Trouble and Her Friends

Trouble and Her Friends, Melissa Scott, Tor Books, 1994

Trouble and Cerise are two of the best cyberspace hackers in the business. When the government cracks down on such activities, Trouble takes off permanently, neglecting to tell Cerise. A few years later, after both have gone legit, someone suddenly appears on the nets, boasting about their (now very illegal) criminal hacking, and using Trouble's name. The authorities get really interested, and turn up the heat on Trouble. She and Cerise get back together, a bit reluctantly, and go searching for the impostor, in the real world, and in cyberspace.

This is a first-rate novel. The cyberspace parts will keep any cyberpunk happy. There is an interesting story in the real world, too, along with excellent characters, especially Trouble and Cerise. You won't go wrong on this one.