really bothered me that it was set during the pandemic. While I understand the urge to detail these strange, scary past few years, I don't know that it added anything to the book. Instead, it made me uneasy and eager to finish the book.

I didn't really connect with this book and I'm attributing it to not having read any of this series before. I know this author is popular as is the whole V.I. Warshawski series and I can totally see how that could be because the writing and the story was interesting but for some reason, I just couldn't get into it the way I had hoped. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this one!

Paretsky is skilled at not only opening with suspenceful & thrilling action, but making readers care about her characters and artfully bringing her readers up to speed whether or not they've read any other volumes in the series.

I am inspired! V. I. Warshaski is an intrepid heroine for everyone who is marginalized, often putting herself at risk in order to help; While grounded in our current pandemic era, the vulnerability of our personal privacy, and greedy land-developers are large themes in this story. I'm so glad Paretsky continues to share this heroine for our gritty contemporary world!

My gratitude to Sara Paretsky, William Morrow & Company, and NetGalley for sharing an advance review copy of Overboard!