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V.I. Warshawski #3
Killing Orders
V.I.'s battleaxe Aunt Rosa is under investigation by the FBI and SEC after counterfeit stock certificates were found at St. Albert's Priory, where she serves as treasurer. As malicious as her aunt is, V.I. knows she's not dishonest, so V.I. vows to protect her from taking the fall. But V.I. starts questioning the strength of her family ties when a menacing voice on the phone threatens to throw acid into her eyes if she doesn't butt out. The stakes are high as she begins to sniff out a connection between Chicago's most powerful the Church and the Mob.
373 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 11, 1985
583 people are currently reading
1458 people want to read
About the author
Sara Paretsky
271 books2,370 followersSara Paretsky is a modern American author of detective fiction. Paretsky was raised in Kansas, and graduated from the state university with a degree in political science. She did community service work on the south side of Chicago in 1966 and returned in 1968 to work there. She ultimately completed a Ph.D. in history at the University of Chicago, entitled The Breakdown of Moral Philosophy in New England Before the Civil War, and finally earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. Married to a professor of physics at the University of Chicago, she has lived in Chicago since 1968.
The protagonist of all but two of Paretsky's novels is V.I. Warshawski, a female private investigator. Warshawski's eclectic personality defies easy categorization. She drinks Johnnie Walker Black Label, breaks into houses looking for clues, and can hold her own in a street fight, but also she pays attention to her clothes, sings opera along with the radio, and enjoys her sex life.
Paretsky is credited with transforming the role and image of women in the crime novel. The Winter 2007 issue of Clues: A Journal of Detection is devoted to her work.
Her two books that are non-Warshawski novels are : Ghost Country (1998) and Bleeding Kansas (2008).
The protagonist of all but two of Paretsky's novels is V.I. Warshawski, a female private investigator. Warshawski's eclectic personality defies easy categorization. She drinks Johnnie Walker Black Label, breaks into houses looking for clues, and can hold her own in a street fight, but also she pays attention to her clothes, sings opera along with the radio, and enjoys her sex life.
Paretsky is credited with transforming the role and image of women in the crime novel. The Winter 2007 issue of Clues: A Journal of Detection is devoted to her work.
Her two books that are non-Warshawski novels are : Ghost Country (1998) and Bleeding Kansas (2008).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 274 reviews
March 26, 2020
Book Review
4 of 5 stars to Killing Orders, the third novel in the V.I. Warshawski mystery and thriller series, published in 1985 and written by Sara Paretsky. Another great installment, pitting VI against her own family this time. It's gotta be hard to have an animosity within your family, especially when your parents are gone and your aunt is one of the only people left. But VI and Aunt Rosa aren't close. Yet when Aunt Rosa is accused of counterfeiting, VI knows she has to help try to clear her family's good name. And thus begins Killing Orders, where VI takes on the church! Ever wonder whether the church was evil? Or it could want to steal money and kill to protect it? Seems so in this little thriller... long before Robert Langdon investigated the church in Dan Brown's famous novels, VI paved the path to a deep-rooted analysis of what's gone right and what's gone wrong inside the holy walls. Of course, there were others before Paretsky, but this one will stick with you. It's a good stand-alone mystery, too, if you don't have interest in the whole series. Writing is good, but there are a few unbelievable moments, where you will squint your eyes to believe what you're reading. But drama is sometimes necessary in order to accomplish the goals of selling books!
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.
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4 of 5 stars to Killing Orders, the third novel in the V.I. Warshawski mystery and thriller series, published in 1985 and written by Sara Paretsky. Another great installment, pitting VI against her own family this time. It's gotta be hard to have an animosity within your family, especially when your parents are gone and your aunt is one of the only people left. But VI and Aunt Rosa aren't close. Yet when Aunt Rosa is accused of counterfeiting, VI knows she has to help try to clear her family's good name. And thus begins Killing Orders, where VI takes on the church! Ever wonder whether the church was evil? Or it could want to steal money and kill to protect it? Seems so in this little thriller... long before Robert Langdon investigated the church in Dan Brown's famous novels, VI paved the path to a deep-rooted analysis of what's gone right and what's gone wrong inside the holy walls. Of course, there were others before Paretsky, but this one will stick with you. It's a good stand-alone mystery, too, if you don't have interest in the whole series. Writing is good, but there are a few unbelievable moments, where you will squint your eyes to believe what you're reading. But drama is sometimes necessary in order to accomplish the goals of selling books!
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.
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July 11, 2025
4 stars for a mystery with many twists. This is book 3 in a series that my wife recommended to me many years ago. I read several books in the series, but out of order. I have decided to go back and read the rest of series in order. My wife has read all of them.
This book starts with Victoria Warshawski, who prefers the initials V.I. to Victoria, being called to her great aunt Rosa for assistance. There is bad blood between the two. Rosa hated V.I. 's mother and has transferred that hate to V.I. However, V.I.'s mother made her promise that V.I. would always help Rosa if she needed it. Rosa has been suspended from her job as cleaner at a local RC church because some securities have gone missing and Rosa is a suspect. Rosa wants V.I. to clear her name. V.I. starts to investigate, but Rosa changes her mind and says stop the investigation. But V.I. continues out of stubbornness. She is threatened and then attacked. She does solve the case with a satisfactory ending.
One quote, describing a house: "The house looked like a Frank Lloyd Wright building with a genetic malfunction-it had kept reproducing wings and layers in all directions until someone gave it chemotherapy and stopped the process."
This was a library book.
This book starts with Victoria Warshawski, who prefers the initials V.I. to Victoria, being called to her great aunt Rosa for assistance. There is bad blood between the two. Rosa hated V.I. 's mother and has transferred that hate to V.I. However, V.I.'s mother made her promise that V.I. would always help Rosa if she needed it. Rosa has been suspended from her job as cleaner at a local RC church because some securities have gone missing and Rosa is a suspect. Rosa wants V.I. to clear her name. V.I. starts to investigate, but Rosa changes her mind and says stop the investigation. But V.I. continues out of stubbornness. She is threatened and then attacked. She does solve the case with a satisfactory ending.
One quote, describing a house: "The house looked like a Frank Lloyd Wright building with a genetic malfunction-it had kept reproducing wings and layers in all directions until someone gave it chemotherapy and stopped the process."
This was a library book.
December 24, 2015
I have said this before but you definitely have to go into these books tongue in cheek. A lot of the action is just so far fetched but at the same time eminently readable. The main character is like someone out of a Marvel Comic strip. She survives the most amazing obstacles and always comes out on top. At the same time the story is good, the action constant and the characters charming. Four stars for pure entertainment value and a promise to continue with the series asap.
April 19, 2017
I loved that the book finally got into more background on V.I.'s dead mother and her antagonistic relationship with her Aunt Rosa. I didn't really enjoy the parts that dealt with the outdated attitudes about lesbians and at one point hoped that the character of Bobby would have a stroke. I also didn't believe all of the craziness that was surrounding V.I. was realistic and her not wanting to tell the police anything was beyond stupid. Her falling out with Lotty was actually interesting, but that quickly got resolved by the end of the book.
in "Killing Orders" V.I. is called to help out her dead mother's aunt. V.I. can't stand the woman and has no idea why her mother on her deathbed demanded a promise from V.I. that she would help Rosa if she ever came calling. Rosa (who sucks by the way) is under investigation by the FBI and SEC after counterfeit stock certificates show up in a church safe where she worked as the treasurer. Though V.I. wishes that the FBI would just come and drag Rosa off into the night (and so will you by the end of this book) V.I. reluctantly investigates. She comes across some bits and pieces that don't seem like they will fit, but ultimately do. She also has a romance with a man who was introduced in the last book (Roger Ferrant) that I was actually interested in this time through cause for once we have Vic (I am tired of typing out V.I.) realizing that she doesn't need to be defensive and nasty towards someone who is expressing concerns towards her.
We get appearances by Lotty, Bobby, Murray, her college friend that was also mentioned in a previous book, and a new character by the way of Lotty's uncle who I thoroughly enjoyed. I have to say that Bobby really sucks in this one. Someone close to Vic in this one dies and there is an ugly accusation that Vic is a lesbian. The whole thing was terrible to read and just made me shake my head. I am glad it's 2017, but I know that old attitudes like that die hard.
We also get some of Vic's thoughts on the Catholic Church which didn't surprise me at this point in the series.
The writing was good though once again I had to laugh from the constant barrage of attacks that Vic is under and how she seems to get out of trouble every five seconds. She's like the freaking road runner. I started just nodding my head after a while.
I have to say that I didn't buy the ending at all though did like that we finally have Vic moving locations. Her apartment sounds terrible. Now if only she moved offices.
in "Killing Orders" V.I. is called to help out her dead mother's aunt. V.I. can't stand the woman and has no idea why her mother on her deathbed demanded a promise from V.I. that she would help Rosa if she ever came calling. Rosa (who sucks by the way) is under investigation by the FBI and SEC after counterfeit stock certificates show up in a church safe where she worked as the treasurer. Though V.I. wishes that the FBI would just come and drag Rosa off into the night (and so will you by the end of this book) V.I. reluctantly investigates. She comes across some bits and pieces that don't seem like they will fit, but ultimately do. She also has a romance with a man who was introduced in the last book (Roger Ferrant) that I was actually interested in this time through cause for once we have Vic (I am tired of typing out V.I.) realizing that she doesn't need to be defensive and nasty towards someone who is expressing concerns towards her.
We get appearances by Lotty, Bobby, Murray, her college friend that was also mentioned in a previous book, and a new character by the way of Lotty's uncle who I thoroughly enjoyed. I have to say that Bobby really sucks in this one. Someone close to Vic in this one dies and there is an ugly accusation that Vic is a lesbian. The whole thing was terrible to read and just made me shake my head. I am glad it's 2017, but I know that old attitudes like that die hard.
We also get some of Vic's thoughts on the Catholic Church which didn't surprise me at this point in the series.
The writing was good though once again I had to laugh from the constant barrage of attacks that Vic is under and how she seems to get out of trouble every five seconds. She's like the freaking road runner. I started just nodding my head after a while.
I have to say that I didn't buy the ending at all though did like that we finally have Vic moving locations. Her apartment sounds terrible. Now if only she moved offices.
September 4, 2024
Third in the series and a great story. V.I agrees to help her estranged Aunt Rosa who is suspected of involvement in some missing share certificates at the Priory where she is the Treasurer. This story involves the Vatican and it’s missing millions and the takeover of Ajax an insurance company.
Murder, fire, forgery and the Mafia are all in this detective tale.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The mystery Corpus Christi behind the takeover with a corrupt Archbishop are all revealed. The shock that the wealthy Catherine’s daughter Agnes murder is due to her membership causes her to have a stroke. Rosa goes mad. V.I lover Roger goes back to London and Lotty and her are reconciled after she almost gets her eccentric Uncle Stefan killed.
A good page turner.
Murder, fire, forgery and the Mafia are all in this detective tale.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The mystery Corpus Christi behind the takeover with a corrupt Archbishop are all revealed. The shock that the wealthy Catherine’s daughter Agnes murder is due to her membership causes her to have a stroke. Rosa goes mad. V.I lover Roger goes back to London and Lotty and her are reconciled after she almost gets her eccentric Uncle Stefan killed.
A good page turner.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2025
I have read every single one of these books and loved them all. I wasn’t on Goodreads when I started , so when I see them pop up, I add them.
December 17, 2012
Scooooorrrrre! And the crowd roars!
Ok, ok. It's not a Great Book. But this is The One (previously Jet Li). Women need an extraordinary badass female detective and V.I. Warshawski is that guy. If James Bond can be young for 70 years and know how to do everything there is to do in the world, why can't we have a comparable female character? Plus, she actually is 'real' in that she has a well-rounded personality, except for her excessive need to do it herself even if she is bleeding out.
Not quite a cartoon, but if she was, she'd be a dark noir graphic novel character who can cook curried eggs with peas and tomatoes. She has no illusions, but she knows who the bad guys are and she's determined not to be them, even if she strays into their territory on occasion. We know she is suppressing demons because of sideways clues, such as having passed the Bar in Illinois and having been a practicing defense lawyer previously, her mother having died of cancer when V. I. was 15, her father sickening slowly while on duty as a police officer, her complete disregard of her physical condition while on the job and her sarcastic quips in the face of authority (definitely what I love the most about her).
Of course, she is smart, political and proactive in all the right ways. Every political and religious and feminist argument she has in these books I've had in real life. She studied finance, I studied finance. How can I not LOVE her? Of all the female P.I.s I obsessively enjoy, Warshawsky stands at the front of the crowd.
Unexpectedly, Rosa Vignelli, V.I.'s aunt, calls her, fearful and desperate. VI knows something awful for her aunt must have happened because the mutual hatred between them goes back to when Rosa threw VI's mother, Gabriella, out into the streets of Chicago with nothing but the clothes on her back and no English. For some reason, VI's mother extracted a promise from VI to help Rosa if she ever needed it, so VI goes to her aunt's house to talk to her. Answering the door is her cousin, Albert, an accountant, who VI is not particularly fond of either. Rosa reluctantly exposes she is in difficulty, but within minutes she is too angry and full of hatred to discuss her problem and leaves the room, leaving it to Albert to hire VI. Vignelli works at St. Albert Priory as their Treasurer and she has been asked to go out on a temporary leave of absence because a locked safe she was in charge of has been discovered to have been robbed of securities, replaced with fakes. VI begins her investigation with the priests, only to be quickly fired by her aunt a few days later. However, VI has learned of a few things which definitely has aroused her suspicions, especially because of the possible involvement of thieving priests, forgers, the mob and her despised aunt. But when her best friend is murdered and telephoned threats against her life are made, it's not only personal, but a matter of VI's survival to solve the case.
Ok, ok. It's not a Great Book. But this is The One (previously Jet Li). Women need an extraordinary badass female detective and V.I. Warshawski is that guy. If James Bond can be young for 70 years and know how to do everything there is to do in the world, why can't we have a comparable female character? Plus, she actually is 'real' in that she has a well-rounded personality, except for her excessive need to do it herself even if she is bleeding out.
Not quite a cartoon, but if she was, she'd be a dark noir graphic novel character who can cook curried eggs with peas and tomatoes. She has no illusions, but she knows who the bad guys are and she's determined not to be them, even if she strays into their territory on occasion. We know she is suppressing demons because of sideways clues, such as having passed the Bar in Illinois and having been a practicing defense lawyer previously, her mother having died of cancer when V. I. was 15, her father sickening slowly while on duty as a police officer, her complete disregard of her physical condition while on the job and her sarcastic quips in the face of authority (definitely what I love the most about her).
Of course, she is smart, political and proactive in all the right ways. Every political and religious and feminist argument she has in these books I've had in real life. She studied finance, I studied finance. How can I not LOVE her? Of all the female P.I.s I obsessively enjoy, Warshawsky stands at the front of the crowd.
Unexpectedly, Rosa Vignelli, V.I.'s aunt, calls her, fearful and desperate. VI knows something awful for her aunt must have happened because the mutual hatred between them goes back to when Rosa threw VI's mother, Gabriella, out into the streets of Chicago with nothing but the clothes on her back and no English. For some reason, VI's mother extracted a promise from VI to help Rosa if she ever needed it, so VI goes to her aunt's house to talk to her. Answering the door is her cousin, Albert, an accountant, who VI is not particularly fond of either. Rosa reluctantly exposes she is in difficulty, but within minutes she is too angry and full of hatred to discuss her problem and leaves the room, leaving it to Albert to hire VI. Vignelli works at St. Albert Priory as their Treasurer and she has been asked to go out on a temporary leave of absence because a locked safe she was in charge of has been discovered to have been robbed of securities, replaced with fakes. VI begins her investigation with the priests, only to be quickly fired by her aunt a few days later. However, VI has learned of a few things which definitely has aroused her suspicions, especially because of the possible involvement of thieving priests, forgers, the mob and her despised aunt. But when her best friend is murdered and telephoned threats against her life are made, it's not only personal, but a matter of VI's survival to solve the case.
October 9, 2023
I remember when one of the things that made candidate (and later president) Bill Clinton seem so cool was his being caught reading one of the V.I. Warshawski novels while on the campaign trail. (Playing jazz sax and appearing on Arsenio Hall’s talk show didn’t hurt him, either.) But I never took the plunge on this Chicago public defender-turned-private detective until now. (Thank you, Foxy Vixen!)
Warshawski receives a summons — pretty good way to characterize it — from her hateful great-aunt Rosa Vignelli. It seems that $100,000 of securities have been stolen and swapped for pretty good forgeries at the Dominican monks’ priory where she works. But Warshawski finds that an untold number of people don’t want her to look into this fraud. Killing Orders is the third in the Warshawski series, but I, a newbie, had no trouble keeping up; rather, I was swept into the plot and stayed up way too late to find out what happened. What a rollercoaster ride! Readers will adore this five-star page-turner!
Warshawski receives a summons — pretty good way to characterize it — from her hateful great-aunt Rosa Vignelli. It seems that $100,000 of securities have been stolen and swapped for pretty good forgeries at the Dominican monks’ priory where she works. But Warshawski finds that an untold number of people don’t want her to look into this fraud. Killing Orders is the third in the Warshawski series, but I, a newbie, had no trouble keeping up; rather, I was swept into the plot and stayed up way too late to find out what happened. What a rollercoaster ride! Readers will adore this five-star page-turner!
January 24, 2013
I love early Warshawski. Interestingly, although I loved this now and am all but certain that I've read it before what has stayed with me of it over the ensuing decades is not so much the story, the plot, as the ambience, the incidentals. What stood out when I first read Paretsky's work was Warshawski's integrity and willingness to please NO-ONE in her pursuit of answers and justice. Her lack of apparent need to please, ingratiate or charm seemed to smash some of the gender stereotypes of the time; sadly, it probably still does. And all the more so in that Paretsky does this without drawing a wearyingly complicated or obnoxious personality for her character.
I wouldn't often re-visit a thriller but glad to have done so in this case. And almost certain that I was again enjoying the experience rather than wallowing in nostalgia.
I wouldn't often re-visit a thriller but glad to have done so in this case. And almost certain that I was again enjoying the experience rather than wallowing in nostalgia.
August 13, 2025
I have this idea of going through this entire series from the beginning in order in the Audible format in mid 2025. It may turn out to be too intense and undertaking because going immediately from book to book without pause maybe too much. The first book in this long series Seem to have a certain intensity that softened somewhat as time went by. Or maybe it was just that there was enough time to recover between books. This particular book includes what seems to be a totally unreasonable number of crisis situations for our detective with 10 years experience as a PI. This is only the third book, but it is hard to imagine that our friend will survive much longer if she continues at this rate of life-threatening events. At the end of this book, she even turns over one of the bad guys to the punishment of the Chicago mafia. His death in a car bombing as a result seems very unlike the character that I used to know. She gets one of the big financial payments at the end of this book as seems to be become part of her routine throughout the series. Since she lost her home in a fire, She uses that money to purchase a condominium. Possibly this will be her home for the balance of the series? I am still gasping a little bit from the action and tension in this book but will move on in just a few minutes to see what his next.
_______________________
I am listening to this book in the audible format just less than 10 years after I first read it as a printed book. The book was first published as the third in a many book series. The books were not created in the audible format until many years later.
I am not as impressed with this particular book as I evidently was when I first read it. I find it overly involved with Catholic trappings and financial maneuvering and family relationships. I do remember that VI Warshawski was occasionally willing to be a lawbreaker her self mostly in the form of B&Es seeking evidence and information. But this book seems overly littered with her picking locks and stealing documents. The concept of the good guy who has a little bit of the bad guy as a part of the character has become very popular recently. I’m not sure if this character was a leader in that trend but I thought in this book it was a little overdone.
How this private investigator actually earned enough money to live is a constant part of the background in this entire series. In this book she receives her first substantial payment of $25,000 evidently supposedly anonymously from a gangster. She also steps into her world of violence by buying a gun. Not a strange thing for a private investigator but she does seem to be on a slippery slope in these early books of the series as the author tries to explore the future tendencies and moralities of this central character who will continue on at least a couple of more decades.
I have demoted this book from five stars to four stars due in part to the less than pleasing focus of the story in my opinion as well as due to the awkward search of the author for the identity of this central character. The dogs have yet to arrive and the complexity of the morality has yet to be sorted out.
—————————-
I am reading several books at the same time. I often do that when I am reading a difficult book. Killing Orders is my R&R from reading The Girls Who Went Away, a book about the experiences of young unwed women who released their babies for adoption in the 1950s and 1960s. V.I. Warshawski with all her drama is relaxing by comparison!
However, V.I.’s sparing with a Catholic brother at a Dominican Priory about abortion does suggest some potential for future heated exchanges about church politics as Warshawski looks into $3 million of forged securities in the priory safe because her elderly aunt who has been the treasurer is a suspect. The interchange about abortion reminds me how long it has been a hot topic; this book was published in 1985. V.I. is on the right side of the issue (choice) as far as I am concerned. She is, like me, a child of the 60s.
Paretsky covers a lot of interesting things in her books. Dishing out little details about things that come up in the course of the mystery, like comfort foods that start with a P and how the stock market works and life in a priory. So along with being exciting, the writing is also filled with inviting tidbits. She keeps your mind nicely in gear.
The book is old enough that cigarette smokers still had some of the bad habits that had to be outlawed before they thought they had to stop: smoking at the restaurant table and at funeral receptions, for example. Unlike some private investigators, V.I. doesn’t smoke but the purists will be glad to hear that she does drink Black Label whiskey. Evidently this is important in the mystery genre. Oh yes, and she uses picklocks regularly (and successfully) if that makes you feel better about her bonafides for that era.
There is occasional humor in tense situations:
Someone threatens you on the phone. Someone throws acid at you. You enter a stock broker’s office in the middle of the night with a flashlight and are almost caught by the police. Someone torches your apartment. Just your average day as a female private investigator. V.I. (Victoria, but don’t call her that!) could end her career any moment it seems but she has been doing this for eight years and has no intention of changing her MO. Her father was a police officer (I think they actually called them policemen back in those days.) so she has a guardian angel on the force who both rails against her for her actions and attitudes but also looks out for her.
Paretsky is a good, intelligent writer who has created a character (maybe in her own image?) who is left politically not to mention willing to act in spite of fear. She honors her dead mother by honoring what family she has as well as those “family” she makes of dear friends. She is divorced and has one boyfriend at a time, someone with whom she has occasional sex. But not graphic sex. More like the naked, sleep over after dinner at a good restaurant kind. However she does cook but hates doing the dishes. Not many dishwashers in budget apartments in the 1980s.
Some might say that Ms. Warshawski has balls. Personally, I try not to use that kind of language with women. But listen to what she says to a Chicago Mafia Don after being taken to him blindfolded:
If I was to make an exception to my non-use of “balls,” V.I. would be a woman with whom I would seriously consider it.
My copy of Killing Orders came from an online used book store and is an “ex-library” copy. That means it has some personality. You can tell that the book has been read numerous times In Houston, Texas. Usually I like my used books in a little better condition but I prefer hard covers so this was it. (Plenty of trade paperbacks for ninety-nine cents if you want one.)
V.I. Warshawski might well be driving while talking on her cell phone (maybe even texting) when she gets a few years older in later books in the series! She just isn’t that cautious about her own safety and sometimes those nearby are harmed while she somehow escapes.
This series will likely be one of my antidotes for too many serious books. But it is not going to be dull. There is plenty of danger and excitement. I am giving Killing Orders five stars and hope there will be more of the same as I move through the V.I. Warshawski series. See that series at http://www.goodreads.com/series/55214...
_______________________
I am listening to this book in the audible format just less than 10 years after I first read it as a printed book. The book was first published as the third in a many book series. The books were not created in the audible format until many years later.
I am not as impressed with this particular book as I evidently was when I first read it. I find it overly involved with Catholic trappings and financial maneuvering and family relationships. I do remember that VI Warshawski was occasionally willing to be a lawbreaker her self mostly in the form of B&Es seeking evidence and information. But this book seems overly littered with her picking locks and stealing documents. The concept of the good guy who has a little bit of the bad guy as a part of the character has become very popular recently. I’m not sure if this character was a leader in that trend but I thought in this book it was a little overdone.
How this private investigator actually earned enough money to live is a constant part of the background in this entire series. In this book she receives her first substantial payment of $25,000 evidently supposedly anonymously from a gangster. She also steps into her world of violence by buying a gun. Not a strange thing for a private investigator but she does seem to be on a slippery slope in these early books of the series as the author tries to explore the future tendencies and moralities of this central character who will continue on at least a couple of more decades.
I have demoted this book from five stars to four stars due in part to the less than pleasing focus of the story in my opinion as well as due to the awkward search of the author for the identity of this central character. The dogs have yet to arrive and the complexity of the morality has yet to be sorted out.
—————————-
I am reading several books at the same time. I often do that when I am reading a difficult book. Killing Orders is my R&R from reading The Girls Who Went Away, a book about the experiences of young unwed women who released their babies for adoption in the 1950s and 1960s. V.I. Warshawski with all her drama is relaxing by comparison!
However, V.I.’s sparing with a Catholic brother at a Dominican Priory about abortion does suggest some potential for future heated exchanges about church politics as Warshawski looks into $3 million of forged securities in the priory safe because her elderly aunt who has been the treasurer is a suspect. The interchange about abortion reminds me how long it has been a hot topic; this book was published in 1985. V.I. is on the right side of the issue (choice) as far as I am concerned. She is, like me, a child of the 60s.
Paretsky covers a lot of interesting things in her books. Dishing out little details about things that come up in the course of the mystery, like comfort foods that start with a P and how the stock market works and life in a priory. So along with being exciting, the writing is also filled with inviting tidbits. She keeps your mind nicely in gear.
The book is old enough that cigarette smokers still had some of the bad habits that had to be outlawed before they thought they had to stop: smoking at the restaurant table and at funeral receptions, for example. Unlike some private investigators, V.I. doesn’t smoke but the purists will be glad to hear that she does drink Black Label whiskey. Evidently this is important in the mystery genre. Oh yes, and she uses picklocks regularly (and successfully) if that makes you feel better about her bonafides for that era.
There is occasional humor in tense situations:
I was about to open the stairwell door when I heard feet pounding on the other side. Turning back down the hall, I tried every door. Miraculously one opened under my hand. I stepped inside onto something squishy and was hit in the nose by someone with a stick. Fighting back, I found myself wrestling a large mop.
Someone threatens you on the phone. Someone throws acid at you. You enter a stock broker’s office in the middle of the night with a flashlight and are almost caught by the police. Someone torches your apartment. Just your average day as a female private investigator. V.I. (Victoria, but don’t call her that!) could end her career any moment it seems but she has been doing this for eight years and has no intention of changing her MO. Her father was a police officer (I think they actually called them policemen back in those days.) so she has a guardian angel on the force who both rails against her for her actions and attitudes but also looks out for her.
Paretsky is a good, intelligent writer who has created a character (maybe in her own image?) who is left politically not to mention willing to act in spite of fear. She honors her dead mother by honoring what family she has as well as those “family” she makes of dear friends. She is divorced and has one boyfriend at a time, someone with whom she has occasional sex. But not graphic sex. More like the naked, sleep over after dinner at a good restaurant kind. However she does cook but hates doing the dishes. Not many dishwashers in budget apartments in the 1980s.
Some might say that Ms. Warshawski has balls. Personally, I try not to use that kind of language with women. But listen to what she says to a Chicago Mafia Don after being taken to him blindfolded:
“If you never left this house, the FBI would never know.” The parchment voice was gentle, but I felt the hairs prickle along the back of my neck.
I looked at my hands. They appeared remarkably small and fragile. “It’s a gamble, Don Pasquale,” I finally said. “I know now who called to threaten me. If your interests are tied to his, then it’s hopeless. One of these times, someone will kill me. I won’t always make it out of the burning apartment, or be able to break my attackers jaw. I will fight to the end, but the end will be clearly discernible to everyone.”
. . .
“I appeal only to your sense of honor, your sense of family, to understand why I’ve done what I’ve done, and why, I want what I want.” To the myth of the Mafia, I thought. To the myth of honor. But many of them liked to believe it. My only hope was that Pasquali’s view of himself mattered to him.
If I was to make an exception to my non-use of “balls,” V.I. would be a woman with whom I would seriously consider it.
My copy of Killing Orders came from an online used book store and is an “ex-library” copy. That means it has some personality. You can tell that the book has been read numerous times In Houston, Texas. Usually I like my used books in a little better condition but I prefer hard covers so this was it. (Plenty of trade paperbacks for ninety-nine cents if you want one.)
V.I. Warshawski might well be driving while talking on her cell phone (maybe even texting) when she gets a few years older in later books in the series! She just isn’t that cautious about her own safety and sometimes those nearby are harmed while she somehow escapes.
This series will likely be one of my antidotes for too many serious books. But it is not going to be dull. There is plenty of danger and excitement. I am giving Killing Orders five stars and hope there will be more of the same as I move through the V.I. Warshawski series. See that series at http://www.goodreads.com/series/55214...
April 10, 2022
The crime investigations of Sara Paretsky's Chicago private eye VI Warshawski.
A classic mystery, a page-turner in the best tradition.
A classic mystery, a page-turner in the best tradition.
June 19, 2016
The most exciting plot so far and otherwise classic Warshawski with the tasty peripheral of clothes and food and friends and boys.
March 30, 2016
I have been rereading early Warshawski. While the cases are still introducing V I and to us, they are just as intriguing as the early years if not more so. No internet, cell phones, etc so V I has to do more actual detecting than she does in later years. Hence a larger relationship with Murray because they rely on each other more for clues. In the 80s when women were first achieving equal footing in many realms of the workforce, it is great to see V I break in as a detective. I will be continuing to revisit Vic the early years.
February 28, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this early V. I. Warshawski book. Financial crime is always fascinating and scary. As always, the author has woven a bit of history, both of V.I., and the period in which she conducted her investigation. No internet, no cell phone, not even 911 access to make everything a bit easier. It is a story of misplaced trust and the way it can be manipulated by unscrupulous individuals, using the religious life to mask their greed. Although written and set in the mid-80's, the book is as relevant to today's world and the types of financial crimes that still exist.
February 22, 2014
Fun read, though sometimes it dragged on. I loved the kick ass main character!
November 20, 2022
I had high hopes for this one. It's usually fun to read about unethical religious figures, but this missed the mark for me.
October 20, 2013
Many years ago, I tried to read a Sarah Paretsky mystery (can't remember which one) and just couldn't get into it. However, I recently heard an interview with the author which once again piqued my interest in her mysteries, so I listened to the audio book of _Killing Orders_. Because it was published in 1985, some of the book is dated. Some of its datedness is quaint--as in the Omega car her protagonist drives and her use of pay phones. However, with the shift to the right in U.S. politics since 1985--and specifically with the extreme backlash against feminism and women in general--some of the out-of-dateness is positively refreshing--as in her protagonist's feminism, her acceptance of lesbianism, and her advocacy of reproductive choice. One of the first of a new generation of hard-boiled female detectives, V. I. Warshawsky--Paretsky's protagonist--finds herself in this book trying to uncover a money-laundering scheme that involves a variety of financial vehicles, the Catholic Church, and some disturbing discoveries about her own relatives even as her life is endangered by a hit men hired by the mob. I couldn't always follow the finances, but I loved the feisty and vivid characters. I will be reading more of her books!
October 23, 2011
Victoria Iphigenia (V.I.) Warshawski is the daughter of Italian-born Gabriella Sestrieri and former Chicago police officer Tony Warshawski. V.I. is half-Italian, half-Polish, and 100% hard-boiled. A detective specializing in financial crimes, V.I. encounters everything from money laundering to murder, from the mafia to the monastery.
Set in Chicago, in the wintertime, mid 1980’s. Lots of Chicago landmarks, payphone use, and cars they don’t make anymore. Will V.I. figure out who the good guys are, who the bad guys are, and will it matter?
I would have preferred the author waste fewer words pontificating on social issues. Because of her misplaced literary-activism, it took me a while to warm up to the main character. I eventually got the job done, but the experience turned an otherwise five star book into four.
Of course, a hard-boiled detective is never scared. So what I was feeling couldn't be fear.
Set in Chicago, in the wintertime, mid 1980’s. Lots of Chicago landmarks, payphone use, and cars they don’t make anymore. Will V.I. figure out who the good guys are, who the bad guys are, and will it matter?
I would have preferred the author waste fewer words pontificating on social issues. Because of her misplaced literary-activism, it took me a while to warm up to the main character. I eventually got the job done, but the experience turned an otherwise five star book into four.
"Remember: The only real social sin is to care what other people think of you." ~ V.I. Warshawski
December 4, 2018
Sara Paretsky's groundbreaking female private eye, Victoria Iphigenia Warshawski, starts this book by agreeing to do a favor for an aunt she despises. Before it's over she's tangled with the Mafia and the Catholic Church, dealt with the Chicago PD and the FBI, survived three attempts on her life, saved an old man, gotten arrested, shot one guy, made love to another one, uncovered an ancient family secret and even upset her longtime friend Lotty the doctor.
Oh, and she saved an insurance company from a hostile takeover.
This third outing by VI the PI is a real stemwinder, full of all kinds of action plus some classic scenes of '80s guys (and some women too) trying to tell her she should be married and having babies instead of digging up dirt on a secret Catholic society.
I have to admit I failed to follow a few of financial crime aspects of the story, or recognize the references to an '80s Chicago crime that this novel was probably based on. But it didn' limit my overall enjoyment of the story, nor did it dent my enthusiasm for reading the other books in this series.
Oh, and she saved an insurance company from a hostile takeover.
This third outing by VI the PI is a real stemwinder, full of all kinds of action plus some classic scenes of '80s guys (and some women too) trying to tell her she should be married and having babies instead of digging up dirt on a secret Catholic society.
I have to admit I failed to follow a few of financial crime aspects of the story, or recognize the references to an '80s Chicago crime that this novel was probably based on. But it didn' limit my overall enjoyment of the story, nor did it dent my enthusiasm for reading the other books in this series.
June 20, 2018
Since the death of her mother, VI Warshawski has had virtually no family, save an estranged aunt who also lives in Chicago with her son. The aunt hated Victoria's mother, having thrown the pregnant girl out of her household and forbidding her to return. But, on her deathbed, VI's mother, Gabriella,, made her promise to help Aunt Rosa, should she ever need it. And now she needs help. Some bonds have disappeared from the Dominican brothers Rosa works for, and she is a suspect in their disappearance. Although she hates VI (Victoria) almost as much as she hated her mother, she needs her expertise in finding out what happened. But, VI barely gets started on the case before her cousin calls to tell her to stop, that his mother has changed her mind. Hmmmm.
So, of course, she keeps working on this mystery, and adds more mysteries to it, finally unravelling it all as only VI Warshawski can.
A good read. LOTS of details about Chicago, especially in the Winter!
So, of course, she keeps working on this mystery, and adds more mysteries to it, finally unravelling it all as only VI Warshawski can.
A good read. LOTS of details about Chicago, especially in the Winter!
July 11, 2016
I’ve heard lots of great things about Paretsky’s V.I. Warshawski series, but this is the first I’ve read. I enjoyed it, but I have to admit that the financial stuff makes my eyes glaze over a bit. I liked the addition of Catholic Church politics into the mix. Though I didn’t read the first two novels, I had no problem figuring out Warshawski’s back story, and her relationship with her family and with Roger Ferrant are explained pretty well. Warshawski reminds me a bit of Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone, which is amusing since both series started in the same year. Warshawski is tough, independent, and smart — a great role model for female P.I.’s everywhere.
May 5, 2024
Really 3.5 stars. Above average but imho not as good as either the first two in this series (although, of course, an easy read). It felt like most of the characters in this novel were stereotypes, whereas in the first two all of the characters felt like real people. This might be due to the number of characters in the novel, but it still caused me to think a little less of this novel.
I think I'll read one more before deciding if I continue with this series for a while, or if I set it aside for now and move onto something else. But no doubt I will be returning to this series in the future.
I think I'll read one more before deciding if I continue with this series for a while, or if I set it aside for now and move onto something else. But no doubt I will be returning to this series in the future.
June 25, 2021
Killing Orders by Sara Paretsky is the 3rd book in the V.I.Warshawski Mystery series. Private Investigator V.I.Warshawski is asked by her aunt to look into forged stock certificates at a local priory but then recants her request and V.I. is threatened and assaulted.Another great addition to the series with plenty of action and entertainment. V.I.is determined as ever and ready to take on all threats. Keeps you captivated to the end.
February 26, 2018
Been many years since I've read this series and I'm so glad I'm re reading these books....this book held me enthralled till the very end....a mixture of stocks, the church, the priests and the mafia all jumbled together with VI to sort it all out....great book!!!
September 29, 2014
This is the 2nd time for this book, but I still really like it. I got into this series because of the movie, and now I'm into them because of the writing.
November 11, 2015
This one is ridiculously fun and God bless VI for dealing with her aunt Rosa. (Because wow, that lady...it's a miracle she lived as long as she did.)
December 16, 2015
Another great Sara Paretsky book. This one involves V.I. Warshawski, private investigator, as she takes on the Catholic Church, the Mafia and her mean aunt Rosa.
December 21, 2016
I like V.I. She is a gutsy woman and she proves it in this outing.
July 22, 2018
A bit more serious than the first two VIs, although still enjoyable and a pretty robust plot.
April 4, 2024
Sara Paretsky’s third V.I. Warshawski detective novel. The format had been set with the first book – following the conventions of the American Private Detective novel – and Paretsky keeps to the format. There is a comfort in the expected. Warshawski is called upon by an estranged great aunt and there is a mystery that encompasses the Catholic Church, a secret Catholic organisation and even brings in the Chicago Mafia. As Warshawski navigates the mystery, we navigate the narrative. There are a series of characters, some of them reoccurring – and there is a skill reintroducing a character in a series of books, reminding the old reader who the character is while introducing the character to the new reader…it tends to be a little clumsy, but not too disruptive. The American detective novel contrasts with the classic whodunnit in that it is less about the mechanics of the crime (and the mechanics of the plot), more about the detective – the mystery is as much an atmosphere as a subject to be solved. The detective in a whodunnit tends to be a number of vivid character traits that are then repeated, but Warshawski, maybe just because she exists in first person, is a more complete person, a fuller character. There are the details, such as what she is eating for lunch, that are incidental to the narrative, central to the character. Warshawski’s main weapon is not her gun or fists, but her wisecracking. She might not be as witty as Chandler’s Philip Marlowe, but the wisecracks are a method of manoeuvring, of gaining advantage, of annoying or unbalancing those around her. I’ve read three of the Warshawski books over the last six months or so and have found them fun, but if the format does not include more variations, I might begin to find them a little monotonous.
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