Brush Back

Name: Brush Back
Brand: Recorded Books
Availability: InStock
Author: Sara Paretsky
ISBN: 9798897568567

Author: Sara Paretsky

Series: V.I. Warshawski

Narrator: Karen Peakes

Unabridged: 13 hr

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 07/22/2025

Categories: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, Suspense & Thriller, Crime, Hard-boiled

Synopsis

Chicago’s V.I. Warshawski confronts crooked politicians and buried family secrets in this gritty mystery from New York Times bestselling author Sara Paretsky. No one would accuse V.I. Warshawski of backing down from a fight, but she’d happily avoid tangling with Chicago political bosses. Yet that’s what she ends up doing when she responds to a plea for help from an old high school flame, Frank Guzzo. Frank’s mother Stella was convicted of killing his kid sister, but now that she’s out of prison, she’s looking for exoneration. Even though the Warshawskis and Stella never got along, V.I. agrees to make a few inquiries after she sees how hard life has been on Frank and her other childhood friends. Only, that small favor leads her straight into the vipers’ nest of Illinois politics—and soon her main question isn’t about Stella’s case but whether or not she’ll make it out of this investigation alive … A Washington Post Best Mystery of 2015 “Truthfully drawn and mercilessly insightful.”—The New York Times Book Review

About Sara Paretsky

Sara Paretsky is the author of the bestselling V. I. Warshawski novels, including, most recently, Bleeding Kansas. Paretsky is the winner of many awards, including the Cartier Diamond Dagger award for lifetime achievement from the British Crime Writers' Association. She lives in Chicago.

Reviews

Goodreads review by James on July 30, 2020

Brush Back is the 17th book in the VI Warshawski series written by Sara Paretsky. The book was published in 2015 and focuses on a Chicago-based female private-eye in the 90s. The series began in the 80s (if I remember properly) and covers all the cases VI handles. In most of them, she's beaten to a......more

Goodreads review by H (no longer expecting notifications) Balikov on August 19, 2020

"“Look, padre: I came here reluctantly after Frank Guzzo fed me a line about his mother. I have no idea what he hoped I would do, but I’m quite sure it isn’t what he asked me to do. The fact that people are getting perturbed by my presence has to do with the volcano of secrets they’re afraid will er......more

Goodreads review by L.A. on August 03, 2015

Sara Paretsky deserves more recognition than she's received for her VI (Victoria) Warshawski novels. In them, the protagonist scraps through conflict-filled situations, giving as good or better than she gets. VI is the predecessor of female protagonists like those by Stieg Larsson and Taylor Stevens......more

Goodreads review by Kelly on July 01, 2015

If you've ever spent any time on this blog, you've probably heard me speak of my love for Sara Paretsky and VI Warshawski. (If not, just trust me: they are two of my favorites.) It seems like a new VI Warshawski novel shows up just when I need it most, and this time was no exception. I love how these......more