Sara Paretsky

Sara Paretsky is a highly acclaimed American novelist, best known for her detective fiction featuring the female private investigator, V.I. Warshawski. Paretsky's contributions to crime fiction include creating a female character that breaks all the rules and stereotypes of what a female detective is supposed to be, thereby transcending typical labels. She has been hailed as one of the best and brightest female crime novel authors in the industry, paving the way for women in a genre that has traditionally been dominated by men.

Paretsky was raised in Kansas and attended the state university, where she graduated with a degree in political science. She did community service work in Chicago in 1966 and returned in 1968 to work there. She completed a Ph.D. in history at the University of Chicago, and later earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. She has been living in Chicago since 1968, where she sets many of her novels featuring V.I. Warshawski.

Warshawski's eclectic personality defies easy categorization, as she is tough, feminine, and vulnerable, yet above all, loyal to her friends and clients. Paretsky has been credited with transforming the role and image of women in the crime novel, and her work has been celebrated in the Winter 2007 issue of Clues: A Journal of Detection. In addition to the Warshawski novels, Paretsky has also written two non-Warshawski novels, Ghost Country (1998) and Bleeding Kansas (2008).

Paretsky's passion for social justice is reflected in her novels, and she is also known for her support for reproductive health and the welfare of women and children. She has received numerous accolades for her work, including the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the British Crime Writers and Grand Master from the Mystery Writers of America. Despite these honors, Paretsky remains a humble and dedicated author, committed to telling compelling stories that both entertain and enlighten her readers.