Hard to remember who is more dangerous: the people who are attacking our liberties overseas, or those who are suppressing them at home.

Never underestimate a man's ability to underestimate a woman.

My parents were liberal intellectuals but even they expected me to stay at home and look after my younger siblings and do the housework.

I began wanting to create a detective who really turned the tables on that image of women, to know that you could have a sex life and not be a bad person. You could have a sex life and still solve your own problems. It was eight years from when I started having the fantasy that I was going to create such a detective to when I actually sat down and came up with V. I. Warshawski. It was a long, slow journey to come to a writing voice and do that character.

People have less privacy and are crammed together in cities, but in the wide open spaces they secretly keep tabs on each other a lot more

Live disasters are wonderful attractions when you're safe on the other side of them.

I'm very honoured that there is a loyal following and I hope it continues