Better than previous books.

STILL too many characters. Too complicated.

But her 2024 V.I. Warshawski novel has some structure. More than usual, in any case.

V.I. finally gets paid serious money for her time and continuous physical punishment.

Still dealing with the trauma of a previous case and the strain on her personal relationships, V.I. Warshawski travels to Lawrence, Kansas, to attend a college basketball game involving a friend’s daughter.

Trouble soon finds her when one of the young athletes, Sabrina, disappears. V.I. agrees to stay behind and investigate, but quickly finds herself out of her element in a town where she has no established contacts and faces hostility from local law enforcement and powerful figures. 

Her search for Sabrina uncovers a local opioid distribution ring and a complex land-use battle with historical roots going back to the 1860s.

When V.I. finds Sabrina close to death in a drug house, and later a dead body in the same location, she becomes a prime suspect, landing in the FBI’s crosshairs.