Ghost Country

Written by Sara Paretsky

Narrated by Teri Schnaubelt

Sara Paretsky's genius made Chicago private eye V.I. Warshawski a household name. Now the New York Times bestselling author explores an unseen corner of the city she loves. In Ghost Country she has written a parable for the millennium, a powerful, haunting novel of magic and miracles, of four troubled people who meet beneath Chicago's shadowy streets--and of the woman whose mysterious appearance changes all of their lives forever.

They come from different worlds and meet at a time of crisis for all of them. Luisa, a drunken diva fallen on hard times, discovers on Chicago's streets a drama greater than any she has experienced onstage. Madeleine, a homeless woman, sees the Virgin Mary's blood seeping through a concrete wall beneath a luxury hotel. Mara, a rebellious adolescent cast out by her wealthy grandfather, becomes the catalyst for a war between the haves and have-nots as she searches among society's castoffs for the mother she never knew.

As the three women fight for their right to live and worship beneath the hotel, they find an ally in Hector Tammuz, an idealistic young psychiatrist risking his career to treat the homeless regardless of the cost. Tensions in the city are escalating when a mysterious woman appears during a violent storm. Erotic to some, repellent to others, she never speaks; the street people call her Starr. And as she slowly transforms their lives, miracles begin to happen in a city completely unprepared for the outcome.

In this extraordinary novel, Sara Paretsky gives voice to the dispossessed, to men and women struggling to bury the ghosts of the past, fighting for their lives in a world hungry for miracles, terrified of change. A magical, unforgettable story of myth and madness, hope and revelation, Ghost Country is Sara Paretsky's most eloquent and ambitious work yet.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Aug 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781536695205

Sara Paretsky

Hailed by the Washington Post as “the definition of perfection in the genre,” Sara Paretsky is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, including the renowned V.I. Warshawski series. She is one of only four living writers to have received both the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers Association of Great Britain. She lives in Chicago.

Reviews for Ghost Country

[susandennis-139327 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

We've waited a long time for a new Paretsky. But, I was really waiting for a new V.I.Warshawski. This new book is not only NOT a Warshawski, it's not a mystery either. I'm not even sure how to describe it. There's a fallen opera diva, and her homeless friends and a strange family that is so fractured that dysfunctional doesn't even start to do it justice. The book is an interesting book to read. I'm ready for another V.I. Warshawski.

[dihiba · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Awful. Would not recommend.

[iansales_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

One of Paretsky’s two non-Warshawski novels, although this one is set in present-day Chicago like the VI books. There’s a world-famous opera singer, who is an alcoholic and slowly losing her grip on reality. Her career is already in the toilet. There’s a doctor who wants to practice psychiatry at a prestigious Chicago hospital, but the highly-respected consultant in charge of the department is more concerned with cutting costs so would sooner give patients drugs. There’s the granddaughter of the cost-cutting consultant, who can’t compete with her older sister, a high-flying lawyer, and runs away from home. And there’s a homeless woman who thinks the rusty water leaking from a broken pipe inside the outside wall of a top hotel’s garage is the blood of Mary, and she worships at a small shrine she has built there. Their stories all, of course, interact, and Paretsky uses them to deliver a stinging indictment of US private healthcare, hypocritical middle-class Christians, and the move to a more right-wing neocon Christian society. None of the men in the novel, with the exception of the psychiatrist, are sympathetic; but neither are they unconvincing. This is not a book to read if you’re looking for mind candy or comfort reading – it will make you angry. True, everyone gets what they deserve, and though the story is bleak the ending isn’t; but it’s still a very angry novel. Worth reading, nonetheless.

[louis.arata · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sara Paretsky knows Chicago. She paints a realistic city, even when she deals with an urban fantasy theme. The story brings together characters across the social strata, from the Gold Coast to the homeless "underworld." Parable-like, "Ghost Country" examines what happens when a homeless woman believes a crack in a wall is bleeding the Virgin's blood. The story takes off when Starr, a mysterious figure, appears on the scene. She is compellingly, vibrantly alive. Women are drawn to her authority, and patriarchal men are confounded by it. There is healing in her presence, so long as you are open to an honest assessment of who you are. One of the predominant themes in the book addresses gender issues, in particular male misogyny and female empowerment. However, I would like to have seen a few male characters who weren't abusive to women; I don't think this addition would detract from the story. The last third of the book picks up speed as these characters converge. The final image of Mara by the lakeside is beautifully written and poignant. A fine read.

[ma_washigeri · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Awful.Wooden characters. I abandoned after a few chapters.

[djrmel · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Choppy, repetitive, cartoon villains, Mary Sue heroines...this is a book barely saved by its detailed Chicago setting. The Kindle edition also has a LOT of typos.

[bookheaven_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Gets better the second half of the book.