Sara Paretsky, "Guardian Angel"

Sara Paretsky is a lot more than a plain detective story writer. She describes a whole society, in this case that of Chicago and its crime, or crimes. Violent crime is not number one on her agenda, though it comes in due time. She is mainly interested in white collar crime, the type you find in business and finances. These criminals are highly qualified and educated and some believe that they can have all they want, just because they have the education, the money or the power it takes to command the world. Violence only comes up when some outsiders, first of all the private investigator of this book, try to get into the circle to find out about those criminal acitivites. After moral or social intimidation violence comes in the same line, and it can go all the way to elimination. But this classy world does not accept to be endangered and they are ready to sacrifice some of their children in order to save the system. You can become an outcast overnight if your actions or initiatives endanger the power of the bosses of this society. It is a clan and those who do not accept these clannish procedures are rejected. But Sara Paretsky goes a lot beyond and gives also a fair picture of some burning issues in our socieries. She does not put them all on the front burner but she does for the position of women : they can do all they want, no profession is beyond their reach, because an equal society has to reject any privilege or segregation. A fascinating page turner.