In "Miss Bianca," a young girl becomes involved in espionage when she befriends a mouse in a laboratory that is conducting dark experiments. Ten-year-old V.I. Warshawski appears in "Wildcat," embarking on her very first investigation to save her father. A hardboiled New York detective and elderly British aristocrat team up to reveal a murderer in Chicago during the World's Fair in "Murder at the Century of Progress." In the new title story, "Love & Other Crimes," V.I. treads the line between justice and vengeance when the wrongful firing of a family friend makes him a murder suspect.

This collection of fourteen short stories-- eight of which feature detective V.I. Warshawski-- are a celebration of Paretsky's exceptional storytelling skill and a searing exploration of the dark conspiracies and desperate human acts hiding in plain sight. The stories range from V.I.'s very first investigation (at the age of ten) to a new story in which V.I. treads the line between justice and vengeance. The other stories involve a young girl involved in espionage when she befriends a mouse in a laboratory; a New York detective and a British aristocrat teaming up in Chicago during the World's Far; and many more. -- adapted from jacket