Reading order · 22 books · 1982 to 2024 · Set in Chicago
V.I. Warshawski Books in Order
V.I. Warshawski is a tough, independent private investigator in Chicago who specialises in financial crime, and takes on corporations, politicians and the powerful. Her friend Dr Lotty Herschel and her elderly neighbour Mr Contreras are always beside her.
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Series facts
- Books
- 22
- Published
- 1982 to 2024
- First book
- Indemnity Only
- Latest
- Pay Dirt (2024)
- Setting
- Set in Chicago
The reading order
Every V.I. Warshawski book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
22 books · Set in Chicago
- 1Indemnity Only1982With V.I. WarshawskiV.I.Buy on Amazon
- 2Deadlock1984With V.I. WarshawskiV.I.’s cousin Boom Boom, a former hockey star, dies on the docks of Chicago, and she does not believe it was an accident.Buy on Amazon
- 3Killing Orders1985With V.I. WarshawskiV.I.’s aunt asks for help when forged shares are found in the safe of a priory, and the trail leads into the Church.Buy on Amazon
- 4Bitter Medicine1987With V.I. WarshawskiA pregnant young woman dies at a suburban hospital, and V.I.Buy on Amazon
- 5Toxic Shock1988With V.I. WarshawskiV.I.Buy on Amazon
- 6Burn Marks1990With V.I. WarshawskiV.I.’s aunt’s hotel burns down, and the fire leads to corruption in the building industry.Buy on Amazon
- 7Guardian Angel1992With V.I. WarshawskiV.I.Buy on Amazon
- 8Tunnel Vision1994With V.I. WarshawskiA homeless family is living in the basement of V.I.’s office building, and a woman is found murdered.Buy on Amazon
- 9Hard Time1999With V.I. WarshawskiV.I.Buy on Amazon
- 10Total Recall2001With V.I. WarshawskiA man at a conference claims to have recovered memories of the Holocaust, and V.I.Buy on Amazon
- 11Blacklist2003With V.I. WarshawskiV.I.Buy on Amazon
- 12Fire Sale2005With V.I. WarshawskiV.I.Buy on Amazon
- 13Hardball2009With V.I. WarshawskiV.I.Buy on Amazon
- 14Body Work2010With V.I. WarshawskiA woman is shot outside a Chicago nightclub where a performance artist paints on the bodies of the audience.Buy on Amazon
- 15Breakdown2012With V.I. WarshawskiA group of girls holding a midnight ceremony in a cemetery find a body.Buy on Amazon
- 16Critical Mass2013With V.I. WarshawskiThe daughter of Lotty’s old friend disappears, and the case leads back to a nuclear physicist in Vienna before the war.Buy on Amazon
- 17Brush Back2015With V.I. WarshawskiA man asks V.I.Buy on Amazon
- 18Fallout2017With V.I. WarshawskiA young film student and an ageing actress disappear in Kansas, and V.I.Buy on Amazon
- 19Shell Game2018With V.I. WarshawskiV.I.’s niece’s boyfriend is accused of murder, and the case involves stolen antiquities from Syria.Buy on Amazon
- 20Dead Land2020With V.I. WarshawskiA homeless woman’s strange behaviour leads V.I.Buy on Amazon
- 21Overboard2022With V.I. WarshawskiV.I.Buy on Amazon
- 22Pay Dirt2024With V.I. WarshawskiIn Kansas for a basketball weekend, V.I.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with Indemnity Only.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | V.I. Warshawski | Lotty Herschel | Bobby Mallory | Murray Ryerson | Mr Contreras | Petra Warshawski | Bernie Fouchard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Indemnity Only | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 2 Deadlock | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 3 Killing Orders | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 4 Bitter Medicine | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 5 Toxic Shock | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 6 Burn Marks | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 7 Guardian Angel | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 8 Tunnel Vision | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 9 Hard Time | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 10 Total Recall | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 11 Blacklist | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 12 Fire Sale | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 13 Hardball | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | |
| 14 Body Work | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 15 Breakdown | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 16 Critical Mass | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 17 Brush Back | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 18 Fallout | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | |
| 19 Shell Game | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 20 Dead Land | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 21 Overboard | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 22 Pay Dirt | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
Characters in the V.I. Warshawski books
7 characters from Sara Paretsky’s chart, with the number of V.I. Warshawski books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| V.I. WarshawskiChicago private investigator | 22 | Indemnity Only 1982 |
| Lotty HerschelDoctor and V.I.’s closest friend | 22 | Indemnity Only 1982 |
| Bobby MalloryChicago police captain, a friend of V.I.’s late father | 22 | Indemnity Only 1982 |
| Murray RyersonInvestigative reporter | 22 | Indemnity Only 1982 |
| Mr ContrerasV.I.’s elderly neighbour and protector | 19 | Bitter Medicine 1987 |
| Petra WarshawskiV.I.’s young cousin | 5 | Hardball 2009 |
| Bernie FouchardGoddaughter of an old family friend | 3 | Fallout 2017 |