Rating: 
Summary: A startling and wonderful departure
Review: I had no idea what to expect from this book when I started it, only knowing that it wasn't a V.I. story. I was doubtful at first but as I read on I became more and more enchanted. It is not a plumbing of the psychological depths of various realistic characters, but clearly it was not meant to be. Instead it is a kind of morality play for our time, done so skillfully that the story grips the reader and won't let go. Some of the characters are almost caricatures, rather like people in a very old allegory, and the story itself is full of wonderful allusions and layers of meaning--for example, the doctor's name, and that of the catalyst character, Starr. In the end I went away feeling very satisfied and somehow like I had added another layer to my own character. It's like reading a combination of the ancient "Descent of Inanna" and a modern thriller.
Rating: 
Summary: Missed the Mark
Review: I have an enormous amount of respect for this author and it was mainly that which made me persevere through to the end of this book rather than anything inherently compelling about the story itself.It seems clear what the author was trying to do here but she missed the mark somewhat. The territory is not dissimilar to that occupied by her other major character, VI Warshawski - both geographically and socially. However, here characters were two dimensional and completely unappealing - there was no-one I really cared enough about to make the journey to the end of the book really worthwhile. Also, while we know that a lot of men behave horribly toward women, there is quite some heavy-handedness with this issue in this book whereas this author has handled this same topic more subtley and effectively in the VI books. Nevertheless, this author is greatly talented and this showed through in this book. And thanks, too, for the little salute to VI fans before and during the text.
Rating: 
Summary: A Very Pleasant Surprise
Review: I have never been wild about V.I. Warshawski, but I always thought that meant that I didn't like Paretsky. I bought this book because it said it was not about V.I., which was just fine with me. And now I do like Paretsky, although I get the feeling she's angry at men. I agree with a prior comment that the almost exclusive depiction of men as nasty self-absorbed jerks is a bit unfair. Aside from that one criticism, however, I was touched as well as fascinated by this book. I hope there are more non-V.I. stories to come.
Rating: 
Summary: This isn't even worthy of 1 star!
Review: I have read all Sara Paretsky's books and my opinion is that she didn't write this book. It reads more like a friend or relative wrote it and used her name to get it published. The introduction of the characters was so haphazard and hard to follow that I didn't care about them at all. The opening paragraphs are about an irritating female drunk awakening after a binge...it only got worse. My advice is: If at first you don't like it, don't bother plowing through the rest of it; give it up as a lost cause and choose another of the many female sleuths available like the Sue Grafton series or Janet Evanovich.
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your time
Review: I knew this wasn't a VI Warshawski book, but I thought I would give Paretsky the benefit of the doubt and try it anyway. I didn't get past the first four chapters. An alcoholic ex-opera singer, a cynical ugly rich girl, a young Jewish psychiatrist, and an old homeless woman. These are the main characters; a strange mix that doesn't really work. Paretsky should stick to detective stories.
Rating:
Summary: An interesting story, but Paretsky has done better.
Review: I like Sara Paretsky's mysteries, and while fully aware that this wasn't one of them, I was not expecting it to be like a Margaret Atwood or Alice Hoffman book, which is what I felt I was reading. So for those of you that love Alice Hoffman or Margaret Atwood type stuff, then grab a copy. But if you're looking for V.I. Warshawski, look elsewhere, or wait for the next one.
Rating: 
Summary: I really wanted to enjoy it!
Review: I love Sara Paretsky's writing but this one has me stumped. Her characters, usually pretty well developed, are so one-dimensional that I didn't feel sympathy for any of them and that is the "kiss of death" for me as a reader. I want to cheer for someone or at least feel interested in their fate. With these folks I would have been unmoved if they'd all been chucked over a cliff. Plus there were more than a few that I wanted to slap around and and say, "grow up!" So, perhaps I do not understand what Paretsky was trying to accomplish, but for me the book was tedious and unsatisfying.
Rating:
Summary: I really wanted to enjoy it!
Review: I love Sara Paretsky's writing but this one has me stumped. Her characters, usually pretty well developed, are so one-dimensional that I didn't feel sympathy for any of them and that is the "kiss of death" for me as a reader. I want to cheer for someone or at least feel interested in their fate. With these folks I would have been unmoved if they'd all been chucked over a cliff. Plus there were more than a few that I wanted to slap around and and say, "grow up!" So, perhaps I do not understand what Paretsky was trying to accomplish, but for me the book was tedious and unsatisfying.
Rating:
Summary: Is someone impersonating Sara Paretsky? It seems so.
Review: I obtained this book because of V.J. Warshawski, to whom reference is made on the book jacket. Imagine my disappointment when the first five pages were so totally dull, and the characters so completely deadly that I knew it would be a waste of time to get into the novel any further. Sara Paretsky may not want to be "trapped" in the Warshawski novels, but she does so extremely well in that genre! Ms. Paretsky has made the same mistake Robert Ludlum did when he tried to be funny in his two "Road..." books. This is a writer who definitely needs to stick with what she does so wonderfully.
Rating:
Summary: Embarrassingly bad
Review: I picked up GHOST COUNTRY at the library when I was in a mood for a quick, non-threatening read. That is not what I found. Instead of V.I Warshawski's take charge and sort out the problem and tie up all the loose ends fun read, GHOST COUNTRY was a book that would cause me to think and question. It was a time I didn't want to think about the problems and my role in their cause and cure. But, I know Gail Russel and her work at Sarah's Circle and was intrigued, so when the time was right I went back to find out what Ms. Paretsky had to say. I rembered TUNNEL VISION and her concern with the homeless. But GHOST COUNTRY is about much more than a look at people without housing, it is a look at individuals and how they come to be homeless how the parts of society, which I am part of, interact with the homless. The book plot is a compilcated mix of personalities, events and social institutions and their effects on each other. I will recommed it to my book group because Ms. Paratsky has written a book that requires the reader to think and question. The questions are not easy and the answers even harder. But my book group is an interesting mix of intelligent thinking women who stretch each other to move out of our comfortable thinking ruts. I hope that Ms. Paratsky continues to write about V.I., but that GHOST COUNTRY is followed by books that will stay in my mind and cause me to question what I believe and how I react toward others and the part I play in all I do. It is not a "pleasant" story. She is not Clyde Edgerton in WALKING ACROSS EGYPT, asking what is the role of the Church, what do young people need to be sucessful adults, what gives adults a state of grace. Instead Ms. Paretsky colors her story with some disturbing images, but she is not without hope and redemption.
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