SOURCE: “Crime Time,” in Women's Review of Books, Vol. VI, Nos. 10-11, July, 1989, p. 41.

In the following excerpt, Lowry praises Paretsky's Blood Shot, contending that the novel contains not only good writing and good characterizations but a believable plot and a satisfying ending.

As good to relax with on a winter evening as on a summer vacation, murder mysteries are a great antidote for the blahs. The best mystery writers tell a good tale, solve a puzzle and provide a satisfying solution. A recent Publishers Weekly article documents what booksellers have known for years: Mystery novel sales are on the upswing, and women authors write a good share of those mysteries.

Gone are the unobtrusive Miss Marples and Miss Silvers of yesteryear, gone the wimpy “heroines” who bumble into a solution or need a man to rescue them. Today's women are professional, independent and resourceful. They are Private...