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    Audiobook15 hours

    Blacklist

    Written by Sara Paretsky

    Narrated by Sandra Burr

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Blacklist is a story of secrets and betrayals that stretch across four generations—secrets political, social, sexual, financial: all of them with the power to kill. Eager for something physical to do in the spirit-exhausting wake of 9/11, V.I. accepts a request from an old client to check up on an empty family mansion; subsequently surprises an intruder in the dark; and, giving chase, topples into a pond. Grasping for something to hold on to, her fingers close around a lifeless human hand.

    It is the body of a reporter who had been investigating events of forty-five years earlier, during the McCarthy era, and V. I.'s discovery quickly sucks her into the history of two great Chicago families—their fortunes intertwined by blood, sex, money, and the scandals that may or may not have resulted in murder all these years later. At the same time, she inadvertently becomes involved in the story of a missing Egyptian boy whose possible terrorist connections make him very much sought after by the government. As the two cases drive her forward—and then shockingly tumble together, pushing her into situations more perilous than she could have imagined—she finds that wealth and privilege, too, bear a terrible price; and the past has no monopoly on patriotic scoundrels. Before everything is over, at least two more people will lie dead...and V.I. might even be one of them.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateMay 16, 2017
    ISBN9781543610802
    Unavailable
    Blacklist
    Author

    Sara Paretsky

    Hailed by the Washington Post as “the definition of perfection in the genre,” Sara Paretsky is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, including the renowned V.I. Warshawski series. She is one of only four living writers to have received both the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers Association of Great Britain. She lives in Chicago.

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    Reviews for Blacklist

    3.5/5

    237 ratings17 reviews

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    • 3/5
      The plot was interesting, but the wrap up took a bit long in my opinion. I'd also have liked to see the murderer at least be arrested by the end of the book.The theme of V.I. having to deal with children from a family involved in her investigation is wearing a bit thin for me by this third go round of it. Other plot points and themes involve:-race relations (both now and in the past). Are black victims treated differently than white victims? Are black suspects/minority suspects treated differently than white suspects?-how views on homosexuality have changed over the decades-the witch-hunt for Communist and Un-American activities-the fear present in America after 9/11 and how many viewed Muslims at that time-the upper class and how they treat those they perceive as "lower" than this classI liked the putting together of the puzzle of what the reporter had found and how he found it. I thought the atmosphere of shortly after 9/11 was well represented--though I don't know how long after it is was--it must have been long enough that Darraugh could put a small plane up into the air without it being challenged by any authorities. I missed Lotty and Max (who has only one scene in this book) making appearances. Mr. Contreras's role was also mostly absent in this book.
    • 3/5
      I love the historical background in all the warshawski books. And I liked the playoff of the Patriot against the McCartney hearings But I get lost in the shere number of characters and their relationship to eachother. And I really dislike Sandra Burr reading VI's and Mr Contreras' voices.
    • 4/5
      Great blend of mystery & social commentary about the U.S. in the period after 9/11 (especially some of the scary aspects of the Patriot Act).
    • 3/5
      Some nioce chicago-references and settings. Nice blend with the Bronzeville & the whole Red-Scare hysteria.
    • 4/5
      Parallels between McCarthyism witch-hunts and over-reactions to fears of terrorists abound in this mystery set soon after 9/11. A murdered black journalist and family intrigues of the rich and famous in Chicago embroil V.I. in several mysteries at once.
    • 4/5
      No V.I. Warshawski novel is ever going to change anyone's life, but this one is actually a little deeper and more political than most. Without giving too much away, I'll say that Paretsky makes some very nice parallels between the mid-century Red Scare and the post-9/11 Muslim witch-hunt that add some depth to what is otherwise just an ordinary, enjoyably complex detective story.
    • 2/5
      This was the first V.I. Warshawski novel I’ve ever read and most likely the last. I was not remotely impressed by the writing style, the plot, or almost anything else about the novel. Set shortly after 9/11, V.I. Warshawski takes on an assignment investigating lights going on and off in a mansion late at night when she stumbles across a dead body. This leads to an investigation where she uncovers secrets from a group of elite, rich families in the Chicago area who have these incestuous relationships with each other and covet gossip and secrets. Being after 9/11, the Patriot Act and potential Islamic terrorists come into play, even though it really has no place in this novel. It seems like it was just thrown in to meet the author’s political sensibilities.One of my all time pet peeves is when the author of a genre book, in this case a mystery novel, continually inserts their political viewpoints. When I read a mystery, I’m reading for the mystery, and the author incessant political commentary only serves to take away from the story and annoy me. The mystery itself was weak, and the characterization was especially poor. I can’t think of any character here that I like. When the reveal of the secret finally happened, it was predictable and mundane. The killer wasn’t at all believable. In short, this book is not worth reading.Carl Alves – author of Conjesero
    • 4/5
      A complex plot with multiple characters and relationships which are sometimes hard to follow. The story is set in an America suffering from post 9-11 paranoia and involves characters closely involved with the Mccarthyism witch hunts of the early 1950s. Warshawski literally stumbles over a dead body of a black journalist, who has been digging into the McCarthy era, whilst researching a famous black dancer. He uncovers secrets some want kept buried and the rich and powerful involved are adept at keeping their secrets. A sub-plot is a young Egyptian on the run, whose visa has expired and in post 9-11 America that tags him as a terrorist.
    • 5/5
      Past and present collide in Sara Paretsky’s Blacklist, as the rich and famous enjoy their luxurious abodes while a poor black journalist dies. V.I. Warshawski balances truth and justice as she strives to learn what happened and why, but influential antagonists seem eager to silence her. Rich old ladies are sometimes sweet, sometimes sour, tea is served, and legacies from the McCarthy era loom.The story’s told evocatively and powerfully, in the voice of a very believable protagonist. Chicago’s streets and buildings are convincingly portrayed, together with the hills and mansions of the rich, the changing weather, and the machinations of police districts and procedures. Meanwhile discoveries are perfectly timed, bringing thought-provoking echoes of McCarthy in 911's Patriot Act.Blacklist may be long, but it’s a fast exciting read, filled with fascinating twists and turns and mystery that’s deeper than it seems. Lives and decisions, past and present, are never simple, and the race to judgment is never safe. It’s a truly enjoyable, satisfying novel, with just the right blend of action, personal narration, and thought.Disclosure: A friend gave me a copy, guessing correctly that I’d love it.
    • 3/5
      this is the first mystery, hard boiled crime novel I've read. reading for a lit class. it's very enterining lots of details. a fast read
    • 4/5
      Another gripping V.I. Warshawski tale of murder, mystery and intrigue. This time the story involves the very rich and priveleged, the poor black artists of the 1950's, and the secrets that intertwined their lives. Throw in a supposed Arab terrorist for current flavor and a murdered black writer and you have a story that has something of interest for everyone.
    • 4/5
      11th in the V.I. Warshawski, P.I., series set in contemporary Chicago.How to combine old witch hunts with new ones--Paretsky has managed to do that in an intriguing way in a murder plot that’s pretty thin but is an excellent raison d’etre for this off-beat look into the US penchant for letting fear override the Constitution.Darraugh Graham is V.I.’s most important client; his retainer is the mainstay of her ability to pay her rent. so when Graham calls because he wants V.I. to more or less humor his 90-something year old mother who claims she is seeing lights on in Larchmanot, the old family mansion, V.I. obliges, although without much enthusiasm. Skulking around one midnight, trying to determine whether there is any basis to Geraldine Grahams’ claims and chasing after a teenage girl who may be connected to those lights, V.I. literally falls on top of a body in Larchmont’s filthy, neglected pool. the corpse is that of Marcus Whitby, an African-American journalist who works for a prominent African-American publishing house in Chicago.Enriching and texturing the plot is information about the Federal Theater project of the 30’s, but from the point of view of the African-American performers who were given a chance to do more than play stereotypical Mammy or Step N Fetchit roles. Paretsky brings in the persecution of left-leaning intellectuals during the infamous HUAC years, when cynical politicians such as Joseph McCarthy seized upon American fears to boost themselves politically. Paretsky connects this beautifully to the kind of Constitution-bending, if not breaking, of the Patriot Act; V.I.,’s situation illustrates the dangers ordinary citizens face from this seizure of power by yet another set of cynical politicians 50 years after the McCarthy era. It’s well done and informative, the way just about all of Paretsky’s books are without being preachy (no one comes out looking good), and would be much better if the plot weren’t quite so stretched. Be that as it may, it’s still a very good read for V.I. fans, and for those who like main courses with the dessert of their mystery genre.
    • 4/5
      The best mystery novel I've read in a couple of years. Blacklist holds a lot of political commentary, a long and complicated list of characters, and V.I. at a lovable point in her life. I appreciated the historical connections and also the frustration of the relative power of the wealthy to defeat justice. An unlikely and well-crafted villain round out the tale. Sure, the plot is complicated, but that was part of the fun for me.
    • 3/5
      A good story with some interesting historical references and some strong, yet flawed, characters--some that I hope we see again.
    • 2/5
      This is not one of Paretsky's best! The many characters are one-dimensional and not one of them is sympathetic--including the one who was murdered. V.I. has always been a favorite detective, but in this book it seems she never stops whining. Perhaps Ms. Paretsky is tired of her.
    • 5/5
      A great mystery about the effects of the Blacklist in McCarthy-era America and how it effects modern-day life.
    • 3/5
      Ok, not more than that.