Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Shell Game: A V.I. Warshawski Novel
    Shell Game: A V.I. Warshawski Novel
    Shell Game: A V.I. Warshawski Novel
    Audiobook15 hours

    Shell Game: A V.I. Warshawski Novel

    Written by Sara Paretsky

    Narrated by Susan Ericksen

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    Sara Paretsky follows her instant New York Times bestseller Fallout—her most widely read novel in years—with an extraordinary adventure that pits her acclaimed detective, V.I. Warshawski, against some of today’s most powerful figures.

    Legendary sleuth V.I. Warshawski returns to the Windy City to save an old friend’s nephew from a murder arrest. The case involves a stolen artifact that could implicate a shadowy network of international criminals. As V.I. investigates, the detective soon finds herself tangling with the Russian mob, ISIS backers, and a shady network of stock scams and stolen art that stretches from Chicago to the East Indies and the Middle East. In Shell Game, nothing and no one are what they seem, except for the detective herself, who loses sleep, money, and blood, but remains indomitable in her quest for justice.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateOct 16, 2018
    ISBN9780062866370
    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.

    More audiobooks from Sara Paretsky

    Related to Shell Game

    Titles in the series (4)

    View More
    View More

    Related audiobooks

    Mystery For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Karin Slaughter

      Jul 2, 2020

      This American crime author has sold more than 35 million copies of her books globally. This month she’s celebrating the release of her 20th novel in as many years. It’s also the 10th book in special agent Will Trent’s series. “It feels really great a

      1 min read

    • Article

      Equinox

      May 18, 2022

      In this strange world, where identities change with the rising and setting of the sun, supernatural forces are at work – and they’re causing trouble… St Leonars prison was an appropriately imposing building. It rose out of the surrounding shacks and

      5 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Sep 1, 2022

      First prize 10 and under Tang Li, age 9 Palmetto Bay, FL My name is Anisa. I was in Hawaii on vacation. I enjoyed sipping refreshing drinks, overlooking the turquoise ocean, and dancing with others, before I overheard that the priceless Fire Ring wa

      10 min read

    • Article

      Let The Bones Talk

      Jun 16, 2021

      Let The Bones Talk
      6 min read

    • Article

      Let The Bones Talk

      Jun 16, 2021

      Let The Bones Talk
      6 min read

    • Article

      Losing FELIX

      May 31, 2023

      Losing FELIX
      5 min read

    • Article

      Solidarity

      Nov 5, 2020

      Solidarity
      4 min read

    • Article

      Remembering Felix

      Dec 12, 2023

      Remembering Felix
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Man I Should Have Married

      Dec 29, 2019

      The Man I Should Have Married
      11 min read

    • Article

      The Boy Who Cried Wolf

      Jun 9, 2020

      Josh Turner from Austin, Texas The egg landed with a splat on the truck window. ‘Bullseye,’ grinned my buddy Dave*. Hiding in the shadows, as the car drove past, we could see the driver gesticulating furiously. It was 31 October 1990 – Halloween – a

      4 min read

    • Article

      Appreciating Hate

      Sep 10, 2021

      Felix thought of his mind as though it were artwork – a painting. His skull was the frame, the canvas inside the frame was the grey matter, the applied paint was his education, and that insubstantial feeling evoked by the art piece was his consciousn

      7 min read

    • Article

      Waiting In The Shadows

      Oct 21, 2021

      Sian Sutherland, 20, Telford Happiness burned though me as the music pulsed and thrummed. I love this song! ‘Dance floor, now!’ I shrieked, grabbing my best mates Jessica and Alice. As the chorus kicked in, we giggled, remembering the dance routine,

      4 min read

    • Article

      HOUSE OF horror

      Jan 21, 2020

      HOUSE OF horror
      4 min read

    • Article

      Blonde BOMBSHELLS

      Feb 15, 2024

      Blonde BOMBSHELLS
      7 min read

    • Article

      Heroes

      Nov 10, 2023

      When we hear the first shots, we are standing in the living room of Fallingwater, the Frank-Lloyd-Wright-designed home in Pennsylvania, listening to our guide’s description of the furniture. My husband and I wonder aloud about who would set off firew

      11 min read

    • Article

      A Temporary Arrangement

      Oct 2, 2023

      A Temporary Arrangement
      19 min read

    • Article

      Heavenly Helper

      Nov 26, 2020

      Heavenly Helper
      5 min read

    • Article

      Trial Run

      Mar 15, 2022

      Trial Run
      18 min read

    • Article

      It Happened to Me…

      Jun 16, 2022

      A genuine miracle occurred at the art opening of the Blinky 40th Anniversary Exhibition at California State University Northridge Gallery in Southern California on 2 February 2019. An artwork by Erika Ostrander of the “Shroud of Blinky” was found wee

      6 min read

    • Article

      It Happened to Me…

      Apr 18, 2024

      It Happened to Me…
      9 min read

    • Article

      Three Poems

      Jul 1, 2018

      Three Poems
      4 min read

    • Article

      Estella’s Fate

      May 17, 2023

      Estella’s Fate
      7 min read

    • Article

      Come with Me

      Dec 1, 2022

      Come with Me
      12 min read

    • Article

      The Silhouette Artist

      Jul 25, 2019

      The Silhouette Artist
      6 min read

    • Article

      Bound

      Apr 10, 2022

      I came fully awake as I sat up and cracked my head on the thwart of my upturned canoe. The pain cleared my head. I felt under my bedroll for my knife, hoping I hadn’t made enough noise to attract the attention of whatever—whoever?—had waked me. I did

      17 min read

    • Article

      The Wanders: When home is not a haven.

      Jul 25, 2013

      The job in the North was a good job for what it was. I was not excited about it, but I was satisfied because it would take me away from the city where I had lived with Paul, and where every drugstore and bar and credit center was heavy with the memor

      13 min read

    • Article

      The Convict

      Jul 10, 2020

      The Convict
      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Shell Game

    4/5

    118 ratings24 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      I've been reading Sara Paretsky's books since the early 80's when she appeared at a Smithsonian Mystery Writers' Lecture series. I've read every book she's written and she has never disappointed me. While I may not always be able to follow the financial shenanigans she writes about I enjoy her exploration into these fields. Her characters are well developed and consistent over the many books she has written. Hope she has many more in her future.
    • 4/5
      V.I. Warshawski series but first I read. Good tale but hard to keep all the players straight.
    • 3/5
      Due to some numbering issues for the series on various site, I read this book after reading the one that comes right after it. So this book explains the character Peter from that book.Seeing the title, I thought it might be about shell corporations--and it is a bit, but the term shell game is described differently in the text, in a manner I hadn't heard used before. I thought early in the series, V. I. had little family still living. Suddenly two of her ex-husband's nieces show up--nieces we've never heard about before in the series. The ex-husband reappears also (after being mostly absent in the last few installments). I do remember hearing about Lottie's brother, Hugh but not that Hugh had children or grandchildren--so when the story opens with Felix Herschel it left me wondering who Felix was. Once again, V.I. ignores her paying clients. It makes me wonder how she stays solvent with her business. In this book, Darragh Graham's assistant has to remind/prompt her that a report is overdue. She must really have impressed Darragh since he loans her the use of his jet later on in the book.
    • 3/5
      It was good. A bit unbelievable, but interesting - exciting, maybe. The only problem was I didn't feel the characters- I didn't care about them - it was almost the last few pages that I started to be interested in a couple of them. So - It was good, but not great.
    • 4/5
      Shell Game by Sara Paretsky is an engrossing crime drama featuring two perplexing mysteries. This nineteenth installment in the V.I. Warshawski series can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend the entire series.

      V.I. Warshawski is called out in the middle of the night when her close friend Lottie Herschel's grandnephew Felix is ordered to a crime scene. The dead man has Felix's name on a scrap of paper in his pocket and Lt. McGivney is convinced Felix is involved in his death. Before V.I. can delve too deeply into the murder,  her smarmy ex-husband Richard Yarborough's niece Harmony Seale asks for her help in locating her missing sister, Reno. Reno works for Rest EZ, a payday lending company and she vanished following a business trip to the Caribbean. V.I. is very worried for her niece's safety after making an ominous discovery at the missing young woman's apartment. Before long, V.I. and Harmony are targeted by Russian thugs who will stop at nothing to find what they are looking for. Meanwhile, Felix is under intense scrutiny by Lt. McGivney who is chomping at the bit to arrest him for murder. Will V.I. uncover locate Reno and unmask the dead man's murderer before it is too late?

      After receiving an anonymous tip, Warshawski quickly learn the identity of the murdered man.  After she searches his apartment, she finds her first lead and crosses paths with the thugs who continue to bedevil her throughout her investigation. Her findings take her to a local university where she learns intriguing information about the victim's overseas activities and his interest in priceless antiquities. How all of this adds up to murder is unclear, but V.I. doggedly tracks down clues despite being stretched thin by two cases and demanding clients.

      V.I. is also still trying to find out what happened to Reno.  The employees at Rest EZ are less than forthcoming about what happened to Reno on the employee retreat and V.I. begins digging into the corporation's background. The business ownership is murky and V.I. is very curious about their connection to other shadowy corporations.

      With danger lurking around every corner, Shell Game is a thrilling mystery with a topical storyline. V.I.'s investigation is a bit slow at first but once the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place, she gradually begins to suspect the two cases might be linked. With plenty of action, Sara Paretsky  brings this complex and intriguing mystery to a twisty-turny conclusion. Fans of the genre are sure to enjoy this newest addition to the V.I. Warshawski series.
    • 4/5
      Haven’t read this series for a while, and enjoyed this one....very topical, and reflects the authors sense of social justice. The bad guys have wealth and power and feel they are above the law. Not subtle, but an engrossing read with lots of suspense and the protagonist acting like Superwoman.
    • 4/5
      V.I. starts out with two cases - helping to keep the nephew of an old friend out of jail whenhis name is found on the body of a man buried in the woods, and traking down her niece (in-law) from her previous marriage. In takes a little while, but gradually the two cases turn into one, as expected. Vic's courage in the face of threats from authority is present as usual, and all of the supporting cast are in evidence. The book also introduces a new romantic interest. The pace is quick and the dialogue as excellent as ever. Some of the subplots are definitely timely, and it was hard to not think of a particular person as the source of the "big bad".
    • 4/5
      It's been a while since I read this series, and it felt remarkably fresh and ripped from the headlines, but that may be because our headlines have been screaming about the same fights for so long now. V.I. gets herself into her usual impetuous trouble, and out again, and crosses swords with her ex again. Add me-too, immigration, Syria, ancient artifacts, greed, interlocking boards, and a few really scary thugs - an excellent read.
    • 4/5
      How can a reader not like private investigator V. I. Warshawski and her humor? What makes this one great is her case pits her against her greedy ex-husband and the immigration service as she discovers the secrets lurking in a Middle Eastern studies graduate school and museum.
    • 4/5
      I have read several books in this series in the past, and really enjoy Sara Paretsky's writing. She is a smart and eloquent writer, and her main character, V.I. Warshaski is well-drawn, likeable and principled. This book is in a word, good. But, it's a long and complicated story. I won't even try to describe the plot, but there are Russians, Syrians, payday loan companies, kidnappings, ancient artifacts, murders, financial crimes, Homeland Security/ICE agents, lawyers, corrupt CEOs, and a couple of dogs. But, even though the plot is at times a bit difficult to follow, and sometimes unrealistic, Paretsky makes it all hang together in a compelling and interesting way. I enjoyed this book and reading it made me want to check out the books I've missed in the series. If you like complex, suspenseful, politically relevant stories then you'll enjoy this book.
    • 4/5
      Sara Paretsky is an excellent mystery writer. V. I. Warshawski, PI is investigating a murder, a thief, and her ex-husband. Somehow these are all connected. As clues and non-clues keep the reader quessing, more crimes are committed. What does a stolen artifact from Syria have to do with all of the above.One of the better in this series, I await the next.
    • 4/5
      Man!! V I. never fails to keep it real! Another fantastic plot, story line, enlargement of V.I. persona. Can it get any better? Book after book we follow Vic as she grapples with personal and profession life. Will read series until I can't read any more.
    • 3/5
      This is an ER book, and the newest V.I. Warshawski mystery. I had read a couple of the early ones in this series (this is the 20th), and liked them, but wasn't motivated to read more. I'd say the same for this one. It's very competently done, and has gotten positive reviewer responses, but it just didn't grab me enough, not the way series like the Eve Dallas, Ruth Galloway or Fiona Griffiths ones recently have.A mentor of V.I.W. needs her help when the police are strenuously trying to pin a murder on the mentor's nephew, Felix, who’s a member of an engineering group that includes Middle Eastern students. Felix doesn't trust VIW, and is hiding something important. Meanwhile, VIW's niece Harmony shows up with her own problem - her older sister Reno, who lives in Chicago, has disappeared, after a business trip that may have had its own shady doings. Trumpish rich men behave badly and are taking advantage where they ought not. VIW keeps pushing, and all the loose threads begin to weave together, with her awful and awfully arrogant ex-husband somehow involved. Her sharp wits and some derring-do lead to a satisfying result. Three stars, with a tip of the hat to her fans who undoubtedly would rate it higher.
    • 4/5
      I've read almost all of the Warshawski novels, and this one was more complicated than most but still enjoyable. Lots of twists and turns and hidden connections. At times it was difficult to keep everything straight, but that was due to my attention span, not Ms. Paretsky's writing. Overall, recommended.
    • 4/5
      Sara Paretsky returns with another topical true to life escapade featuring her beloved detective. This was a wonderful trip through Chicago, featuring lots of twists, turns, red herrings, and a rather satisfying ending with a certain someone getting what he deserves.
    • 4/5
      V. I Warshawski gets a phone call from Felix, the nephew of her long-time friend, Lotty. He had been called in to identify a murder victim and is now the main suspect. Felix is a Canadian studying engineering in the US and his girlfriend is from the Middle East and both of them are on an ICE watch list. And it all seems to be linked to the theft of an important ancient and invaluable Sumerian artifact. After checking out the murder scene, Vic returns home to find her own niece, Harmony, waiting for her. Her sister, Reno, has disappeared and she asks Vic to find her. The sisters had had a very troubled past but Reno had been trying to turn her life around and had got a job at a money-lending corporation thanks to Vic's ex. Although the two incidents seem to have nothing in common, the more she investigates, the more Vic begins to suspect they are somehow linked and the more danger she finds herself and Harmony in. Sara Paretsky is one of the true masters of the intelligent thriller and her latest, Shell Game, is no exception to this. Like many of her other books, underneath the murders and the disappearances is a financial scam and, at times, this slowed the story down as Warshawski explains eg. the risk and often downright fraud of 'pink' or penny stocks. The story revolves less around action until near the end and more about following the money trail. That Paretsky manages to keep the reader's attention without constant shoot 'em ups says much about her writing ability - she appeals to the reader's intelligence more than their emotions and provides a cracking good story while doing it. Thanks to Edelweiss+ and William Morrow Publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
    • 2/5
      This story was slow moving and not much action to keep me turning the pages. I kept waiting for the pace to pick up but it never did so I finally gave up on it.
    • 4/5
      Paretsky is a highly intelligent author who has written yet another complicated novel involving financial crime. However, I wish she would write a somewhat LESS complicated book, as there are so many story lines and characters that I sometimes got lost and lost interest. I occasionally felt I needed a business degree to follow the financial aspects of the story. In V.I.’s own words (p. 297): “I had started to think I could smell burning rubber in my brain, I was working the gears so hard without anything to oil them.” That being said, I still found the book entertaining and enjoy the way she keeps the action moving along swiftly. I am glad she chose to set the story in Chicago once again, as V.I. Warshawski somehow seems like a fish out of water when she’s out of town. The archeological details of the story I found to be less than interesting. Though I love Mr. Contreras, I wonder how long she can continue with a character in his 90’s?And dare I say it? Paretsky’s political views are front and center in this book.
    • 4/5
      Felix Herschel received an unexpected two a.m. summons from the county sheriff to identify a body found in a wooded preserve on the outskirts of Chicago. Alarmed, he called V.I. (Vic) Warshawski’s for help. Felix is the great nephew of Lotty, her long-time friend and personal physician, so Vic immediately feels a strong need to help him.After work the next day Vic returns from a run with her dogs to find Harmony, her estranged niece, waiting for her. Harmony is frantic for help in finding her sister. Rose disappeared shortly after returning from a brief company-sponsored trip to a luxury resort in the Caribbean. The time required to address these urgent requests for help quickly threatens to overwhelm Vic’s resources. Paretsky excels at creating complex, multifaceted mysteries and “Shell Game is an excellent example. Nevertheless, any author of a long-running series risks falling into a rut, and several themes appearing in “Shell Game” appear so often in her previous novels that they are becoming predictable. These include the non-paying client that V. I. takes on reluctantly as a favor to a friend or relative, the lone wolf investigator working with little or no help who soon suffers from sleep deprivation, the movement of the plot from one crisis to another, the elderly neighbor who is anxious to help but largely irrelevant, and the solicitous friend and physician who takes personal charge of patching her up after she is—invariably— injured. Paretsky creates a world in which almost all of the strong central characters are positive, pro-social females. The male characters, mostly villains, are one-dimensional caricatures viewed only through Vic’s eyes. One question that will immediately occur to readers is whether the requests to help Felix and to find Rose are completely independent or connected in some obscure manner. A connection hardly seems possible, but Paretsky deftly keeps us guessing, and in the end her nicely crafted resolution provides an answer to all our questions. Unfortunately, the impact of the climax is vitiated by Paretsky’s penchant for adding page after page of explanation regarding the who, what, and why. Offsetting these too familiar elements to some extent are the excellent research, intricate plotting, and strong attention to detail. As a long-time reader of Paretsky’s V. I. Warshawski series I anticipate with pleasure her next offering while hoping for a fresh approach that avoids the now too-familiar plot elements that have become almost cliché.
    • 4/5
      Paretsky delivers another winner in V. I Warshawski's 18th installment. Vic undertakes investigations of her own missing niece and her BFF's nephew, who has been accused of murder. As usual, she runs around a lot, butts into various situations, sustains some pretty ugly injuries, and maintains a cordial but edgy relationship with Chicago's finest. It takes her quite a while to realize that the cases are linked--not unreasonably, since they start off looking like very different things. Eventually connections come to light and the story moves quickly. A sound outing, which fans of Vic's previous adventures will appreciate.
    • 5/5
      I anxiously await each new installment in the V.I. Warshawski series, and this one was worth the wait! I love all of the series, but this 19th novel is among the best (so far). If you love Donald Trump, you may not like this book, because Vic has very fierce views on social justice, and she always stands up for the underdogs of our society.In this story, Paretsky and Warshawski take on the legal loan sharking operations of "Payday Lenders" as well as the Gestapo-like tactics of ICE ordered by our draft dodging and Neo-NAZI loving Commander-in-Chief. It is a safe play that won't hurt sales of the book, since the vast majority of the loving supporters of our "Supreme Leader" who can read, only consume Russian published propaganda and conspiracy non-sense they send to one another. Go get 'em Vic!
    • 4/5
      I'm a longtime Paretsky/Vic fan, but I had tired of the subplot of Vic's friends threatening to desert her because she put herself in danger so carelessly. That doesn't happen in Shell Game. In fact, Dr. Lottie and Mr. Contreras urge her on as she seeks first to aid Lottie's nephew Felix and her own niece Harmony(well, her ex-husband's sister's child), whom Contreras immediately loves.Felix is implicated in a murder because his name and phone number are found in the victim's pocket, and there are no other obvious clues. Harmony's sister has disappeared, and Harmony herself escapes a violent home invasion by hiding in a large garbage bin. Vic is quickly drawn into the world of Syrian immigrants hiding from ICE agents and the near-Eastern world of archaeology and artifacts. We also spend non-quality time with Vic's ex and wonder how young she was to have married him!Lots of action! Complex plotting! A new love interest for Vic! And V.I. herself, committed and dogged, pushed to her limit and still going.Thank you, Early Reviewers for my copy. I now need to go back and read the two I've missed.
    • 4/5
      It's been more years than I would like to admit since I've read the V.I. Warshawski series. What first attracted me to the series was the hard-boiled edge to Warshawski's character and her ability to effectively navigate the male dominated world of detective fiction. For many reasons I got away from the series and just never found my way back until Shell Game. I'm so glad I did ... kind of like revisiting a long-lost friend. V.I is still the hard edged detective, the plot still tightly woven and the delivery seamless. Initially there seems to be two plot lines but Paretsky moves so seamlessly between them that somewhere along the line two becomes one. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. If you are a fan of hard hitting detective fiction you will love this novel.
    • 5/5
      I would like to thank the publishers HarperCollins for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. This is one of the best VI Warshawski novels that I've read, and believe me, I've read them all! I am a huge fan of Sara Parettsky. She has received both the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America, and the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award from the Crime Writers Association of Great Britain. She is one of only four authors to receive both of these prestigious awards, and Shell Game is an affirmation of her considerable authorial talents. This book is cover to cover full of suspense. Vic is pulled in all directions while she is trying to work on what appears to be two separate cases. Her friend and mentor Lottie Herschel has asked her to help her great-nephew who is suspected of murdering a Syrian immigrant and, from her past life, her niece (who is the daughter of her ex's sister) asks for her help to locate her missing sister Reno. At great risk to herself, Vic takes on both challenges, and finds herself in danger over and over again. As she continues her investigation, she realizes that the two cases appear to be linked, and there are ties to numerous very dangerous people and organizations. Vic's investigation takes her all the way to Minnesota and Canada as she tries to save the people she's been hired to protect, and it pits her against a powerful crime boss in Chicago, and his very considerable resources. This book's pace is unrelenting, and Vic's life is in danger many times during the course of the narrative. Read this book when it is released. It will have you on the edge of your seat.