SARA PARETSKY:  January 2012

Born June 8, 1947, in Ames,

Education: University of Kansas, B.A., 1967; University of Chicago, M.B.A., 1977, Ph.D., 1977. Avocational Interests: Baseball (Chicago Cubs), singing.

Memberships: Authors Guild, Sisters in Crime (founder and president, 1987-88), Crime Writers Association, Private Eye Writers of America, Chicago Network.

Addresses: Home: Chicago, IL. Agent: Dominick Abel, 146 W. 82nd Ave., Ste. 1A, New York, NY 10024

Bleeding Kansas is the story of prejudice, family, outsiders, and community tension, written by Sara Paretsky, who is best known for her mystery novels featuring V.I. Warshawski. Set in rural Kansas, the novel focuses on the stories of three families, the Grelliers, Fremantles, and Schapens. Each family has long roots in Kansas dating back to the 1850s. Gina Haring, a lesbian witch, stirs up old prejudices and conflict when she arrives. One family loses a son to the Iraq war. And one family's fundamentalist beliefs come into play. Themes of fear and contentiousness fill the book.

Recommended Similar Titles

The Marrowbone Marble Company: A Novel - Glenn Taylor

Sing You Home - Jodi Picoult

A Southern Family - Gail Godwin

The Woman of the House - Alice Taylor

"V.I. WARSHAWSKI" MYSTERIES

Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski mysteries pioneered the tough, urban, feminist P.I. with a strong social conscience. These dark novels are set in Chicago's mean streets and pit Warshawski against desperate, dangerous, and powerful opponents. The stories of secondary characters, and Chicago's own brutal history of corruption, make these novels appealing for men as well as women. Each book is a platform for social commentary, such as corporate corruption and political graft in the medical profession or Catholic Church. Multiple plot lines move at breakneck speed in her non-series writing as well. Start with: Indemnity Only.

• Indemnity Only (#1, 1982)
• Deadlock, (#2, 1984).
• Killing Orders, (#3, 1985).
• Bitter Medicine, (#4 1987).
• Blood Shot , (#5, 1988)
• Burn Marks, (#6, 1990).
• Guardian Angel, (#7, 1992).
• Tunnel Vision, (#8, 1994).
• Windy City Blues (#9, short stories, 1995)
• Hard Time, (#10, 1999).
• Total Recall, (#11, 2001).
• V.I. Times Two: Photo Finish and Publicity Stunts, Women and Children First (Chicago, IL), 2002.
• Blacklist, (#12,  2003)
• Fire Sale, (#13, 2005)
• Hardball, (#14, 2009).
• Body Work, (#15, 2010)
• Breakdown, (#16, 2012)

EDITOR

• Beastly Tales: The Mystery Writers of America Anthology, Wynwood Press (New York, NY), 1989.
• A Woman's Eye (collection of mystery stories), Delacorte (New York, NY), 1991.
• Women on the Case: Twenty-six Original Stories by the Best Women Crime Writers of Our Time, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1996.
• Sisters on the Case: Celebrating Twenty Years of Sisters in Crime, New American Library (New York, NY), 2007.

OTHER

• Ghost Country (novel), Delacorte (New York, NY), 1998.
• Writing in an Age of Silence (essays), Verso (New York, NY), 2007.
• Bleeding Kansas, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 2008.

AUTHOR’S WEBSITE:  www.saraparetsky.com

Breakdown, V I Warshawski's new adventure, goes on sale everywhere January 3. Cable news, shape-shifters, and ancient secrets push V I almost past her limits.

The Library of Congress has posted a webcast of Sara's talk at the 2011 National Book Festival.

January 2012 marks the 30th anniversary of V I's first adventure, Indemnity Only  To celebrate, Bantam has issued a special edition with a new introduction by Sara Paretsky.