Indemnity Only (V.I. Warshawski Novels)

Indemnity Only - Sara Paretsky This introduces the series with V.I. Warshawski, a female PI. Paretsky does at least give us sketch in more of a background then I've read in a host of private detective fiction. Vic's Italian/Jewish mother and Polish cop father certainly left their mark on her, and she's actually shown to have a friend. The plot, full of shady businessmen, even shadier labor leaders, mobsters and corrupt cops in Chicago is fairly intricate yet hangs together nicely. I think the "rich people" are rather stereotypical, but several characters do come across as distinct individuals and I did grow to like Vic. She's a bit of a smart ass, but cool, competent and keeps in shape so I can suspend my disbelief and enjoy when she kicks some ass a la Buffy (and because she's not Buffy, she sometimes gets her ass kicked.) I was a bit irked by all the this is no job for a woman stuff, but then this was written in 1979 when Paretsky was as much a pioneer in writing a female PI as any real life counterpart would have been.