I have seen a lot of readers posting their praise for author Sara Paretsky’s books and decided to give her a try. She writes a series of books based on a woman private detective, V.I. Warshawki, set in Chicago. Starting another series, especially one with 22 books published, did not bring about a sense of excitement. I decided I would read the first book in the series and if I loved it, I would be happy to pursue the series.

Since I’m the type of person who has to start a series at the beginning, I started my journey with the first installment, Indemnity Only. V.I. Warshawski is hired by John Thayer, a prominent banker, who says his son’s girlfriend, Anita Hill, is missing. V.I. quickly learns that isn’t the girlfriend’s real name. While searching for her, V.I. finds the son, Peter Thayer, dead in his apartment. The mystery thickens when V.I. learns she wasn’t hired by John Thayer in the first place. Before V.I. can find the girlfriend, she must uncover the identity of her client and who murdered young Peter Thayer.

Like any good mystery, this novel kept me busy following the characters and how they connected. And most importantly, why did someone want to kill Peter? The location of the girlfriend remained a constant mystery while V.I. worked diligently to put together the pieces of the puzzle.

I enjoyed Indemnity Only, but I didn’t love it as I hoped. V.I. Warshawski is a tough detective and quite sharp at her detecting skills. She reminded me a lot of Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone character in her alphabet series. I have been reading my way through that series for a few years now and I’m almost finished. It’s hard to describe, but this book didn’t affect me enough to keep reading the series. I’m at a stage in my life where I want to read books that I love. Meaning, I can’t wait to resume reading and it has characters I adore getting to know. A book that gives me all the feels! Sara Paretsky is a good storyteller. Indemnity Only is a good book that I recommend to anyone who is looking for a lengthy series in the mystery genre.

I purchased the audiobook of Indemnity Only through Audible. Narrator Susan Ericksen does a great job conveying the tough character of V.I. Warshawski.

I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog ( )

The first VI novel, I liked it quite a bit. It's not as tumultuous as some other mystery novels, but well paced and a lot of fun. The ending is a bit miraculous and the last piece of the puzzle drops into VIs lap. ( )

I had never read anything by Sara Paretsky before, but was familiar with the V.I. Warshawski character. I really enjoyed the plot, the characters and the noirish feel of the book. Warshawski is a bad ass female character which really appeals to me. The only weak point of the book to me was the "romance." Actually, it was more of a hook up than a romance and the two characters had all the chemistry of wet noodles. Seriously, I found it a throwaway that added little or nothing to the story. ( )

Not the worst mystery crime book I've ever read but certainly the least well edited, with numerous sentences missing verbs. I like V. I.'s feminist credentials and the portrayal of the sexism with which she has to deal which lends credibility to the female PI's world. Will see of the second in the series improves. ( )

As the title suggests V. I. Warshawski, our intrepid, hard-ass private detective, has been hired (reluctantly, for of course she’s only a “girl”, you know:-) by a bank executive at Chicago’s biggest bank to investigate the disappearance of his son’s girlfriend, Anita Hill (yes, weird coincidence with the name, isn’t it…). According to the father, the son is blaming her disappearance on him, and the father wishes to make good with the son so he’ll go off to business school and become a banker like a good boy. When the "son" turns up dead…the plot certainly thickens. Turns out, the bank executive is not who he says he is… .

This first novel in the V. I. Warshawski crime series was first published in 1982; this mass market edition celebrates it’s 30th anniversary (2012), and my reading of it comes as it is about to celebrate 40 years in print. Much has changed since 1982, certainly a female private investigator is not a novelty anymore. V. I. ("Vicky," to a select few) is a very tough, clever and resourceful P.I. and I liked her for all those things. The complex story is remarkably timeless, despite the lack of modern technology (—I noted only one mention of a computer near the end of the book, and there was a mention of a Datsun ...remember them?).

I’m not a big fan of“classic” or “hard-boiled” detective novels which feature private detectives, although I admit to reading quite some Agatha Christie as a young teen and reading all of Conan Doyle, Dorothy Sayers, and some Wilkie Collins back in the early 80s. However, having said that, I thought this novel a wonderfully diverting read, complex and fun. Will I read more of Paretsky’s series? Perhaps. Maybe I should order the next one to have on hand just in case…. ( )