“Body Work”    by Sara Paretsky

Review #187

A P.I.  V.I. Warshawski Mystery

This time Warshawski delves into Chicago's avant-garde art scene.  When Vic's young cousin begins working at the edgy Club Gouge, she attends a performance there by the Body Artist, who allows audience members to paint her naked body like a canvas.

When tormented young Nadia Guaman starts showing up at every performance and painting the same image over and over, her artwork enrages Iraqi war vet Chad Vishneski.  When Nadia is murdered outside the club, the cops arrest Chad for murder. His parents hire Vic to clear their son's name, but the investigation proves to be difficult because no one wants to tell Vic what she needs to know…not the brassy club owner, who seems to be in bed with the Ukrainian Mob…not the Body Artist, who, despite her exhibitionist tendencies, is close-mouthed about her past…and not the murder victim's family, who have already lost a daughter to the war and a son to a motorcycle accident.  

V. I., however, proves as persistent as ever in a case that ranges from the edgy urban nightclub scene to the corporate interests making a fortune from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, as always, the city of Chicago, from its gentrified lofts to its working-class bars, is given a starring role.

I love V.I. Warshawski!