Total Recall

V. I. Warshawski, Book 10

By: Sara Paretsky

Narrated by: Sandra Burr

In Total Recall, Sara Paretsky brings together several disparate plots in one gripping story. This powerfully suspenseful novel confronts the machinations of a vast and corrupt industry that trades on the victims of Nazi terrorism; the strange and dubious phenomenon of "recovered memory;" and a personal story that brings V. I. Warshawski into the long-buried past of her dearest friend and mentor, Dr. Lotty Herschel.

Lotty was a child of nine when she came to England in 1939 as a refugee from Austria. Having lost her entire family to the Nazi terror, she grew up and completed her medical training in London - and there fell in love with a fellow refugee. She ended the affair when she discovered she was pregnant and bore the child in secrecy, giving it up for adoption. Now, that long-held secret may be exposed.

At a national conference in Chicago on Jews in Modern America, a man with recovered memories makes a dramatic appearance and claim - and his name brings consternation to Lotty. V.I. is retained to find out whether or not he is a surviving relative of Lotty's. It's a search that meshes stunningly with the pursuit of another case she is on - for what she uncovers, to her great peril, is brutal insurance fraud on an international scale.

Total Recall is Paretsky's most spectacular achievement to date, and takes V.I. to new heights of gusto, guts, passion for justice - and risk.

Catch all of our V.I. Warshawski titles.©2004 Sara Paretsky (P)2004 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

the best one yet!

loved this one. this was the best one yet! must read all in one sitting!

The history and mystery of loss and pain

Perhaps my favorite mystery ever. Mystery is supposed to involve the twists and turns of the unsaid, the buried, the never faced. The tenderness and intensity of Vic's love for Lotty and the care with which she pursues the source of her anguish is exquisitely presented. As always the actual plot twists together from different, seemingly unrelated sources, and this is just the price we have to pay for a good story, I guess. I'm so glad I ignored some of the reviews of this book and actually downloaded it. It did more than get me through a bunch of exercise sessions. It led me to reconsider the carefully suppressed pain of my own parents who were from an entirely different place and circumstance.

“Total Recall” - one of the best

Best of the series thus far. The detecting portion was very well done but Lottie’s story made this book stand out. This is the first of the series in audio for me - Sandra Burr’s voice and reading was not the V.I. in my head. Her rendition of Lottie was right on, but not V.I.

It was so meaningful to begin to understand Lottie’s life story.

Susan Burr’s singsong, syrupy voice ruined this Audible book for me. V.I. Is tough and Susan failed to bring V. I.’s character to the performance.

My favorite Sara Paretsky

I found this story to be emotionally satisfying, believable and gripping to the end. I have listened to it many times. This seems to me to be a deeper character study of the people who fans of Sara Paretsky have come to know.

I love the entire VI Warshawski series.

Would you consider the audio edition of Total Recall to be better than the print version?

I used Whispersync to enhance my listening/reading enjoyment. I've read all the series but am going through the series again since it's been a while.

Who was your favorite character and why?

VI of course.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Overall for me the narrator's voice is "too nice." After listening to all the different V.I. voices in order I like Susan Ericksen, Kathleen Turner (movie), Jean Smart, Sandra Burr.

The pace matched the way I was reading the story so it worked for me. Sandra Burr just didn't have Chicago south side toughness. The accents were off for the characters in my mind anyway.

Good story

But this narration destroyed who VI is. If this was the first book I’d listened to in this series, it would be the last. Character is ruined.

Narration ruined book

I completely agree with reviewers that expressed the narration of this book destroyed who the V.I. character is. Very unfortunate choice. Really disappointed, as I had previously greatly enjoyed listening to the V.I. books.

V.I. Characterization is Awful

I purchased this one accidentally. I meant to get Hard Time which is narrated by Jean Smart. When I fired this one up the other day, I was in for a shock. Sandra Burr, who unfortunately seems to have narrated quite a few V.I. Warshawski audiobooks (which means I'm going to miss out on a lot of them), makes Vic sound like a wide-eyed little girl, or a Stepford Wife. The edge, the wit, and the tough as nails femininity is completely absent. She makes Vic sound like she's on mood stabilizers, and the mood of the story is ruined. When V.I. gets into a heated discussion with one of the other characters, she "shoots back" with a retort, but she could have been talking about how nice sunny days are when the sky is blue. Yes, it's that bad. Unless you're really hard up for a V.I. Warshawski novel, I suggest you skip this and pick up the ones by Jean Smart. Smart nails Vic perfectly.

Relationships and trust

(As posted in GoodReads)
I had actually read the first nine VI Warshawsky books as they were written, but I stopped reading as my vision got worse. This was the first that I had not read. I still love Sara Paretsky and her writing. The fact that I went to University of Chicago and lived in Hyde Park for several years and have been almost consistently in the Chicago area most of my life may well have something to do with this. Whenever she mentions locations in Hyde Park or the Chicago area it invokes memories and recognition. She has a solid way with personal relationships presented that makes you want to know all of the characters and makes them all your friends.
Many of her characters have a mixed or sordid past, and trust is something earned and not expected. And although the reader feels bad people and situations, pity is not invoked or even allowed! And the lack of gore and violence is well appreciated!