Rating: 
Summary: V. I. Warshawski is so contentious
Review: in this novel, I don't believe there is anyone in the book that she doesn't "mix it up with", other than her current love interest Morrell. There is a lot of the story dialogue wasted on arguments with Vic, insults to and from Vic and misunderstandings with Vic. There is so much to be admired about Paretsky's Chicago heroine, it is doubtful that the reader will enjoy seeing her turned from being feisty in career and relationships to downright stubborn and opinionated.The ending of this story, with its insight into Lotty Herschel's past and persona, is touching, and makes the book worth finishing. An interesting premise, dealing with Holocaust reparations, is spoiled when it is entwined with Chicago politics, hypnosis, and a slightly demented protagonist known as Paul Radbuka. There is lots of action, but it feels as though VI is trotting back and forth all over town, tying up loose ends to an annoying, rather than thrilling, series of events. In the final outcome, the villains are implausible, although the reader doesn't really care who's responsible, he/she just wants to learn what the shrouded past of Doctor Lotty is, and what is causing her to behave in such an uncommon way. Not a good follow up to Hard Time, and hopefully, Paretsky will be a little more innovative in her choice of theme in future VI
Warshawsky novels.
Rating: 
Summary: One marvelous book
Review: I am a very vivid reader with interests form detective story to politics, from history to genetics, from time travel to physics. I read a lot, on average 6-8 books a week. This is the BEST book I have read in a long while. It has so much history, human psychology, analytical and deduction skills and such a humane statement in it that you continue thinking about this book and characters long after you finish reading it. It might be a little slow in the beginning, but than it was much too fast for me at the end. Once you get to the first corpse, you cannot put the book down. Lotty Herschel's character is the best-written personage. It is such a vivid description of all the atrocities and horrors of WWII that made me cry many times during the book, all these people who were on top of the world a lost everything, and the reality of it happening again. It is such a psychological drama, and such a sweet sorrow with such an optimistic ending that you want to read about these characters over and over again. I am sorry to see some people give this book 1 star, they are just cold, hard, unsophisticated, and neglectful if they cannot see beauty of these book. Read it - you will enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: A muddled read
Review: I plowed through this latest VI Warshawski book. It was hard concentrating on the story itself when I kept trying to figure out how Paretsky tied all the threads together in the first place. Lotty is brusque as usual, but this time she is also just plain miserable. Carl is miserable, Don is miserable, Calia is miserable - in fact everyone in this latest disaster is miserable. The only goodness comes from VI and Morrell, but it's not a "good" goodness. VI has changed. No more fighting, fuming, or chasing. The down-on-her-luck, tough as hell VI seems to have disappeared and has been replaced with this gentle soul who has found true love. BLAH! Couple this with the fact that we're treated to Paretsky's (and I guess VI's) political views on the Holocaust, slave reparations, and even the Taliban. I liked VI so much more before I found out she was a liberal!
Rating: 
Summary: Good Book intended for Regulars
Review: This was my first aproach to V.I. Varshawski, not mentioning the movie years ago. Total Recall is a long book in a genre that usually rounds mysteries on 300pp (Elizabeth George an exception). Paretsky won't settle for that and sets it up for us to think we're deep into very differents plots: an insurance fraud and a disturbed outcrying holocaust derived patient harassing her friends (Paul Radbuka). During the book I kept wondering what was wrong with V.I.'s way of treating people, everyone is, for a moment or two, against her, abusing her verbally, doubting her judgement, etc. even her friends and help (except maybe Mr. Contreras an odd character himself). It's like Paretsky likes to mount as much obstacles as possible for Vic to face.
The book has several interwoven chapters recovering the Lotty Herschel story that goes back to World War II, the Kindertransport, remorses and guilt. This chapters are great and probably the best in the book.
The thing I found a bit anoying comes from when Lotty feels, strangely treatened by Radbuka and behaves very irrationaly for hundreds of pages attacking and insulting V.I. Probably this isn't new for the V.I. frequent reader: Why does this woman stands that much abuse from a alleged friend? I assumed they were very close in other books, but Paretsky fails to convey that for the first time reader (something Sue Grafton always holds in mind). Vic says many times that she loves Lotty and so on but that didn't make it for me. Somehow Paretsky should have introduced the main characters as they show so their role, importance and oddities were understood.
If you never read a novel in this series you can find many open questions in the behavior of its characters. Its like if Paretsky is writing only for the regulars. Not withstanding this little shortcomming, the book is engrossing. You are going to read it top to bottom (of course not in one sitting). And once you go beyond the first 100 pages a bit slow paced but I guess needed to set up the plot, and the first corpse is found, you are caught in the book. I won't spoil the book writing about a few contrived points in the resolution, but be assured I plan to read more of this series. I couldn't say if its the best of them but it certainly is a good read.
Rating:
Summary: V. I. Warshawski is so contentious
Review: in this novel, I don't believe there is anyone in the book that she doesn't "mix it up with", other than her current love interest Morrell. There is a lot of the story dialogue wasted on arguments with Vic, insults to and from Vic and misunderstandings with Vic. There is so much to be admired about Paretsky's Chicago heroine, it is doubtful that the reader will enjoy seeing her turned from being feisty in career and relationships to downright stubborn and opinionated. The ending of this story, with its insight into Lotty Herschel's past and persona, is touching, and makes the book worth finishing. An interesting premise, dealing with Holocaust reparations, is spoiled when it is entwined with Chicago politics, hypnosis, and a slightly demented protagonist known as Paul Radbuka. There is lots of action, but it feels as though VI is trotting back and forth all over town, tying up loose ends to an annoying, rather than thrilling, series of events. In the final outcome, the villains are implausible, although the reader doesn't really care who's responsible, he/she just wants to learn what the shrouded past of Doctor Lotty is, and what is causing her to behave in such an uncommon way. Not a good follow up to Hard Time, and hopefully, Paretsky will be a little more innovative in her choice of theme in future VI
Warshawsky novels.
Rating:
Summary: What Happened to V.I.?
Review: I have read every VI Warshawski novel and, up until now, loved them all. This is a go-nowhere, who cares book. The tie in of the characters is so unbelievable that you have a hard time following the plot and don't really care anyway. The political views are boring and VI has totally lost all the personality I once admired. She is becoming boring and, therefore, I was bored! Does Lotty have to be miserable ALL THE TIME? There was no development of any of the characters and none of them were their usual selves. Don't read this book. It stinks!
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating tale involving the Holocaust and memories...
Review: This was one of Paretsky's better mysteries with her sleuth, V. I. Warshawski. The basic premise of the book involves recent events (90's) by children of parents killed in the Holocaust attempting to get their family's money out of Swiss banks, and evidently, cash in on life insurance sold to Jewish families throughout Europe, who were frighten by the obvious anti-Semitic of Hitler and his attempts to conquer Europe. Also involved is the issue in this country of slave reparations...both of these topics entertwine with each other throughout the whole mystery. .... As other reviewers have stated, the first hundred pages or so of setting up the plot is slightly onerous, or I would have given the book a five. Once you get past that the book reads extremely quickly. This is one book in which Warshawski ends up trying to help her mentor and friend, Lotty, who was one of the children sent to England prior to WWII to save their lives (by their families and parents). How ironic that these children often felt abandoned, when their parents were trying to do their best to save them. Yet, children do not understand the nature of the adult world, and so they create explanations that can make total sense for them. In the midst of all this tragedy, the efforts of insurance companies to avoid paying out what they owed to these families, and the murder that tied this all together...is another side plot having to do with planted memories and whether recalled memories under psychotherapy are real or not. ... The picture drawn of this pitiable man searching for an anchor in the form of a family after spending a lifetime of abuse under the hands of a ruthless man (who also sold life insurance policies to the Jews in Europe, and African-Americans in the U.S.) is very poignant. You understand the exasperation of V. I. with this guy who was barging his way into Lotty's extended family, but also you feel for him. One of the problems with the book lay in the fact that some of the loose ends not 'solved' to my satisfaction was with this particular person. I wish Paretsky had told us more about the reality of this man's life, as well as solving the murder and Lotty's problems from the Holocaust. Otherwise, an extremely good read! Karen Sadler
Rating:
Summary: Where Is the Mystery?
Review: I found this latest entry in the V.I. Warshawski series oddly compelling. I really shouldn't have liked this book. This series has never really made it onto my must-read list -- maybe its V.I.'s character? Even the Chicago milieu isn't very interesting. In Total Recal, the "myster(ies)" werent't very mysterious (there were several in this convoluted plot) and the solutions relied on a variety of coincidences. The plot was quite unbelievable. What kept me reading was the Lotty subtext. Again, there was no real mystery (A woman takes a leave of absense due to "illness" and disappears, never to speak to her lover again? -- hmmm, I wonder what that means?). What kept me reading was to see 1) if I was right about what was going on -- I was; and 2) Lotty's story.
Rating:
Summary: If you like REAL mysteries, move on...
Review: 500 pages of boring dribble. Typical political nonsense: rich people are evil, corporations are evil, the judicial system is evil, and all poor people and prisoners are simply victims of all above. The plot and action are all too unrealistic. I am a mystery reader, I like to be taken through unexpected journies. I like suprising twists and turns. I like characters who seem to be so unreal, but so close to people you really know. Nothing suprising in this book at all. And the book just fizzles at the end when the killer and motive are revealed. Even more unvbelievable is how VI gets "even" with at least some of thos evil entities listed above. If you like to read about the plight of the poor and how evil the world is, be my guest and get this book, everyone needs to make a buck, even Sara. If you like real mysteries, skip this one!
Rating:
Summary: Paretsky's Holocaust novel is interesting
Review: Sara Paretsky has something in common with Dick Francis. Every one of Francis' novels is about horse racing, and something else. The other topic is something esoteric (photography, flying planes, meteorology) and the author and his wife research the second topic so that the book is interesting. Paretsky does the same thing, only with issues. One book was about the Catholic church, another about hospitals. This current one is about the Holocaust, and the ensuing lawsuits against various business entities that profited from either the Holocaust or slavery and other civil rights abuses. Paretsky's main character, female private eye V.I.Warshawski is hired to investigate the status of an insurance policy that should be paid out now, but apparently was cashed in a decade ago. The insurance company claims no knowledge of the policy's end, and are refusing to pay when the policyholder dies. Meanwhile, Warshawski is caught up in another mystery, as an individual claiming to be a holocaust survivor shows up in Chicago. He's been to a recovered memory specialist who hypnotizes her subjects, and then gets them to remember things that happened when they were very young. Paul Radbucka remembers that he was abused, and that his father was a Nazi. He also remembers his name (he grew up with a different one) and other things that make him believe he might be related to a small group of people, one of whom is Warshawski's best friend, Dr. Lotte Herschel. We've known from previous books that Lotte was a holocaust survivor herself, but no details are ever forthcoming, because she believes in putting the past behind her. Now it's come back to haunt her, and all she wants to do is run and hide. It's up to V.I. to figure out what's going on and make sense of things. I enjoyed this book more than I have some of Paretsky's other novels. Occasionally she gets preachy about her ideas on a particular issue, and whether I disagree with her ...or don't really care...it's annoying to spend your afternoon reading a detective novel and getting preached to. Total Recall, however, is a good book, and it doesn't seem preachy because the author doesn't seem to have much of an axe to grind. Anyway the plot is fascinating, and has at least one twist that I didn't see coming, and I enjoyed the book thoroughly.
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