by Sally Cline
First published 2022
Sally Cline traces the remarkable growth of female crime writing across Britain, America, and Canada from the 1930s Golden Age through today's domestic noir boom. She interviewed hundreds of women writers from diverse backgrounds who share one common thread: their passion for crime fiction. Cline explores why women who often face violence and fear in their daily lives gravitate toward writing stories filled with extreme violence. She examines how criminal justice professionals like police officers, forensic scientists, and lawyers have joined traditional mystery authors in the genre. The book charts key developments including the 1980s trio of Marcia Muller, Sara Paretsky, and Sue Grafton, who created the first female American private investigators. Cline shows how these writers introduced protagonists who were lesbian, disabled, Black, or from ethnic minorities for the first time. She analyzes the recent explosion of domestic thrillers and forensic science fiction. Most of these authors use crime fiction as a lens to examine social and political issues, creatively exploring the challenges women face today.
Genres: gender-studies, feminism, mystery, crime, detective, 21st-century
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: female-protagonist, social-commentary
Setting: Britain, America, Canada
Period: 1930s, 1980s, Today
272 pages · Kindle Edition · Oldcastle Books