I’m positive I have read other books by Sara Paretsky that featured “plucky heroine” V.I. Warshawski, Chicago PI – but I couldn’t name one or recall a plot – just went into this one expecting a well-written story to take my mind off the pandemic, crime, corruption, etc. And Overboard is definitely well-written, as expected. There is a complex plot, well-developed characters, and a relatively satisfying ending (although perhaps a bit too clever to be true?). In any case, thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for this honest review. 

In this latest installment in the V.I.Warshawski series (#22), V.I. is out walking her dogs when they rush off and lead her to discover a teenage girl, not quite dead but badly injured, lying wedged among the rocks on the shore of Lake Michigan. Before she gets her to a hospital, the girl speaks a single word. After a short time in the hospital, the girl disappears, and no one knows who she is, but apparently some highly placed powerbrokers and mobsters (along with some very creepy corrupt cops) REALLY want to find her and the mysterious hidden object she possesses, an unknown item which V.I. tries to find first. 

I don’t know if V.I.’s relationship is new, or if Peter is a recurring character who has been around for awhile, but I look forward to books with more of V.I.’s “other” life (in addition to solving crimes/mysteries). This book can be read as a standalone, although I suspect I might have had less trouble with the many characters if I had “known” them before I started reading this book. I am pretty sure that was just my fuzzy brain, but I found I had to go back and find out just who some of the characters were and how they related to the story. I appreciate the themes of personal privacy, elder abuse, and  greedy developers and landowners. The protagonist is always willing to put herself at risk to help others (which likely drives Peter crazy) and her perseverance is unlimited. Overall, good story and nice inclusion of the feel of the challenges created by the pandemic along with the other aspects. Four stars.