Besides the clever ending which gets at the title of the book, this one was a chore to get through. At first I thought a case tying things back to VI's family, specifically her cousin Boom Boom would be great. But after a while the whole thing sounded so freaking implausible I just could not. I also hated that we get a Petra stand in (Boom Boom's goddaughter Bernie) and Mr. Contreras was maddening. We also get a return of Bobby and Conrad (bah to him, I am glad that VI finally told him to let shit go) and the whole book felt endless. I think the big problem is that there were too many moving parts that didn't make a very cohesive plot. 

In "Brush Back" we have VI being asked by her ex-boyfriend (from high school) to look into his mother's murder case. More than decades has passed since Frank Guzzo's mother Stella went to jail for the murder of his sister Annie. Stella admits to beating Annie and going to bingo (as one does) but claims she was alive when she left. Things seem to be out of VI's hands after Stella refuses her help and acts like an asshole while doing so. When Stella accuses VI's dead cousin Boom Boom of murdering her daughter and her father covering it up, VI starts snooping to figure out who could have killed Annie if not Stella.

VI was rightfully riled up in this one. I like to see her mad and her investigation skills have not gotten rusty. She knows immediately her cousin could not have done this and starts pulling out threads about the Guzzo family. You also find out how hard things were for VI after her mother passed away and how some of the neighbors were jerks. I can see why she booked it out of South Chicago. 

We get familiar secondary characters in this one: Lotty, Max, Bobby, Conrad, VI's tenant she shares office space with, Mr. Contreas, Jake. We also get some new characters, VI's cousin's god daughter who is obviously a Petra stand-in. I didn't like her much in this book and loathed in the next book. She ends up being a pain in the ass and costs VI in both books cause she doesn't listen and swears she knows all. I hope that Paretsky poofs her in book number 19 (Shell Game).

I have to say though the plot doesn't make a lot of sense. The why behind people trying to set up Boom Boom was dumb as hell. If you met VI even once you have to know that threatening her or her family member's memories would not make her back off. Things don't tie together nicely and I have to say the ending was very frustrating/not believable things at all. VI can't just get people to always come out and rescue her and her doing this I am an independent woman who needs no one shtick. I wish she get a partner again, but looks like we won't see that happening anytime soon. 

It was difficult for me to pick a top five favourite books of the year, and knowing me, I'd only change my mind two minutes after posting my list. So instead here are five that really stood out for me for a variety of reasons.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith

Oh, but I loved this. It actually made me cry a couple of times. Francie is such a believable person, and I felt as if I was with her all the way through the book. 

http://bruinsgal.booklikes.com/post/1101780/finished-it

World Gone By, Dennis Lehane

No list of mine would be complete without something by Dennis Lehane, and World Gone By was a fantastic conclusion to his trilogy about Boston mobster Joe Coughlin. And Live By Night, the second in the series is currently being filmed for the big screen by Ben Affleck, who did a marvelous job with Lehane's Gone Baby Gone. 

http://bruinsgal.booklikes.com/post/1130649/finished-it

Magic Bites (Kate Daniels - 1), Ilona Andrews

I can't believe I waited so long to read the adventures of kick-ass heroine Kate Daniels. I read the first seven books pretty much one after the other and I'm currently second in line at the library for number eight. So. Much. Fun! 

http://bruinsgal.booklikes.com/post/1139334/finished-it

People of the Book, Geraldine Brooks

I adore Brooks' writing, but for some reason had missed this book. I picked it up second-hand at my local independent bookstore and was immediately engrossed. 

http://bruinsgal.booklikes.com/post/1182884/finished-it

Brush Back, Sara Paretskey

And again, any list of mine will usually have a V I Warshawski lurking in there somewhere. This is number 17 in the series and is as gritty and action-packed as the others. And to put the cherry on the top, there is also hockey.

http://bruinsgal.booklikes.com/post/1225948/finished-it

So there you have it. A few highlights from 2015. Here's hoping for many more in 2016.

Happy New Year!

READ THIS YEAR

Yippee! This month’s BookadayUK has a crime theme, which is great for me seeing as it’s possibly my favourite genre and quit a few of the books I’ve read this year have fallen into this category.

But which one to choose?

After much deliberation, and to avoid too much repetition as the month progresses, I’ve chosen Brush Back by Sara Paretsky. This one is the 17th in Paretsky’s series about Chicago private investigator, Vic ‘VI’ Warshawski, and I love this series as much now as I did when I first came across these books many years ago.

http://bruinsgal.booklikes.com/post/1225948/finished-it

And yes, I know that technically Day 1 was yesterday, but seeing as Day 2 doesn't apply to me, I'll sneak it in a day late.

Many thanks to moonlight Reader for bringing this one to my attention.

I've been a fan of this series pretty much from the start. My neighbour in England was on Team Kinsey, but I was always rooting for Team Vic. Which worked out pretty well because we could borrow each other's books.

But although Kinsey Milhone has just about worked her way through the alphabet, she remains firmly stuck in the 1980s, while VI Warshawski and her friends have got older and moved with the times. And the older Vic gets, the harder it is for her to bounce back from the inevitable beatings she receives when she sticks her nose into the goings on of corrupt politicians. 

And in Brush Back there is a lot of corruption for her to stick her nose into as she attempts to find out why a woman was framed for murder, and at the same time, clear the name of her dead cousin Boom-Boom, former star player for the Chicago Blackhawks. 

Lots of twists and turns, and some heart-stopping moments. And scenes at Wrigley Field and the United Center which made this sports nut very happy indeed. My one gripe is that the action was taking place at the same time as the Stanley Cup playoffs, but we never get to find out who wins. 

"Politics is a way dirtier game than hockey."