A strange crime gets V.I. Warshawski involved with some of Chicago’s most rich and powerful players in this thriller from New York Times bestselling author Sara Paretsky.
When a group of Chicago tweens holds a ritual in an abandoned cemetery, they stumble on an actual corpse—stabbed through the heart in a vampire-style slaying. V.I. Warshawski arrives on the scene to escort the girls home–but protecting them places her at the tangled center of the investigation. And the girls include daughters of some of Chicago’s most powerful families: the grandfather of one, Chaim Salanter, is among the world’s wealthiest men; the mother of another, Sophy Durango, is running for the United States Senate.
For V.I., the questions multiply faster than the answers. Is the killing linked to a hostile media campaign against Durango—or to Salanter’s childhood in Nazi-occupied Lithuania? As V.I. struggles to find an answer, she finds herself fighting enemies who are no less terrifying for being all too human.
Sara Paretsky is the author of 20 books, including her renowned V. I. Warshawski novels. Her many awards include the Cartier Diamond Dagger Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Crime Writers' Association and the 2011 Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award. She lives in Chicago, Illinois.
View titles by Sara Paretsky
Praise for Breakdown
“With a satisfying array of baddies and the same comfortable heroes, Sara Paretsky gives her fans all they could ask for and everything they should expect.”—Chicago Sun-Times
“One of the many pleasures of Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski novels is that the sharp-tongued, short-tempered detective often seems to be following clues that lead not just to the heart of whatever mystery is at hand, but also into the red-hot center of the zeitgeist itself.”—Los Angeles Times
“Breakdown's riveting plot mixes the mania for vampire and supernatural novels, especially among tweens, virulent TV broadcasters, tabloid journalism, xenophobia and dirty politics.”—Sun Sentinel
“Full of thrills, chills and social ills...The Warshawski novels have only grown better: more ambitious in their construction and fiercer both in their feminist politics and in their commitment to storylines about social justice.”—Maureen Corrigan, NPR.Books
More Praise for Sara Paretsky and the V. I. Warshawski series
“Sara Paretsky’s Chicago private eye, V. I. Warshawski, is one tough cookie.”—The New York Times Book Review
“One of our genre’s crucial, solid-gold, best-ever series. Paretsky is a genius.”—Lee Child
“V.I. Warshawski is one of my all-time favorite investigators.”—Lisa Gardner
“For me, the most remarkable of the moderns is Sara Paretsky.”—P.D. James
“One of the most-loved characters in crime fiction.”—Booklist (starred review)
“No one, male or female, writes better P.I. books than Paretsky.”—The Denver Post
“Paretsky's books are beautifully paced and plotted, and the dialogue is fresh and smart...V.I. Warshawski is the most engaging woman in detective fiction.”—Newsweek
A strange crime gets V.I. Warshawski involved with some of Chicago’s most rich and powerful players in this thriller from New York Times bestselling author Sara Paretsky.
When a group of Chicago tweens holds a ritual in an abandoned cemetery, they stumble on an actual corpse—stabbed through the heart in a vampire-style slaying. V.I. Warshawski arrives on the scene to escort the girls home–but protecting them places her at the tangled center of the investigation. And the girls include daughters of some of Chicago’s most powerful families: the grandfather of one, Chaim Salanter, is among the world’s wealthiest men; the mother of another, Sophy Durango, is running for the United States Senate.
For V.I., the questions multiply faster than the answers. Is the killing linked to a hostile media campaign against Durango—or to Salanter’s childhood in Nazi-occupied Lithuania? As V.I. struggles to find an answer, she finds herself fighting enemies who are no less terrifying for being all too human.
Sara Paretsky is the author of 20 books, including her renowned V. I. Warshawski novels. Her many awards include the Cartier Diamond Dagger Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Crime Writers' Association and the 2011 Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award. She lives in Chicago, Illinois.
View titles by Sara Paretsky
Praise
Praise for Breakdown
“With a satisfying array of baddies and the same comfortable heroes, Sara Paretsky gives her fans all they could ask for and everything they should expect.”—Chicago Sun-Times
“One of the many pleasures of Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski novels is that the sharp-tongued, short-tempered detective often seems to be following clues that lead not just to the heart of whatever mystery is at hand, but also into the red-hot center of the zeitgeist itself.”—Los Angeles Times
“Breakdown's riveting plot mixes the mania for vampire and supernatural novels, especially among tweens, virulent TV broadcasters, tabloid journalism, xenophobia and dirty politics.”—Sun Sentinel
“Full of thrills, chills and social ills...The Warshawski novels have only grown better: more ambitious in their construction and fiercer both in their feminist politics and in their commitment to storylines about social justice.”—Maureen Corrigan, NPR.Books
More Praise for Sara Paretsky and the V. I. Warshawski series
“Sara Paretsky’s Chicago private eye, V. I. Warshawski, is one tough cookie.”—The New York Times Book Review
“One of our genre’s crucial, solid-gold, best-ever series. Paretsky is a genius.”—Lee Child
“V.I. Warshawski is one of my all-time favorite investigators.”—Lisa Gardner
“For me, the most remarkable of the moderns is Sara Paretsky.”—P.D. James
“One of the most-loved characters in crime fiction.”—Booklist (starred review)
“No one, male or female, writes better P.I. books than Paretsky.”—The Denver Post
“Paretsky's books are beautifully paced and plotted, and the dialogue is fresh and smart...V.I. Warshawski is the most engaging woman in detective fiction.”—Newsweek
