Body Work by Sara Paretsky
I generally love Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawsky stories. V.I. is a feisty 50-year old who's always fighting the good fight, regardless of the consequences to herself. And Body Work has much to commend it.
The setting is my own Chicago, which is always fun to see through someone else's eyes. The supporting cast is memorable--from her cranky doctor friend Lotty to her very protective neighbor, Mr. Contreras. And the Iraq War tie-in is timely. But Body Work has such a convoluted plot, with 2 parallel death investigations, that it was a little hard to keep track of all the characters and goings-on. And Karen Buckley, the performance artist whose "body work" gave the book its title, was very unlikeable--which wouldn't have mattered so much if she hadn't taken over so many pages.
Sara Paretsky is always worth reading. However, this was not my favorite of her books.
The setting is my own Chicago, which is always fun to see through someone else's eyes. The supporting cast is memorable--from her cranky doctor friend Lotty to her very protective neighbor, Mr. Contreras. And the Iraq War tie-in is timely. But Body Work has such a convoluted plot, with 2 parallel death investigations, that it was a little hard to keep track of all the characters and goings-on. And Karen Buckley, the performance artist whose "body work" gave the book its title, was very unlikeable--which wouldn't have mattered so much if she hadn't taken over so many pages.
Sara Paretsky is always worth reading. However, this was not my favorite of her books.
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