Dead Land by Sara Paretsky: A review

Can this really be the twentieth in the V.I. Warshawski series? It seems like only yesterday that I was reading the first in the series, Indemnity Only. But that book was published in 1982 and I read it probably within a year, so, yes, Paretsky has been writing these books for almost forty years and I have been reading them for almost that long.

The wonderful and unusual thing about this series is that the quality has stayed consistent. In a long series, you almost always get one or two books that are real clunkers. Not with Sara Paretsky. I've read them all and I can't think of a single one that wasn't good. Sure, there have been some that I've liked better than others, but there's not a one that hasn't been good and a worthwhile read.

Another great thing about the series is that V.I. has been allowed to age naturally and she has grown and learned things throughout the series. She's had many romantic relationships over the years, and now she is involved with an archaeologist. I remember Agatha Christie's comment about being married to an archaeologist that the older you get the more interesting you are to them. So perhaps this relationship of V.I. and the archaeologist will last.

And yet another thing that I like about this series is that Paretsky is never afraid to tackle difficult and complicated subjects and she and her detective have a clear and unwavering moral compass. That moral compass guides Warshawski to fight for the underdog and to oppose injustice and sharp practice wherever it occurs. Living and working in Chicago, she has her work cut out for her.

The plot of Dead Land is even more complicated than usual, involving an attempted land grab in Chicago that is somehow connected to a mass shooting that occurred in Kansas a few years before and a rich and politically connected family in Chile. How Paretsky weaves all of these disparate strands together into a tapestry that presents an understandable picture is a joy to read.

Another side note: It is interesting (to me at least) that Paretsky grew up in Kansas and her recent books have worked a Kansas connection into the plot.

This one starts with a nighttime call to Warshawski from her goddaughter, Bernie, who has been arrested following a disturbance at a public meeting regarding a plan for the development of a Chicago park area. Warshawski goes to her rescue and thus becomes involved with Bernie and her current boyfriend who is a computer geek working as a volunteer for a community group called SLICK that is involved in the development plans. And things spiral from there.

A famous singer/songwriter is found living on the streets and it turns out she has been traumatized and is unable to speak or function normally because of that mass shooting I mentioned. It was at a festival in Kansas and she and her lover, a Chilean-American were performing when the shooting took place. Her lover and several other people were killed and many others were injured. In her current situation, she is watched over by a mysterious man named Coop and his dog Bear who seem to be the only ones she trusts and interacts with.

That Chilean-American was the nephew and heir of that powerful Chilean family and he had wanted to turn the mines owned by the family over to the miners. This was not a popular stance among other members of the family.

Back in Chicago, the land grab involves repurposing some public lands for the convenience of the rich and powerful. "Pay to play" Chicago politics is at the heart of the dastardly plan.

All of this finally comes together and makes sense, although some of it is a bit of a stretch I admit. And in the process V.I. is shot at and missed but otherwise injured on more than one occasion. That just makes her more implacable and relentless.

V.I. may have lost a step but she is still formidable in her passion for justice. She is a worthy hero for our times.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Poetry Sunday: Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver

How about we share another Mary Oliver poem? After all, you can never have too many of those. In this one, the poet seems to acknowledge that it is often hard to simply live in and enjoy the moment, perhaps because we are afraid it can't last. She urges us to give in to that moment and fully experience the joy. Although "much can never be redeemed, still, life has some possibility left." Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is no...

Poetry Sunday: Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney

My mother was a farm wife and a prodigious canner. She canned fruit and vegetables from the garden, even occasionally meat. But the best thing that she canned, in my opinion, was blackberry jam. Even as I type those words my mouth waters! Of course, before she could make that jam, somebody had to pick the blackberries. And that somebody was quite often named Dorothy. I think Seamus Heaney might have spent some time among the briars plucking those delicious black fruits as well, so he would have known that "Once off the bush the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour." They don't keep; you have to get that jam made in a hurry! Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust ...

Poetry Sunday: Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman

You probably remember poet Amanda Gorman from her appearance at the inauguration of President Biden. She read her poem "The Hill We Climb" on that occasion. After the senseless slaughter in Uvalde this week, she was inspired to write another poem which was published in The New York Times. It seemed perfect for the occasion and so I stole it in order to feature it here, just in case you didn't get a chance to read it in the Times . Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman Everything hurts, Our hearts shadowed and strange, Minds made muddied and mute. We carry tragedy, terrifying and true. And yet none of it is new; We knew it as home, As horror, As heritage. Even our children Cannot be children, Cannot be. Everything hurts. It’s a hard time to be alive, And even harder to stay that way. We’re burdened to live out these days, While at the same time, blessed to outlive them. This alarm is how we know We must be altered — That we must differ or die, That we must triumph or try. ...

The Nature of Things

Search This Blog