Reviews

Guardian Angel by Sara Paretsky

raymond_murphy's review against another edition

3.0

It’s amazing how evergreen the topic of gentrification is. That made this one a winner for me, but also something more. The connection of the two but plot lines was ridiculous to say the least tho.

henrismum's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Take away: Long and I felt the narrator was screaming at me. The story was okay, but too ambitious. If you are an animal lover, here is a warning:

Several dogs get put down in the story because of the cruel actions of others. It will probably impact most readers to some degree.

The end of the book was hopeful.
Narration: Susan Ericksen - There was too much screeching and yelling, and although a good narrator has to convey this, the cumulative effect was too much for me.
Normal Speed - Accelerated Speed (I considered upping the speed because the book was so long, but I didn't.)
New  - Second - Third - Committed
Series - Non Series - Non-Fiction - Author
Listening to this book was a chore.
I'm glad I listened to this book.
I didn't want this book to end.
I could not wait to be done with this book.
Average, but better than anything I've written.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

liberrydude's review against another edition

3.0

Vic is hard on cars in this one. Hers gets rammed while her friend Lottie is driving it. Then Lottie is beaten up in a case of mistaken identity. Their friendship might never recover. Then the car her mechanic loans her is destroyed in another series of collisions with trucks. Just the usual corruption and greed in Chi- town but this time her ex-husband is involved. Vic gets involved in her neighborhood with dogs and a crazy spinster who’s been victimized as well as other seniors- and there’s a link to the case she’s investigating. Mr. Contreras is actively involved and even goes on a caper or two with her. Vic might be a guardian angel for the spinster but Mr. Contreras is the true guardian.

lazwright's review against another edition

2.0

Not the easiest one to get into...the story seems to flounder around for awhile in this one, before Vic finally roots out the issue at hand. Her neighbors, other than Mr. Contras, are despicable caricatures and not like able in any way.

katmarhan's review against another edition

3.0

I am always surprised at how many mistakes V.I. Warshawski makes before eventually stumbling into the solution of a case, and [b:Guardian Angel|644006|Guardian Angel|Sara Paretsky|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1176679212s/644006.jpg|955841] continues the pattern. I like Vic and enjoy her evolving relationships with neighbors and friends. So, I liked this book well enough to read some more of Paretsky's books, but I will read them more for the "human interest" angle than for the mysteries.

claudiafp's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

bdplume's review against another edition

5.0

One of the best of these so far. Good on intrigue, good on action, good on character.

minsies's review against another edition

3.0

There are some dogs in this that die.

(There are some dogs in this that are OK, too. But.)

Anyway. With that most important point out of the way, it's pretty much the same as what I said about Burn Marks.

I'll pick up #8 at some point, probably when I can't find anything else to read.

jambery's review against another edition

2.0

Also suitable for light afternoon reading. The dialogue is often strained, with people handing out information to forward the plot left and right without sounding natural. Had some funny, enjoyable parts, but mostly I found myself yawning through the character interactions.

geriatricgretch's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Hmmmmm. I do always enjoy a V.I. story, and this mystery was well done I think. Sad but not surprised to see gentrification presented in much the same way that’s happening now (though as a relative Chicago newcomer weird to see a pre-gentrification Lakeview). I appreciated the complications introduced to Vic’s personal life (rx-husband, rift with Lotty, trying out a personal relationship), but the racism in this book hasn’t aged well. While it’s presented as the purview of ignorant and racist characters, it’s explicit and the n-word is used several times. I get what Paretsky is trying to do here, and I don’t doubt it read as a bit more progressive when published (so I’m ultimately glad it feels so so outdated now). But idk I just wish it had been called out more explicitly by the other characters.