Shell Game: A V.I. Warshawski Novel (V.I. Warshawski Novels)
Shell Game: A V.I. Warshawski Novel (V.I. Warshawski Novels) book cover

Shell Game: A V.I. Warshawski Novel (V.I. Warshawski Novels)

Hardcover – October 16, 2018

Price
$13.43
Format
Hardcover
Pages
400
Publisher
William Morrow
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0062435866
Dimensions
6 x 1.25 x 9 inches
Weight
1.19 pounds

Description

“As long as Paretsky’s hotheaded, quick-witted sleuth is on the job, imperiled young women…will always have a champion.” — New York Times Book Review “Chicago’s V.I. Warshawski is on top form in Sara Paretsky’s Shell Game.” — Seattle Review of Books “Even after decades, Paretsky’s landmark series remains as popular as ever, and the social consciousness behind the stories seems ever more in tune with contemporary events.” — Booklist (starred review) “Warshawski’s latest adventure, Shell Game , is a multi-layered mystery with lots of moving parts that all come together in a triumphant moment of truth and justice which satisfies the soul and the intellect.” — Nelson DeMille, #1 New York Tim es Bestselling Author “ V.I. Warshawski [is]xa0a sleuth to rival the greats, from Sam Spade and Nero Wolfe to Harry Bosch and Stephanie Plum... Shell Game is the most soulful novel of [Paretsky’s] extraordinary career—the most urgent, the most haunting, the most satisfying. Please read Shell Game .” — A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author “Simply superb! As a fan of V.I. Warshawski from the very beginning, I can say without a doubt that... both author and protagonistxa0[are] at the top of their games.” — Jeffery Deaver “A road trip with V.I. Warshawski? Sign me up! What a thrill to join her on a missing-persons hunt that quickly turns dark and dangerous. Sara Paretsky’s legendary P.I. is at the top of her game. Everyone will want to go along for this ride.” — Tess Gerritsen “For me, the most remarkable of the moderns is Sara Paretsky. ...No other crime writer has so powerfully and effectively combined a well-crafted detective story with the novel of social realism.” — P.D. James “Considerable pleasure comes from following the legendary heroine through an impenetrable maze of felonies knowing that you’re in a master’s hands.” — Kirkus Reviews “Riveting. Paretsky isn’t one to tiptoe around injustice, and this entry proves once again that she’s one of the sharpest crime writers on the scene today.” — Publishers Weekly “As is usually the case with Paretsky’s novels, there is considerable social and political commentary... Everyone else can revel in the superb pacing, the well-developed characters and the crisp dialogue from one of the most consistently excellent writers in the genre.” — BookPage “Warshawsky is an iconic sleuth, and in the recent novels she’s proven a savvy vehicle for exploring changing social (and criminal) currents in the Windy City, a city she’s come to define as surely as Marlowe once defined L.A.” — CrimeReads, “Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2018” “ Shell Game is a smart and engrossing international mystery to unravel that will keep readers wrapped up in its pages.” — Criminal Element “Clever and devilishly complicated” — The Oklahoman Acclaimed detective V. I. Warshawski tackles a pair of disturbing cases involving those closest to her in this compelling and timely adventure that centers on some of the most divisive and pressing issues of our time When V.I. Warshawski gets word that her close friend and mentor Lotty Herschel’s nephew has become a murder suspect, the legendary detective will do everything she can to save him. The cops found Felix Herschel’s name and phone number on the unknown victim’s remains, but Felix insists he doesn’t know why. As Vic digs deeper, she discovers that the dead man was obsessed with Middle Eastern archeology—the first clue in a bewildering case that leads to a stolen artifact and a shadowy network of international criminals. But the trouble multiplies when Vic’s long-lost niece, Reno, goes missing. A beautiful young woman with a heartbreaking past and a promising future, Reno is harboring a secret that may cost her her life. V.I. can hear the clock ticking on her niece’s safety and is frantic in her efforts to find her. Vic won’t leave any stone unturned until these very personal cases are cleared—a complex investigation that will entangle the Russian mob, ISIS backers, rogue ICE agents, a nefarious corporation preying on the poor, and a shady network of stock scams and stolen antiquities stretching from Chicago to the East Indies and the Middle East. In Shell Game , no one can be trusted and nothing is what it seems, except for the indomitable detective and her thirst for justice. Hailed by P. D. James as “the most remarkable” of modern crime writers, Sara Paretsky is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two 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. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • Winner of the Sue Grafton Memorial Award!
  • A
  • Boston Globe
  • Best Book of 2018!
  • Acclaimed detective V. I. Warshawski tackles a pair of perplexing cases involving those closest to her in this compelling and timely adventure that centers on some of the most divisive and pressing issues of our time
  • When V. I Warshawski gets word that her closest friend and mentor Lotty Herschel’s nephew has become a suspect in a murder, the legendary detective will do everything she can to save him. The cops found Felix Herschel’s name and phone number on the unknown victim’s remains, but Felix insists he doesn’t know why.
  • As Vic digs deeper, she discovers that the dead man was obsessed with Middle Eastern archaeology―the first clue in a bewildering case that leads to a stolen artifact and a shadowy network of international criminals. But the trouble multiplies when Vic’s long-lost niece, Reno, goes missing. A beautiful young woman with a heartbreaking past and a promising future, Reno is harboring a secret that may cost her her life. V.I. can hear the clock ticking on her niece's safety and is frantic in her efforts to find her.
  • Vic won’t leave any stone unturned until these very personal cases are cleared―a complex investigation that will entangle the Russian mob, ISIS backers, rogue ICE agents, a nefarious corporation preying on the poor, and a shady network of stock scams and stolen antiquities stretching from Chicago to the East Indies and the Middle East.
  • In
  • Shell Game
  • , no one can be trusted and nothing is what it seems, except for the indomitable detective and her thirst for justice.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(481)
★★★★
25%
(401)
★★★
15%
(240)
★★
7%
(112)
23%
(369)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Pick A Different Shell

Two investigations push PI Warshawski to her limits. The first involves the nephew of close friend and almost surrogate mother Lotty. The nephew, Felix, an engineering student , is involved in as group that includes Middle Eastern student. He issoon implicated in as murder and suspected of being a terorist due to his assoications. The second involves the disappearance of the niece of Wrshawski's sleaze of an ex-husband. This puts her at odds with rich and powerful players in the corporate world. IN the meantime she is juggling the demands of running her own PI business.

I can't say I was impressed with the twentieth outing of V I Warshwski. It was slow and I never engaged or particuarly cared about any of the characters. Additionally her political rants grew tiresome. No problem with outrage against perceived injustice but spare me the political lectures in formats that are supposed to be entertaining. If you are devoted to the series this may be worth a read. Otherwise look under a different shell.
6 people found this helpful
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Paretsky never disappoints; After thirty years, V.I. Warshawski is more relevant than ever

I started reading Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski series when she started publishing it, in 1988. My mother, who has since passed away, shared my enthusiasm for the books, featuring what was arguably the first "hard boiled" female private detective. Thirty years later, "Shell Game" continues to deliver, with an intricate plot, multi-dimensional characters, and significant involvement with many of the social issues plaguing our world. I wish my Mom could have read it -- she would have loved it!

In "Shell Game," V.I.'s detective business must be set aside for personal concerns. The niece of her ex-husband has gone missing and it doesn't seem that there's anyone but Vic to care. Following the discovery of a murder victim, the great-nephew of Vic's dear friend, Dr. Lottie Herschel, comes under suspicion, and Lottie asks V.I. to help get him out of the mess. Both trails seem to lead back to V.I.'s execrable ex-husband, attorney Dick Yarborough, and his very rich but very sleazy clientele. The plight of Syrian refugees and the uncertain status of any immigrant, legal or not, in today's America also play a big part in the story.

I think V.I. must be really close to 60 years old, given the accounting in earlier books, but she's doing pretty darned well for her age. I hope Paretsky finds a way to continue to give us more thoughtful and thought-provoking stories like this one.
6 people found this helpful
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3.5/4 stars Not my favorite in the series, but still a well-written, interesting mystery

Chicago private detective V.I. Washawski has a full caseload, but she has to but her paying clients on the backburner to takes on cases a lot closer to home. Her friend and mentor Lotty Hershel asks her to help her nephew Felix. Felix’s name and phone number is found in the pocket of a man who was murdered. Felix claims not to know the man, but he becomes the prime suspect for killing him and V.I. can tell he’s keeping secrets. V.I. is also trying to find a young woman who is missing, who happens to be her ex-husband’s niece. It seems this young woman and her sister are also keeping secrets which could be putting everyone’s life in danger.

Both of the cases V.I. is tacking in this book are intriguing. Some of the ins and outs with the financial scams which play a role in her niece’s disappearance get a little confusing at times, but the case as a whole is interesting. In the beginning, all of the secrets Felix and her niece Harmony, who came to V.I. about her missing sister Reno, builds suspense at first. However, after Felix and Harmony continue to stonewall V.I., the book gets repetitive and V.I. tries to get clues with no help from her clients. She is forced gather bits of information that seem random at first, but eventually come together allowing V.I. to make progress on both cases.

Overall, I enjoyed reading another of V.I.’s cases. The downsides are a lot of unlikable characters, including her client and niece Harmony. Although Harmony is a victim and I had sympathy for her, I just couldn’t warm to her character. Felix was hard to get to know, but redeemed himself by the end. The many political comments found throughout the book are not out of the ordinary for Paretsky. She got a little preachy in some parts, but most of her comments fit in with what was going on in the story.

“Shell Game” isn’t my favorite book in this series, because of the unlikable side characters and the sometimes over-complicated plot. However, it’s well-written and I did like the new character that it introduced who could become a love interest for V.I. in future books. I liked the book and would rate it 3.5/4 stars.
5 people found this helpful
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Life is short. Don't waste your time and money.

Sorry, Paretsky, but you do not belong in the pantheon of great mystery/detective authors. Characters, as always, are superficial, plots proceed with no surprises, and then there are the poorly thought-out politics. Paretsky isn't even as good as Grafton, who is pretty bad.
4 people found this helpful
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Pretty damn good

Maybe not as good as some of her best, but pretty close a treat for any V.I. fan. To those who are suddenly bothered by her politics, I noticed no change, but then I do not "support the President."
3 people found this helpful
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Bleh

This just didn't keep my interest. It wasn't bad, but I found myself having no trouble putting it down sometimes in the middle of a page.

The story was fine and some of the characters were interesting (like a new love for V. I.), but tied together way too cleanly. It is one of those books that will sit in my pile and never be recommended to other mystery/police procedural readers.

I like other books by this author, but this seemed like a "I need a book to fulfill my contractural obligation" novel.
3 people found this helpful
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so what

The more "Trump bashing" the better as far as I am concerned but the political issues tended to get in the way of the murder mystery & that's not good in a Murder Mystery. (And by the way, the bashing was pretty low-key so if this bothered you I guess you'd better stay away from ALL other news outlets & books) I expect some controversy, current hot topics & inter-twining story lines from Ms Paretsky but this just wasn't that interesting to me. Too many characters, not enough alluring intrigue. A bit like dry toast even w/ a new love interest for VI. Some parts felt tacked on, others a jumble of overlapping stories & action. Not her best but as always,readable & thought provoking. I'd say 4 Stars but the oddly weird ending dropped it to 3.5.
2 people found this helpful
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Plot is distracted by political rhetoric

I didn't even finish the book-- a rarity for me. The reader is continuously taken out of the story by distractions of the author's political shots. I read a fiction book for entertainment. If I want an author's political biases, I will look elsewhere. Don't waste your time with the book.
2 people found this helpful
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Disappointing enough to quit the series

We’ve read Paretsky’s entire V.I. Warshawski bibliography, of which “Shell” is the 19th. While we enjoyed the first dozen or so for the adventures of this strong and able female protagonist, a Chicago-based PI, we have soured on the last few novels as especially detailed in our review of #18, “Fallout”. Those items of which we complained were again all too prevalent in this latest tale.

Particularly incredulous were the many times herein V.I. survived a hail of bullets and muggings – but the final scenes surviving adrift in an icy river were just too absurd to even imagine.

We suspect part of the author’s following reflects the relative lack of such great female stars as Kinsey Millhone or Sheriff Joanna Brady. While we’re open to suggestion, we said last time we might be done with V.I. – now we mean it.
2 people found this helpful
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Two timely and relevant cases in one for V.I. Warshawski.

For those who have been mourning the loss of Sue Grafton and Kinsey Millhone may I present:
Sara Paretsky and V.I. Warshawski.
V.I., or Vic, has been around for a long time, as has Kinsey.
There are some similarities between the two private eyes, but each voice is unique.
While both are tough-girl detectives, V.I. is the older and tougher of the two. Kinsey kept the bad guys in line in Santa Teresa CA, V.I. keeps it real on the mean streets of Chicago.

Sara Paretsky’s “Shell Game,” is the latest in a long list of mysteries involving V.I. Warshawski.
Even if you are late to the game, you will likely find the storyline easy to follow; references to Vic’s past are not confusing, as is sometimes the case with the lead player in a series.

Vic’s thoughts and words are clipped and direct with a wry humor, reminiscent of the hard-boiled male detective prototype.
Paretsky’s descriptive phrases, on the other hand, can be pretty long-winded, though they are well-written.
Her characters are well-developed; they are just like people we might actually know, good guys and bad.

In “Shell Game,” Paretsky does a stellar job of incorporating current events, including I.C.E., Russian thugs, and ISIS, as well as politics and heartless corporate greed.

There are two separate cases on Vic's agenda here: finding her missing niece Reno, and attempting to absolve from guilt a young man who has been accused of a vicious murder. He is Felix, the nephew of V.I.’s longtime friend, Lottie.
Vic’s ex-husband makes an appearance as well. He is quite a piece of work: an executive big shot who is filthy rich and morally bankrupt.

The more Vic delves into the separate cases, the more she begins to wonder, could they somehow be connected?
As the plot thickens, Ms. Paretsky does a beautiful job of combining the different characters and plot lines into a cohesive whole.

The story is often heart-wrenching. It is to a great extent a statement about the condition of our world and our country and the senses of frustration and helplessness that have been thrust upon ordinary people in these deeply troubled times.

The chapters are quite short--and they are titled!--a big plus in my book.

Just one heads up, there are a couple of very disturbing scenarios that do stop mercifully short of horrific detail.
2 people found this helpful