Since her 1990 debut with Burn Marks, all of Sara Paretsky's novels featuring V.I. Warshawski have been New York Times bestsellers, and Hard Time is destined to continue the trend. Multimedia conglomerate Global Entertainment has purchased the Chicago Herald-Star, forcing the paper's staff to scramble for new jobs. Reporter Murray Ryerson, V.I. Warshawski's long-time friend, lands a plum job as host of a Global network television show. On her way home from a party in honor of Murray's success, V.I. stops to help a woman lying in the street. Her Good Samaritan act sends her straight into a case that exposes dark hidden truths behind the razzle-dazzle of the entertainment industry. And suddenly, V.I. finds herself playing a game that she can only win by staying alive.