Rating: 
Summary: First half-too long...2nd half - fantastic!
Review: Hmmm...Paretsky's been around for a while. I haven't picked up one of her books for probably two years. After a while, these prolific mystery authors who churn out a yearly contribution for wasting time on tend to repeat themselves. this time I did not find that was so. I really enjoyed the last half of the book, which exhibited all the good writer qualities that won Paretsky such a large audience in the first place. The first half of the book was probably necessary to build the last half of the book. It just seemed it could have been done tighter; less words, more action, not as long. There were a few departures from the main plot as Paretsky went off on tangents, and got in a few lectures. Like many TV sitcoms which go on for too long (MASH for one)...Paretsky is falling into the usual "I need to make a difference" trap. This time the lecture was on women's prisons and political/financial shenanigans. This isn't to say the 'lecture' wasn't interesting, or didn't help with the plot. Just...you have to be careful. I know a lot of books, a lot of shows which have turned off their loyal audiences by overdoing the political/social good motivations of the authors or the writers of TV scripts. This was an enjoyable book. The last half sped by quickly. Warshwski is getting older, like all of us. The body is failing to respond as she wants it, and her concerns about being alone and not having the wherewithal to support herself in old age is a fear that faces many throughout the U.S. It's nice to see an established author facing reality of aging on her protagonist, so the rest of us don't feel so lacking! Karen Sadler,
University of Pittsburgh
Rating: 
Summary: Improbable but V.I. triumphs again
Review: I agree that V.I. is getting a bit long in the tooth to be carrying on as she does, but it works. The plot in this latest Paretsky offering had me turning the pages like a house afire. As an avid mystery reader, I enjoy the forthrightness of V.I. while fully realizing the improbability of her life. But who wouldn't want Mr. Contreras as a neighbor or the slavish devotion of her two dogs? Coupled with the realistic look at our prison system, this book has a great deal to say (also about corruption in the legal system). Thanks, Ms. Paretsky...anxiously awaiting the next offering.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Book from Sara Paretsky!
Review: I always enjoy novels by Sara Paretsky. Hard Time, although an excellent book, it may not be as engaging as her others, but it is definitley a very different book. V.I. is actually put into prison and you get a frist hand account of her horrors and dangers within. Definitley action packed, with a little more violence than usual. Overall an excellent book definitley worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: In Search of More Poetic Prose in a Thriller
Review: I am an author and I love thrillers. My biggest disappointment in today's world of adventure fiction is the inability to find a mesmerizing adventure constructed with poetic and living prose which allows me to feel the southern Louisiana heat, smell the toasted bagels in a Manhattan deli or wince along with the facial expressions of a lawyer caught ambulance chasing in the hospital room of a critically injured patient. While a better yarner than Turow, this author's works lack the sort of living color which fiction demands. I recently discovered an author who accomplishes this and a thriller in which he does it. The author is Gary Wickert, and the book is DARK REDEMPTION. I didn't find it yet on Barnes & Noble, but it has just been released and it is available on Amazon.com. If you like this author's storylines, but want to be riveted to and made love to by the prose which are the building blocks of any piece of fiction....READ 'DARK REDEMPTION'.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome Back, VI
Review: I am an unabashed fan of female detective novels, and Sara Paretsky is one of my favorites. This is a terrific read - one I hated to put down. As usual, the characters - even minor ones - were vivid, people you knew or might know. I eagerly waited for the story to unfold. Too often, when a popular novelist decides to "raise our consciousness" with social issues, the result is a failure; not so in this case. Paretsky draws a picture of Coolis, a fictional prison, that made me uncomfortable. I felt concern - even as I eagerly turned the page to see the plot unfold. This is a well-crafted piece of work and a satisfying mystery.
Rating:
Summary: A Real Surprise
Review: I bought Hard Time on a whim having dimly remembered the Kathlene Turner movie. I was expecting a standard tough cookie woman detective novel and instead got a great read. The book starts off with VI almost running over the body of an "escaped" woman prisoner and rapidly develops into a complex web of Chicago politics, media scheming, and win at all costs capitalism. All without Paretsky losing her lightness of touch and humorous prose. Although the final third of the novel becomes rather uncomfortable because of the unremitting terrors of the womans' prison scenes, the book achieves important social commentary without being exploitive or in your face. As VI points out, this is an area of society that we non criminals never think about and if we do we reflexively agree that it should come with truckloads of punishment. The key villain and wife, Eleanor, seem too evil to be real and the final confrontation in church is a little too contrived and symbolic. Overall though I gave it five stars for being a real page turner.
Rating:
Summary: I Agree with James!
Review: I considered writing a lengthly review but "James" in "New Rochelle" did it for me! Thanks James. I will only add that, although I will certainly read the next Paretsky novel, I surely hope she refrains from the endless, rather gruesome, prison descriptions.
Rating:
Summary: SLOW TO START, BUT ENDS WITH A BANG.
Review: I could put this book down, and did several times. In fact I read two other books while I was reading this one, so I can't say that it kept my interest from the beginning. I couldn't quite understand a P.I. taking this much time and effort to work on a case she wouldn't be paid for. I also didn't quite buy the risks she took to solve the case. I must say that her portrayal of prison life was unnervingly accurate and I wish that more writers would tackle the subject of incarceration and the inhuman treatment of prisoners right here in the good ol' USA. Georgia is a prime example of the "company store", except that prisoners in Georgia are not even paid for their work. The powers that be don't even try to pass it off as rehabilitation. After all, how much demand is there on the street for people who can make three tier bunkbeds out of scrap iron. The ending was worth wading through the first half of the book, and I would recommend this book to readers that like mystery and crime stories. All I can say is - stick with it. The ending is worth it. Perhaps if I had read this author before I would have understood some of the beginning characters more. Give it a try.
Rating: 
Summary: Good writing, plot too obvious
Review: I enjoyed reading this book, except for the prison time sequence. That part seemed more like an expose of the prison system than a necessary part of the story line. I already knew the perpetrator of the crime and the motivation before VI ended up in prison.
Rating:
Summary: Good writing, plot too obvious
Review: I enjoyed reading this book, except for the prison time sequence. That part seemed more like an expose of the prison system than a necessary part of the story line. I already knew the perpetrator of the crime and the motivation before VI ended up in prison.
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