V.I. Warshawski Finds 'Critical Mass'

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Sara Paretsky

Hard-nosed private investigator V.I. Warshawski has brought her keen intellect to the mean streets time and again. Making her home in Chicago, this spunky middle-aged dynamo is used to dealing with the most unsolvable cases and her current caseload, set largely in the world of science, certainly fits the bill. In Sara Paretsky’s new thriller Critical Mass, Warshawski comes up against scientists, engineers, drug dealers and murderers in a multi-generational saga that reaches back to Europe during World War II.

It all starts when V.I.’s long-time friend Lotty Herschel calls after a childhood acquaintance’s daughter finds herself caught in the middle of a drug-related murder. Soon V.I. is investigating the disappearance of this woman’s son, Martin, while at the same time trying to uncover secrets behind the making of the first atomic bomb. These seemingly unconnected plotlines dovetail when V.I. uncovers files, secrets and alliances that connect the disappearance of this young man to atomic secrets from the past. V.I. must scramble to uncover the mystery and locate Martin before corrupt cops, seedy drug dealers and shady scientists can mask their deadly deceptions.  

Sara Paretsky first introduced the literary world to V.I. Warshawski in 1982 with Indemnity Only, which was followed over the years by 15 more bestselling V.I. Warshawski novels. Among numerous accolades, Paretsky was named the 2011 Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. She will perform a live reading at Boswell Book Co. at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27, and will hold a book signing at Mystery One Bookstore at 5 p.m. that same day.