What do You think about Killing Orders (2005)?
Something about this one just didn't work for me. Maybe it was the very tired conflict between Det. Mallory and V.I.; the heavy-handed rants about sexuality, politics and the Roman Catholic Church (if they'd served a plot or character purpose, that'd be one thing...just didn't seem to), or the obligatory conversation where Concerned Male tries to be protective of V. I., or care for her safety and she resists....Ugh, I don't know. But if by book 3 things are already tired and overused, something ain't right. I'll be back for more, just to see if Paretsky can move on with things, but not really looking forward to it.
—Hobart
Scooooorrrrre! And the crowd roars!Ok, ok. It's not a Great Book. But this is The One (previously Jet Li). Women need an extraordinary badass female detective and V.I. Warshawski is that guy. If James Bond can be young for 70 years and know how to do everything there is to do in the world, why can't we have a comparable female character? Plus, she actually is 'real' in that she has a well-rounded personality, except for her excessive need to do it herself even if she is bleeding out.Not quite a cartoon, but if she was, she'd be a dark noir graphic novel character who can cook curried eggs with peas and tomatoes. She has no illusions, but she knows who the bad guys are and she's determined not to be them, even if she strays into their territory on occasion. We know she is suppressing demons because of sideways clues, such as having passed the Bar in Illinois and having been a practicing defense lawyer previously, her mother having died of cancer when V. I. was 15, her father sickening slowly while on duty as a police officer, her complete disregard of her physical condition while on the job and her sarcastic quips in the face of authority (definitely what I love the most about her).Of course, she is smart, political and proactive in all the right ways. Every political and religious and feminist argument she has in these books I've had in real life. She studied finance, I studied finance. How can I not LOVE her? Of all the female P.I.s I obsessively enjoy, Warshawsky stands at the front of the crowd.Unexpectedly, Rosa Vignelli, V.I.'s aunt, calls her, fearful and desperate. VI knows something awful for her aunt must have happened because the mutual hatred between them goes back to when Rosa threw VI's mother, Gabriella, out into the streets of Chicago with nothing but the clothes on her back and no English. For some reason, VI's mother extracted a promise from VI to help Rosa if she ever needed it, so VI goes to her aunt's house to talk to her. Answering the door is her cousin, Albert, an accountant, who VI is not particularly fond of either. Rosa reluctantly exposes she is in difficulty, but within minutes she is too angry and full of hatred to discuss her problem and leaves the room, leaving it to Albert to hire VI. Vignelli works at St. Albert Priory as their Treasurer and she has been asked to go out on a temporary leave of absence because a locked safe she was in charge of has been discovered to have been robbed of securities, replaced with fakes. VI begins her investigation with the priests, only to be quickly fired by her aunt a few days later. However, VI has learned of a few things which definitely has aroused her suspicions, especially because of the possible involvement of thieving priests, forgers, the mob and her despised aunt. But when her best friend is murdered and telephoned threats against her life are made, it's not only personal, but a matter of VI's survival to solve the case.
—aPriL does feral sometimes
While I like Sara Paretsky's books, I thought that this one was just a little off the wall, and somewhat contrived. V.I. ends up losing a dear childhood friend, who happens to be a lesbian. She herself doesn't have ties to any man in particular, and can jump into bed with a man without any qualms. Her close relationship with Dr. Lotty, usually quite strong, becomes rather tenuous. She comes off rather strongly battling men heavier than she is. Lotty's Uncle Stefan is darling, and Roger is a fun playmate who can cope with things like a fire. The title refers to the fact that one setting is a friary where the dreaded Aunt Rosa has been accused of having something to do with falsified financial records. There are some entert.aining parts
—Marti
