In addition to one failed marriage, Vic has had several lovers over the years, such as English insurance executive Roger Ferrant; Conrad Rawlings, a black Chicago police detective ; and war correspondent and human rights activist C.L. Morrell. Some of these characters appear in more than one book, even after the formal relationship has ended. Warshawski can be a passionate and caring lover, and feels deeply hurt when a relationship is ended. She is fiercely independent even towards men she loves, would not consider living with one, and deeply resents their feeling protective towards her. Men who love her want to do so when she repeatedly risks her life in pursuing a hot case.