🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Sara Paretsky
Since she runs several foundations, Sara also is a part of several literary boards. These include working on the advisory board for literature for all of us, a separate literacy group for teenage mothers, and also a board called Thresholds, which services to help the homeless who are suffering from a mental illness. She has also mentored several students in inner city high schools. Sara Paretsky is a diamond in the rough. She is an award winning crime novelist, she has several foundations that help women and girls alike to reach their true potential, and is a literary advisory board member. Sara continues to write chart topping crime novels that sell like hot cakes, and does what she can for her community.
All Book Series by Sara Paretsky
Words, Works, and Ways of Knowing
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2016
The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1991
Book 11 of 45 · published 1992
The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1992
Book 13 of 45 · published 1993
The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1993
Book 18 of 45 · published 1994
The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1995
Book 23 of 45 · published 1996
The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century
Book 29 of 45 · published 2000
The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook: Wickedly Good Meals and Desserts to Die For
Book 40 of 45 · published 2015
Bullets and Other Hurting Things: A Tribute to Bill Crider
Book 42 of 45 · published 2021
The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2022
Book 44 of 45 · published 2022
The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 22
Latest in the series · book 45 of 45 · published 2026
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Sara Paretsky?
Since she runs several foundations, Sara also is a part of several literary boards. These include working on the advisory board for literature for all of us, a separate literacy group for teenage mothers, and also a board called Thresholds, which services to help the homeless who are suffering from a mental illness. She has also mentored several students in inner city high schools.
Which Sara Paretsky series should I start with?
The best place to start is the V.I. Warshawski series, the earliest of Sara Paretsky's multi-book series: it opens with Indemnity Only (1982) and runs to 22 books across 1982–2024, ending with Pay Dirt (2024). Sara Paretsky's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Sara Paretsky written?
Sara Paretsky has 203 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1982 and 2026. 147 of them belong to 4 named series — the largest being the V.I. Warshawski series with 22 books — and 56 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Sara Paretsky's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Sara Paretsky's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are V.I. Warshawski (1982–2024, 22 books), V.I. Warshawski Collections (1995, 1 book) and V.I. Warshawski Short Stories/Novellas (2011–2018, 3 books).
How are Sara Paretsky's books organised into series?
This guide splits Sara Paretsky's 203 books into 4 named series and 56 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: V.I. Warshawski (22 books, 1982–2024); V.I. Warshawski Short Stories/Novellas (3 books, 2011–2018); V.I. Warshawski Collections (1 book, 1995); Akashic Noir (121 books, 2002–2025).