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    Hardball
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    Hardball
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    Hardball
    Audiobook14 hours

    Hardball

    Written by Sara Paretsky

    Narrated by Susan Ericksen

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Chicago's unique brand of ball is sixteen-inch slow pitch, played in leagues all over the city for more than a century. But in politics, in business, and in law enforcement, the game is hardball.

    When V. I. Warshawski is asked to find Lamont Gadsden, a man who's been missing for four decades, a search that she figured would be futile turns lethal. Old skeletons from the city's racially charged history, as well as haunting family secrets - her own and those of the elderly sisters who hired her - rise up to brush her back from the plate with a vengeance.

    To complicate matters, Petra, a young cousin whom V.I. has never met, arrives from Kansas City to work on a political campaign. It does not take long for the high-spirited yet likable Petra to win over V.I.'s affections. When Petra goes missing after a break-in at the office, V.I. is determined to find her beloved cousin.

    As the search to locate Petra becomes more desperate, V.I. is also having difficulties tracking down Lamont Gadsden. Unable to catch a break, she learns that a nun who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr., has died before she can reveal crucial evidence. V.I. herself almost dies in a blazing fire, and new information has emerged about her father's role in a politically and racially charged trial almost forty years ago. Afraid to discover that her adored father might have been a bent cop, V.I. takes the investigation all the way to its frightening end.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateSep 22, 2009
    ISBN9781423319955
    Unavailable
    Hardball
    Author

    Sara Paretsky

    Hailed by the Washington Post as “the definition of perfection in the genre,” Sara Paretsky is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, including the renowned V.I. Warshawski series. She is one of only four living writers to have received both the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers Association of Great Britain. She lives in Chicago.

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    Reviews for Hardball

    4/5

    231 ratings25 reviews

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    • 5/5
      As a black woman born during the Civil Rights Movement, it was interesting to hear of things my parents went through or chose to keep me safe from. The ending was great and made me cry. If V.I. were a real person, I would hug her. I found this book in the series, the most moving and authentic. Bravo!
    • 3/5
      OK - not up to the standard of her early stuff
    • 4/5
      This is the first Paretsky I've read, having heard many positive reviews of the V.I.Warshawski novels. It wasn't as brilliant as I'd hoped for, and I did almost give up a third of the way in. But I'm glad I stuck it out, as it got better, and turned into a very interesting thriller towards the end. Weaving into the story the history of the race riots of the early 1960s, and Martin Luther King, was what made it for me.I agree with the other reviews here that suggest there was extraneous detail that can be skipped, and that the flashback plot device detracted from the flow. The final few chapters which tidied up all the loose detail after the climax, were (unsurprisingly) somewhat of an anticlimax.
    • 4/5
      Fast paced & hard hitting outing for V.I. Warshawski as she uncovers particularly nasty skeletons in the closet from the days of the civil rights demonstrations. Along the way she discovers some unpalatable facts about her own family. As usual V.I is on form.
    • 5/5
      I think this is the best book by Sara Paretsky to date. It wasn't dark, it was an interesting story with lots of plot twists, and I learned something about historical Chicago. Definitely worth the time!
    • 4/5
      one of Sara's best VIW, great story line involving her family
    • 3/5
      V.I. is hired for a cold case missing person that happened during the time of the civil rights movement. In the process, she finds out some difficult truths about her family, including her beloved father.
    • 4/5
      Tracking down missing persons is part of V. I. Warshawski's job. But Lamont Gadsden has been missing for more than forty years - last seen heading out into the 1967 blizzard, in the midst of Chicago's racial unrest. V. I. figured the search would be futile. She didn't realize it would be lethal. . .or lead to disturbing discoveries about her own family. And when her young cousin Petra disappears, an angry preacher, a jailed gangbanger, and politics from both past and present interconnect - and plunge V. I. into a mystery as unsettling as the sixties themselves.
    • 5/5
      Sara Paretksy writes the best of PI type books in my opinion and this is up there with her best. I managed to fall behind in this series, so it's been a while since I read one. VI is at her best here, and it was a joy to read - thrilling, poignant, thought-provoking, and exhilarating. A very human heroine, which is what makes her so believable. She doesn't end up in ridiculous positions because the plot needs to progress. And a return for one my favourite auxiliary characters, although I would have been tempted to go for 5 stars had that character featured more.
    • 4/5
      In the thirteenth novel to feature Chicago private detective V.I. Warshawski she is hired by a pair of elderly sisters to find their son/nephew Lamont Gadsden who disappeared 40 years previously during a wild winter storm that brought the city to a halt. V.I. reluctantly agrees to take on the case despite her misgivings about the huge time gap since the Gadsden was last seen and his probable involvement with the Anacondas, one of the city’s roughest street gangs which remains active though its leader is in prison. Just as she embarks on the investigation which takes her back through the city’s history and that of her own family, V.I.’s young cousin Petra arrives in the city to work on the senate campaign of an old friend of her father’s and soon becomes embroiled in V.I.’s life.

      As I mentioned in a post last year I was a huge fan of the early novels in this series but had grown a little weary of the unrelenting lecturing to be found in the later installments. Happily in Hardball though the politics is present it’s not nearly as strident as in novels like Blacklist and, more importantly, is woven into the tale as it should be: with deft characterisations and great storytelling rather than the repeated bludgeoning with Important Messages that occurred in a couple of the previous novels. The novel does tackle tough subjects such as police corruption and institutional racism but these themes are woven into an intriguing tale that contains an unorthodox mix of characters and links the present day back to the late 1960’s when racial tensions were high. The book is all the more poignant because of its very realistic portrayal of this part of history.

      As always V.I. is far from perfect, being quick to let her anger show and one of the most stubborn women on earth, but far more believable because of her imperfections. To balance things out she’s fiercely loyal, smart and almost bursting with a social conscience that she translates into practical action in a way that I imagine many of us would envy. In Hardball her working class family’s history, a constant theme across the series, is further revealed as her now dead father’s early years on the police force are highlighted and, toughest of all for V.I., his integrity is questioned. Paretsky has always done a terrific job of showing snippets of V.I.’s past to reveal how it is she has grown into the woman she is and this book adds beautifully to that character development. None of the familiar people in V.I.’s life do much more than make appearances in Hardball which might be a little disappointing for die-hard fans. However young Petra, a new character to the series, is introduced nicely and without the older person’s disdain for the youth of today that populates many novels by ‘people of a certain age’. I imagine Petra might just have done enough of interest to make a return in future books.

      This is a return to Paretsky’s finest form and was a thoroughly unexpected treat for me. It’s pure guesswork on my part but I suspect that Paretsky’s own anger at the world and its many injustices has diminished a smidgen since the changeover in the American presidency and it is perhaps this that has enabled her to return to the high standards of her original work. Whatever the reason I’d highly recommend Hardball to both fans of the early Warshawksi novels and those who’ve always been curious about the series but don’t have the energy to start with the first book as it can easily stand on its own. I could not put this down for the last 150 or so pages and am now eagerly anticipating the next book which according to Paretsky’s blog is to be called Body Works and is well under way (you can read chapter 1 here).
    • 5/5
      I love Sara Paretsky's VI Warshawsky series and this one is the best one yet. It's not often that mystery series get better--usually they start out well and eventually become formulaic. And, it is true that V.I Warhawsky is in an awful lot of fires. But the plots have gotten more and more interesting and this story was particularly interesting to me because it covers Civil Rights history. If you don't know this series, Sara Paretsky is an ardently feminist author concerned with social justice. Her mysteries are set in Chicago and her P.I. is a kick-ass smart and very tough woman. I highly recommend this series.
    • 5/5
      Sara Paretsky was, is and always will be the goddess of PI crime fiction to me! And HARDBALL is one of her strongest works yet -- digging deep into Vic's complicated relationships that, quite frankly, I can relate to: with her dad, the early loss of her mom, and her own temper and tempestuousness. And, of course, Chicago plays a character in its own right.
    • 5/5
      Vic is back. She has just returned from a trip to Italy and taken on a missing person case which is related to a famous murder case from the 1960's. Vic is turning up things that the Chicago police dept and politicians would rather have left alone. VI is older, wiser, but still taking risks. Great read.
    • 4/5
      This is the first VI Warshawski novel for me and I would almost certainly read others. I enjoyed the pace and style combined with the insights into to race conflicts of the 1960s which still reverberated into the present day. It was a novel which dealt with some very profound emotions requiring Warshawski to re-evaluate her relationship with her father and her blind faith in his intrinsic 'goodness'. I would definitely read other novels featuring this character.
    • 3/5
      This is the 13th in Paretsky's series of novels about private investigator V.I. Warshawski. The first one was written in 1982 so V.I. has been around for 28 years and I've read them all.V.I. has always been an interesting character - a P.I. in the hard-boiled tough guy tradition who just happens to be a woman. She shares just about all of the characteristics of her similar male counterparts - adrenaline junkie, prickly, rough-tempered, intelligent, serious problems with commitment. It's been interesting to watch Paretsky develop this character and to watch her age with more or less grace depending on your perspective. Paretsky uses V.I. to explore not just the hard-boiled tough guy genre, but also to explore the city of Chicago and its history.In this book the history is that of prejudice, in particular events surrounding the race riots in the early 1960's. Asked to find a young man, missing since those times, before his elderly aunt dies V.I. is off stirring up hornets' nests, getting herself injured, and generally creating trouble for everyone around her and herself.This isn't the best of these books, but it's still good and entertaining and a fun read.
    • 5/5
      V. I. Warshawski mysteries come along very slowly so when I found Hardball in a gift box I was thrilled. This has everything in it: Chicago neighborhoods, politics, activist nuns, a gang, dirty cops, a 1966 visit to the city by Martin Luther King, and a cold case. It's a long book but I just couldn't put it down. V.I. is so human (she's actually frightened when she's in danger!) and her neighbors and friends are too. I love these characters. Excellent book, highly recommended especially if you love Chicago as I do.
    • 4/5
      Quick, fun read about V I Warshawski and her unraveling of an old murder. Her late father was somewha implicated and that causes her pain. She does get reaquainted with a cousin, Petra.
    • 4/5
      V.I. Warshawski is asked to look into the disappearance of a young man who disappeared 40 years ago, by the man's mother and his aunt. During the course of her investigation, she discovers that his disappearance appears to be connected to the death of a young woman during the riots surounding Martin Luther King. His death is also connected to her own father, Tony. Things gets even trickier when her cousin, Petra, somehow gets herself involved and disappears. Murder, arson, family secrets-it is all here.I had a really hard time finishing this book. It was really slow for me, but I forced myself to continue. When I did finish it, I was glad I had. The ending made it worth it. I always enjoy the character of V.I. Warshawski, she is so real, yet so interesting. The story was good, confusing at times, but also interesting.
    • 5/5
      I got re-hooked on detective fiction about 20 years ago reading a Sara Paretsky book. She hasn't lost her touch. I've since become a fan of Grafton, Muller, Evanovich and recently read their newest works. This stands out--by far--as the best "next book" in a series. Very well done.
    • 5/5
      better than most thrillers/mysteries as the characters are very real. Setting: Chicago, gritty. Themes apart from intrigue and police cover ups: Refugee refuge, family. I will read more of her woman detective- human enough to fail occasionally but not silly/funny like Janet Evanovich.
    • 4/5
      First book I have read by this author. Great mystery with twists and turns to keep the reader interested.
    • 4/5
      Apparently the Wash. Post Book World wrote, a few years ago, something to the effect that the Warshawski books get better as the series goes on, in contrast to other unnamed (Grafton, Cornwell, Patterson, Lescroart, Fairstein...) mystery series, which go downhill, inspiring one to write to the authors and beg them to kill off their detectives. (I paraphrase and add my own thoughts of course.) And I agree. Paretsky blazes her anger and bitterness over the state of affairs in the USA and always has, and in this book she sets her sights on constant government surveillance (The Age of Fear she calls it) and prisoner torture. Warshawski's a pretty decent shot, and so's Paretsky.What's amazing to me about these books is that you feel like you're living Vic's life with her, and somehow her dangerous life seems realistic. She ages, she makes hard choices, her relationships go through changes and she even learns something sometimes despite being extremely hardheaded. Bottom line: I expect a lot from this series and, again, I was not disappointed.
    • 5/5
      It's been a while since I've read a Sara Paretsky novel. I'm not sure if she stopped writing for a while or I stopped reading her or what.I have to say I think this is one of her best. I liked the juxtaposition of the threads of the 60s civil rights era with the present time.
    • 5/5
      Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski series is a winner and one that I've been following for years. This book comes after a few years when the last one was written, and I must say the wait was worth it! The books do keep getting better, and Vic is so real! In this book Vic is trying to find a missing black boy for his dying aunt. The boy has been missing for 40 years, and as she investigates she uncovers more and more secrets that have been buried for decades. And she finds herself on the run for her life as the ant hills that she's turning over keep threatening the players that were involved so many years ago. Why is a missing person case causing all the murder and mayhem? You can bet that Vic is going to find out. She also keeps running into information about her dad who was a cop back in 1967 Chicago. I absolutely loved this book, and found that I ran through it way too quickly. I wanted to savour it, but just had to keep reading. I hope I don't have to wait so long for the next V.I. Warshawski book next time.
    • 5/5
      The good news is that Sara Paretsky is back. Even better news, though, is that she brought V.I. Warshawski with her this time around - and that longtime fans of Paretsky's Warshawski novels will find reading "Hardball" to be a little like experiencing old home week. Not only will they be able to catch up on what V.I. has been up to since 2005's "Fire Sale," they will get to spend some time with other favorite characters like Vic's elderly neighbor, Mr. Contreras, and her doctor friend, Lotty Herschel.When, as a favor to a nursing home pastor, Vic agrees to do a cut-rate search for a young black man who disappeared in 1967, she opens up a can of worms with the potential to ruin the reputation of her deceased father, Tony, a longtime Chicago policeman. 1966 was not a pretty year in the history of Chicago race relations and, when Martin Luther King led a peaceful march through one of the city's parks, white protesters erupted in a riot that claimed the life of a young black woman marching near Dr. King. Vic knows that the man she wants to find was part of that march but she knows nothing about what happened to him after.Lamont Gadsden has not been seen since he entered a neighborhood club one night, and the deeper she digs into the circumstances of his disappearance, the more complicated Vic's life becomes. Her investigation is somewhat complicated by the unexpected appearance of an exuberant young cousin of hers who has come to Chicago for a few weeks to work on a political campaign. Although the two had never met before, Vic finds herself spending almost as much time with her enthusiastic cousin on a tour of Warshawski family history as she does on the search for Lamont Gadsden.It all may seem like ancient history to Vic, but her investigation has made some very important people willing to play hardball to stop her from uncovering the truth about the 1966 murder and its aftermath. When her young cousin disappears, possibly at the hand of kidnappers, Vic finds herself searching for two people instead of one - and running for her life."Hardball" is a frank look at a subject as much in the news today as it was in the sixties, the rampant political corruptness of America's third largest city and the related problems within the city's law enforcement agencies. V.I. Warshawski is a social activist, a true believer who has lived in Chicago her whole life, and she refuses to look the other way even if her father might have been involved in something shady more than four decades earlier. Let's hope that there are equally determined people in real world Chicago today.Rated at: 5.0