"Tunnel Vision" and "Hard Time" by Sara Paretsky

Looking for relaxation from current events and other heavy reading, I picked-up (from my local public library) and quickly read two Sara Paretsky detective novels, my first-time reading this author. I’ve always liked the mystery genre but had stopped reading them because they also feed into my habit of rushing through novels because I want to see what happens next. Ms. Paretsky’s main character is private detective, V.I. Warshawki (known to her friends as Vic); the locale of the novels is Chicago and environs where I lived and worked (in another life). I enjoy the character, Vic, because she is self-reflective about her singular life choices and the actions she takes (sometimes reckless?) when pursuing the answers of the case before her. The books were also fun for me because the author uses some real street names and cloaks other places with pseudonyms. In TUNNEL VISION (432 p.)I met Vic’s cast of supporting characters especially her neighbor, a Korean War veteran, who shares care of Vic’s two dogs as well as her adventures as a private detective. The dialog between Vic and her friends/acquaintances is often witty, humorous, and unexpectedly affectionate. The end of TUNNEL VISION was a little too “neat” to satisfy me but I immediately began HARD TIME (385 p.). I have to say it was disappointingly similar to the first novel; I guess I’d say the author has a “formula” for how to set-up and resolve a plot for her very engaging main character, Vic. The best part of HARD TIME was the harrowing section about conditions in a women’s prison. Don't know if I will read other V.I. adventures; there are lots more if I decide I want to visit w/her again.