“AN ABSORBING, WELL-WRITTEN TALE … A TOP-NOTCH MYSTERY.”

—Publishers Weekly

THE CRITICS LOVE
DEADLOCK

“GOOD FUN, PARTICULARLY IF YOU LIKE THE TOUGH ONES.”

—Chattanooga Times

“A STANDOUT. A RICH AND EXCITING NOVEL.”

—Mystery News

“V. I. WARSHAWSKI IS ONE OF THE TOUGHEST AND PERHAPS THE MOST PERSUASIVELY WRITTEN OF THE NEW BREED OF FEMALE PRIVATE-EYES.”

—Philadelphia Inquirer

“FLAWLESS PLOTTING.”

—Booklist

“SWIFT-PACED AND ENGROSSING.”

—The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)

SARA PARETSKY’S INTRIGUING WOMAN P.I. V. I. WARSHAWSKI IS “THE DETECTIVE MANY MYSTERY FANS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!”*

“HER WORK DOES MORE THAN TURN THE GENRE UPSIDE DOWN: her books are beautifully paced and plotted, and the dialogue is fresh and smart.”

—Newsweek

“TENACIOUS, GOOD-NATURED, IDEALISTIC … V. I. Warshawski is a pleasure to see in action.”

—Glamour

“BRASH, BREEZY, AND IN HER OWN SENSE, HIGHLY MORAL, V. I. Warshawski is the best of the new breed of female detectives … a tough female detective working Chicago’s mean streets—a perspective you won’t find anywhere else.”

—Rave Reviews

“A GRIPPING, ENTERTAINING STORY.”

—Publishers Weekly

“PARETSKY JUGGLES WISECRACKS, TENDERNESS AND GRIT IN A STORY THAT RETURNS CHICAGO P.I. V. I. WARSHAWSKI TO HER SOUTHSIDE ROOTS … PARETSKY COULD NOT HAVE WRITTEN THIS ONE BETTER.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“PARETSKY’S NAME ALWAYS MAKES THE TOP OF THE LIST WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THE NEW FEMALE OPERATIVES.”

—The New York Times Book Review

“V. I. WARSHAWSKI IS … THE TOP OF THE LINE—ATTRACTIVE, INTELLIGENT, TOUGH, AND VULNERABLE.”

—Chicago Tribune

* Newsweek

Other Books by This Author

Books by Sara Paretsky

TOTAL RECALL
HARD TIME
GHOST COUNTRY
WINDY CITY BLUES
TUNNEL VISION
GUARDIAN ANGEL
BURN MARKS
BLOOD SHOT
BITTER MEDICINE
KILLING ORDERS
DEADLOCK
INDEMNITY ONLY

Edited by Sara Paretsky

WOMEN ON THE CASE
A WOMAN’S EYE

Title Page

Copyright

Published by
Dell Publishing
a division of
Random House, Inc.

Copyright © 1984 by Sara Paretsky

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. For information address: Ballantine Books, New York, New York.

Dell® is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

eISBN: 978-0-307-78128-4

v3.1

Dedication

For Lucella Wieser,
a lady who sailed these seas
with wit and great courage
for over a hundred and six years.