Sara Paretsky

Sara Paretsky (born 1947) is an American author best known for creating V.I. Warshawski, the private investigator at the center of her long-running crime novel series. Her debut Warshawski novel, *Indemnity Only* (1982), introduced the character and helped expand the role of women in hard-boiled detective fiction. Paretsky has also been active in advocating for women crime writers: she is a founder of Sisters in Crime, an organization established to promote and support women in the mystery field. Her work is closely associated with Chicago, where the Warshawski novels are set.