Sara Paretsky's groundbreaking mystery series about Chicago private investigator V.I. Warshawski debuted in 1982 and is still going strong. As co-founder of Sisters in Crime (a worldwide organization supporting women writers), as a sought-after public speaker and as 2015 president of the Mystery Writers of America, Paretsky continues to open doors for other authors.

This book is the first comprehensive reference work on Paretsky, providing an overview of the Warshawski novels and short stories, her other novels, a volume of collected essays, her anthologies and journalism. Special attention is paid to the character of Warshawski-the tough, street-smart detective who challenges stereotypical representations of women in crime fiction-and to the significance of the Chicago setting she inhabits. Paretsky's pioneering work beyond the page is covered. A guide to the scholarly and critical debates is included, along with discussion of media adaptations and references to key websites.