Hard Time: V.I. Warshawski 9 - Couverture souple

HARD TIME is a compulsive read, revealing its author at her most passionate and most page-turning (Express on Sunday)

HARD TIME is an excellent novel . . . V.I. Warshawski is getting richer and more complex with every book . . . Beautifully written. Its action sequences are stunning (Daily Mail)

Superb . . . Paretsky and her stubborn sleuth make a very strong comeback in HARD TIME (The Times)

[V.I.] returns in great form . . . Defiant, sardonic, ostentatious, she stirs every hornet's nest and breasts the murkiest currents to emerge vindicated and triumphant in the end. (Los Angeles Times)

'The thing about Sara Paretsky is, she's tough . . . she doesn't flinch from examining old social injustices others might find too shameful (and too painful) to dig up' (New York Times)

With the creation of V.I. Warshawski, Sara Paretsky did more than anyone to change the face of contemporary women's fiction. (Express on Sunday)

It's hard not to get caught up in her passion . . . Snappy dialogue, tight plotting and realistic situations make Paretsky's unapologetically politicised thrillers a pleasure to read, whatever your viewpoint. (Daily Mail)

Some crime series grow stale over time, but there's no sign of fatigue here. This is partly because the recurring characters continue to develop and engage the reader, and partly because of the moral intelligence that informs the writing. (Spectator)

Paretsky has been putting her private investigator through her paces since 1982, changing perceptions of women in crime fiction through the creation of a fiercely independent female detective. She keeps her brand of politicised noir fresh by responding to issues - social, cultural and political as well as gender - in contemporary life . . . Paretsky is firing on all cylinders (Metro)

While driving home after celebrating friend Murray Ryerson's big break into TV hosting, V.I. almost collides with a fatally wounded woman lying in the street.

The deceased is Nicola Aguinaldo, former employee of security giant B.B. Baladine and recent prison runaway. Taking on the case, V.I. finds herself plunged into a sinister network of corruption that pits her against the police, the prison and the entertainment industry - with potentially lethal results.