Critical Mass: A V.I. Warshawski Novel    by Sara Paretsky Order:  USA  Can Putnam, 2013 (2013) Hardcover, Softcover, CD, e-Book      Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth I'm always happy when I can open a new V.I. Warshawski thriller. Author Sara Paretsky has created a character who is known by name among readers all over the world. Warshawski, this time out, wants to help her closest friend in Chicago, Lotty Herschel. Lotty's dear friend's daughter is in need of the kind of help at which Warshawski excels. Lotty and her friend Kitty, when small children, escaped to London on the Kindertransport from Vienna, to avoid the Holocaust. Now many, many years later, Kitty's drug-addicted daughter Judy needs help. She is tangled in a maze of lies, and secrets as well as silence. Her troubles originated in the competition amongst America, Germany, Japan, and England to successfully develop the first atomic bomb. I cannot begin to summarize this convoluted plot. Take it from me, it is a real doozie. A very, very good one. The characters are right on and fit the story as though sliding into a glove. Lotty is always available for good advice as well as medical help. (She is now a doctor.) The ancillary people fit their roles to perfection. I like the way Paretsky always is able to drop you in the scene she is describing. Her descriptive phrases make the tale come alive. You can tell by now that I am a big fan of this author. You can never go wrong reading one of her thrilling V.I. Warshawski adventures. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews