Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
William Morrow (2017), 448 pages
Description
V.I. Warshawski travels to Kansas to investigate the disappearances of a young film student and a faded Hollywood star, but long-simmering racial tensions stir up more mysteries as the body count rises.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Romonko
This is one heckuva book! V. I. is back and she's stronger, braver and funnier than ever. And she's not even on her home turf. She has taken on a case that has her in small-town Kansas. And she's not all alone either. She has taken her dog Peppy with her for moral support. It turns out that it's a
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good thing she has Peppy there for her own protection because she's on a doozy of a case. She's been hired to find an ageing movie star and a young film director who are travelling together and she knows that they have to the town of Lawrence, Kansas to film the movie star's early life. The two have misteriously disappeared and V.I. finds that no one in the town wants to talk to her, but they sure do want to keep an eye on her and on what she's doing there every minute. In typical V.I. fashion, she uncovers a real hornet's nest of a mess that somehow involves the military, the scientific community, and even, in a remote way Russia. History is buried very deep in Lawrence, and no one wants V. I. to find out a thing, and the whole town will stop at nothing to thwart her every move. This is a fast-paced, thriller that never lets go right from the opening page.. Sara Paretsky proves once again that she belongs with the highest echelon of mystery writers with this book. V.I. does what only she can do - dig as deep as she has to to get to the bottom of the mystery, and she puts herself right on the firing line while she's out ferreting the truth. Thank you Sara for a really enjoyable ride. I can't wait for the next V.I. Warshawski mystery. You never disappoint. Show Less
LibraryThing member librarian1204
Paretsky never lets you down when VI Warshawski takes on a new job. This time Vic goes to Kansas looking for a movie great from the past and a young film maker. The job seems to be tied to events in the 1980's. Along for the ride is Peppy, the golden retriever offering support and comfort for Vic.
Great story, fast paced, intriguing and as usual with a message.
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Great story, fast paced, intriguing and as usual with a message.
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LibraryThing member lilibrarian
V.I. is out of element, searching for 2 Chicagoans who have gone missing in a small Kansas town. As the dead bodies and unanswered questions around her mount, she realizes that there is much more at stake and that stumbling over the truth of something that happened 35 years ago may have forced her
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clients into hiding. Show Less
LibraryThing member shazjhb
Good book. like her as a detective and interesting story in different location. I even like her dogs. Always a bit long and maybe for a detective she does not demonstrate good judgement.
LibraryThing member brangwinn
I loved this book taking V.I. out of her Chicago comfort zone and putting her smack in the middle of America—Kansas. Paretsky has woven a story about two missing people that encompasses the racial history of Lawrence Kansas. As a rural small town girl, Paretsky was right on track with local
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citizen suspicion of outsiders. Although at times, I though the story line was a little convoluted, it only added to the challenges VI faced. Show Less
LibraryThing member LeHack
One of Paretsky's best. V.I is not in Chicago for this adventure, but she is still at the top of her game. A wonderful read that took me just the weekend. OK, I did stay up until nearly 3am reading one night. I love to find books I can't put down.
LibraryThing member SChant
One of her less successful ones. Too many coincidences and implausibilities.
LibraryThing member Tatoosh
At the urging of a young niece private detective V. I. (Vic) Warshawski travels to Lawrence Kansas in search of an actress and filmmaker who have reportedly traveled there to film part of an autobiographical documentary. This takes Vic out of her usual Chicago setting and distances her from her
In “Fallout” Sara Paretsky has crafted a complex, multifaceted mystery. What happened to the actress and filmmaker after they arrived in Lawrence? Who is the murdered woman discovered by Warshawksi and who killed her? Why is someone attempting to kill Sonia, the mentally disturbed, substance abusing middle-aged woman known as Polar Bear? Who is the dead woman Vic discovered in a car partially submerged in the river? Why are a high-ranking Army officer and the county sheriff so protective of an experimental agriculture farm housed on a former ICBM base?
While “Fallout” is one of the best mysteries in the long running V. I. Warshawski series, it fails to achieve it’s full potential. Paretsky lived in Lawrence, Kansas while growing up and the early part of the book reads like a trip down memory lane. Be on the lookout for an endearing shout-out to David Paretsky, for example. Because of this self-indulgent approach the plot takes some 80 pages to gel and I laid the book aside several times before the story captured my interest. The plot bogs down again midway through the book when Paretsky takes ten pages to reveal the contents of Sonia’s diary. Two or three paragraphs would have sufficed. A more disciplined approach to the introduction and strategic reductions at other points would have produced a zippier story.
Fallout also would have benefited from more disciplined editing. Paretsky is not particularly good at depicting tension, often telling us rather than showing us that Vic is experiencing stress. In that context Paretsky’s use of clichés like “my blood ran cold” was jarring.
An anti-climactic and somewhat boring ending further weakens “Fallout.” Warshawski emerges victorious—we never doubted her—some 21 pages before the end of the book. Paretsky then proceeds to tell us what happened to practically everyone in the extensive cast of characters. Perhaps she felt a need to tie up all the loose ends but as a consequence “Fallout” gradually coasts to an end like a car that has run out of gas.
Despite these shortcomings I recommend Fallout. The complex, multi-faceted mystery is intriguing and overcame the somewhat undisciplined writing to hold my interest until close to the end.
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local support group.In “Fallout” Sara Paretsky has crafted a complex, multifaceted mystery. What happened to the actress and filmmaker after they arrived in Lawrence? Who is the murdered woman discovered by Warshawksi and who killed her? Why is someone attempting to kill Sonia, the mentally disturbed, substance abusing middle-aged woman known as Polar Bear? Who is the dead woman Vic discovered in a car partially submerged in the river? Why are a high-ranking Army officer and the county sheriff so protective of an experimental agriculture farm housed on a former ICBM base?
While “Fallout” is one of the best mysteries in the long running V. I. Warshawski series, it fails to achieve it’s full potential. Paretsky lived in Lawrence, Kansas while growing up and the early part of the book reads like a trip down memory lane. Be on the lookout for an endearing shout-out to David Paretsky, for example. Because of this self-indulgent approach the plot takes some 80 pages to gel and I laid the book aside several times before the story captured my interest. The plot bogs down again midway through the book when Paretsky takes ten pages to reveal the contents of Sonia’s diary. Two or three paragraphs would have sufficed. A more disciplined approach to the introduction and strategic reductions at other points would have produced a zippier story.
Fallout also would have benefited from more disciplined editing. Paretsky is not particularly good at depicting tension, often telling us rather than showing us that Vic is experiencing stress. In that context Paretsky’s use of clichés like “my blood ran cold” was jarring.
An anti-climactic and somewhat boring ending further weakens “Fallout.” Warshawski emerges victorious—we never doubted her—some 21 pages before the end of the book. Paretsky then proceeds to tell us what happened to practically everyone in the extensive cast of characters. Perhaps she felt a need to tie up all the loose ends but as a consequence “Fallout” gradually coasts to an end like a car that has run out of gas.
Despite these shortcomings I recommend Fallout. The complex, multi-faceted mystery is intriguing and overcame the somewhat undisciplined writing to hold my interest until close to the end.
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LibraryThing member iansales
I’ve been a fan of Paretsky’s fiction for longer than I care to remember. She’s one of those authors whose books I buy as soon as they’re published. Sort of. She’s never been for me a collectable author, so I’ve never bought her books in hardback, but I’ll happily pick up a paperback
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copy, or even borrow one, or, more recently, buy the ebook, should it be on promotion. Fallout is something of a departure from the typical formula – for a start, much of it takes places outside Chicago. VI Warshawski is hired to investigate the disappearance of a young black film-maker, which leads her out into deepest darkest Kansas – incidentally, Paretsky’s own home ground – and various shenanigans from decades before, involving lesbians, a nuclear missile silo, corruption among university faculty, and a government-sponsored research programme that went slightly wrong. It’s all good solid Warshawski material, given an added boost because it’s not about Chicago or that city’s endemic corruption. I cannot recommend this series enough. The first half dozen or so can be read in any order, but I think the last dozen or so books probably need to be read after reading that first six. If so, you have a treat ahead of you. Paretsky is one of the best crime writers currently being published. These are excellent books. Read them. Show Less
LibraryThing member stephanie_M
This is a pretty good mystery novel, but it's so multi-layered that some readers may have a hard time keeping up with all the mysteries going on. And all the people. And all the places......lol.
The novel was just so jam-packed with happenings that it seemed to be more than one book, all together.
I enjoyed the audiobook very much, with Susan Ericksen as the narrator. She was able to keep most of the characters from sounding alike, and her accents (like those of Lotty Hershel and a French character) from sounding too ridiculous.
I'd give this audiobook a solid 3.5 stars, and recommend it to lovers of mystery novels, Warshawski novels, and the like.
The novel was just so jam-packed with happenings that it seemed to be more than one book, all together.
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It was still quite interesting, and held me listening throughout it. Though I am a little exhausted by everything that V. I. Warshawski had to go through....!I enjoyed the audiobook very much, with Susan Ericksen as the narrator. She was able to keep most of the characters from sounding alike, and her accents (like those of Lotty Hershel and a French character) from sounding too ridiculous.
I'd give this audiobook a solid 3.5 stars, and recommend it to lovers of mystery novels, Warshawski novels, and the like.
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LibraryThing member JenniferRobb
I found this book on the local YMCA's book exchange shelves. This series had been recommended to me years ago when I was ready Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone Alphabet Series. I've been reading the series in order (sort of--I guess there are a few short story compilations that fall somewhere between
This book is a bit of a departure in that V.I. ends up in Kansas rather than in her usual Chicago. This means that most of her regular "crew" is only heard from in short bursts rather than taking part in her investigative life.
I was sorry to see Jake departing from V.I.'s life--it reminds me a bit of Les Roberts's Milan Jackovich series where Milan couldn't keep a girlfriend for more than a few books (though I think that series is in hiatus or perhaps ended and he did have a girlfriend who's been around for at least 2 books I've read now and still going strong so . . .we'll see if that changes.)
In one way, Jake's departure didn't surprise me. It would change the tone of the series if V.I. got into a long-term romantic relationship. I don't think it's fair that he requires her to change if she wants to stay with him. He certainly has the right to request that she evaluate her life and to bring up the parts of it that concern him or bother him. But I suspect if V.I. changed for him in the manner that he wanted her to, she would eventually resent him making her do that and it might become another Dick Yarborough scene. In another sense, I'm sad to see him go because he was the one who got Gabriella's recordings digitized for V.I. and he seemed to give her comfort and stability. I wonder if he will just get written out of the series by deciding to stay in Europe or will V.I. end up having to live in the same building with him and go through that angst now that they're broken up.
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the numbered series. For example--one site listed "Windy City Blues" as book 18 with this coming in as book 19--which has confused me to the point where I've now requested the next two books probably in the wrong order.)This book is a bit of a departure in that V.I. ends up in Kansas rather than in her usual Chicago. This means that most of her regular "crew" is only heard from in short bursts rather than taking part in her investigative life.
I was sorry to see Jake departing from V.I.'s life--it reminds me a bit of Les Roberts's Milan Jackovich series where Milan couldn't keep a girlfriend for more than a few books (though I think that series is in hiatus or perhaps ended and he did have a girlfriend who's been around for at least 2 books I've read now and still going strong so . . .we'll see if that changes.)
In one way, Jake's departure didn't surprise me. It would change the tone of the series if V.I. got into a long-term romantic relationship. I don't think it's fair that he requires her to change if she wants to stay with him. He certainly has the right to request that she evaluate her life and to bring up the parts of it that concern him or bother him. But I suspect if V.I. changed for him in the manner that he wanted her to, she would eventually resent him making her do that and it might become another Dick Yarborough scene. In another sense, I'm sad to see him go because he was the one who got Gabriella's recordings digitized for V.I. and he seemed to give her comfort and stability. I wonder if he will just get written out of the series by deciding to stay in Europe or will V.I. end up having to live in the same building with him and go through that angst now that they're broken up.
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LibraryThing member kbranfield
4.5 stars.
In Sara Paretsky's, Fallout, the latest installment in the V.I. Warshawski series, the intrepid sleuth must travel to Lawrence, Kansas in order to locate a missing filmmaker and an aging film star.
Vernie Bourchard's friend Angela Creedy is worried about her missing cousin, August Veriden,
V.I. has good instincts and she cannot help but wonder why everyone she meets is so reluctant to talk to her when she arrives in Lawrence. Her first solid lead almost ends in tragedy for local Sonia Kiel, a homeless woman with a history of mental illness and an alcohol problem. Although Sonia only confirms her suspicion that August and Emerald were recently in town, the confirmation is enough for V.I. to continue searching for answers. Her quest keeps leading right back to the now defunct Kanwaka Missile Silo which abuts a local farm owned by Doris McKinnon. A shocking discovery at the farm puts V.I. under the close scrutiny of local law enforcement who are none too pleased she is poking around in the town's secrets. When V.I. stumbles across a meeting with Colonel Bagetto, local Sheriff Gisborne, the oddly familiar Marlon Pinsen and agricultural executive Bram Roswell, her curiosity is definitely piqued but she remains uncertain whether or not the tête-à-tête has anything to do with her missing duo.
V.I.'s search for August and Emerald continues circling back to the events that occurred in 1983 and local researcher Dr. Nathan Kiel, who also happens to be Sonia's father. A little more sleuthing turns up unexpected links to Emerald but V.I. is having difficulty piecing together the disparate clues. V.I. refuses to give up trying to find Emerald and August and she is growing more and more concerned for their safety after a second attempt is made on Sonia's life and another person turns up dead. When she continues to see Bagetto, Giborne and Pinsen together, V.I. is certain her case is linked to what happened at the Kanwaka Missile Silo in 1983. After Vernie grows impatient with V.I.'s lack of progress in locating August, she makes an impulsive decision to join her in Lawrence and inadvertently puts herself and V.I. in danger. Will V.I. be able to escape from a precarious situation? Will she locate August and Emerald?
With a refreshing change of scenery, a unique case to solve and a cast of interesting characters, Fallout is a fast-paced and engrossing mystery that old and fans of the V.I. Warshawski series do not want to miss. Sara Paretsky keeps the series fresh as she changes the setting for this latest release from Chicago to Kansas. V.I. has to contend with unusual surroundings, and without her usual go to people to help her out, she is forced to rely on herself to unlock the increasingly puzzling mystery she is currently embroiled in. The novel comes to a pulse-pounding conclusion that completely wraps all of the various story arcs. I highly recommend this absolutely brilliant and intricately-plotted mystery to fans of the genre.
In Sara Paretsky's, Fallout, the latest installment in the V.I. Warshawski series, the intrepid sleuth must travel to Lawrence, Kansas in order to locate a missing filmmaker and an aging film star.
Vernie Bourchard's friend Angela Creedy is worried about her missing cousin, August Veriden,
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who has not been seen or heard from in quite some time and they convince V.I. to find him. Discovering the police would like to interview August about a break in and robbery at the gym where he works as a personal trainer, she quickly learns his apartment has also been recently ransacked. Quickly learning August is filming a documentary starring African American actress Emerald Ferring, she is soon attempting to retrace their steps. Her first stop is an Army post in Kansas where she meets Colonel Dante Bagetto. V.I. and her dog Peppy then journey to Lawrence where the townspeople are not exactly eager to answer her questions. However, V.I. is quite tenacious and she eventually discovers Emerald's long ago visits to Lawrence in 1983 are tied to an anti-nuclear protest at the Kanwaka Missile Silo and her mother Lucinda's funeral. As V.I. continues searching for August and Emerald, she uncovers some puzzling clues and unsettling information about these long ago events. What, if any, connection is there between what happened in 1983 and her current case? And most importantly, where are August and Emerald?V.I. has good instincts and she cannot help but wonder why everyone she meets is so reluctant to talk to her when she arrives in Lawrence. Her first solid lead almost ends in tragedy for local Sonia Kiel, a homeless woman with a history of mental illness and an alcohol problem. Although Sonia only confirms her suspicion that August and Emerald were recently in town, the confirmation is enough for V.I. to continue searching for answers. Her quest keeps leading right back to the now defunct Kanwaka Missile Silo which abuts a local farm owned by Doris McKinnon. A shocking discovery at the farm puts V.I. under the close scrutiny of local law enforcement who are none too pleased she is poking around in the town's secrets. When V.I. stumbles across a meeting with Colonel Bagetto, local Sheriff Gisborne, the oddly familiar Marlon Pinsen and agricultural executive Bram Roswell, her curiosity is definitely piqued but she remains uncertain whether or not the tête-à-tête has anything to do with her missing duo.
V.I.'s search for August and Emerald continues circling back to the events that occurred in 1983 and local researcher Dr. Nathan Kiel, who also happens to be Sonia's father. A little more sleuthing turns up unexpected links to Emerald but V.I. is having difficulty piecing together the disparate clues. V.I. refuses to give up trying to find Emerald and August and she is growing more and more concerned for their safety after a second attempt is made on Sonia's life and another person turns up dead. When she continues to see Bagetto, Giborne and Pinsen together, V.I. is certain her case is linked to what happened at the Kanwaka Missile Silo in 1983. After Vernie grows impatient with V.I.'s lack of progress in locating August, she makes an impulsive decision to join her in Lawrence and inadvertently puts herself and V.I. in danger. Will V.I. be able to escape from a precarious situation? Will she locate August and Emerald?
With a refreshing change of scenery, a unique case to solve and a cast of interesting characters, Fallout is a fast-paced and engrossing mystery that old and fans of the V.I. Warshawski series do not want to miss. Sara Paretsky keeps the series fresh as she changes the setting for this latest release from Chicago to Kansas. V.I. has to contend with unusual surroundings, and without her usual go to people to help her out, she is forced to rely on herself to unlock the increasingly puzzling mystery she is currently embroiled in. The novel comes to a pulse-pounding conclusion that completely wraps all of the various story arcs. I highly recommend this absolutely brilliant and intricately-plotted mystery to fans of the genre.
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LibraryThing member nx74defiant
V.I. is hired to find a missing person. When she goes to Nebraska she stumbles upon dead bodies. Every step leads to more secrets. The current story is linked to a secret from the past. Really enjoyable.
Awards
Boston Globe Best Book (2017)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2017
Physical description
433 p.; 6 inches
ISBN
0062435841 / 9780062435842