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Title

Body Work

by Sara Paretsky

Review

V.I. Warshawski makes her appearance in her 14th novel, Body Work. This time, she gets drawn into a murder by being in the wrong place at the wrong time (wait, maybe that's her usual M.O.). But by the time she solves the case, she's been drawn into the worlds of the Marines, the Iraq War, and the Avant-garde art scene. With the help of her elderly neighbor, her happy-go-lucky young cousin, and two ex-Marines back from their tours in Iraq, V.I. manages to fend off attackers and conspirators, solve the case, and save the day.

In typical V.I. Warshawski fashion, she lands knee deep in the middle of a situation and plunges in with all cylinders running. She can't extract herself until she solves the case. And as usual, she does it with flair. Perhaps the most interesting part of this book, aside from how the clues tie together into one neat package, is the political commentary on the current war in the Middle East and some of the corruption that has accompanied it. That may be one of the things Sara Paretsky does best. But Warshawski's smart mouth doesn't hurt. ~ Jana Atkins

Review Date

Reviewed April 2011