"Murder She Writes" might be a good crime fiction-themed subtitle for Women's History Month. Although it took awhile for female authors to be accepted in the genre, they've made up for it with a vengeance. One organization which led the way in supporting women in their writing endeavors was Sisters in Crime, thought up by Sara Paretsky after she noted the dearth of books by women writers being reviewed and nominated for awards, and formed at the annual Edgars Week in 1987. The group currently has 3600 members in 48 chapters world-wide, providing networking, mentoring, resources, and support for both published and unpublished authors.
Although women writers are most often associated with the mystery subgenres "cozies" and/or "traditional" works, recent years have seen an increasing number writing hardboiled and noir fiction to acclaim, led by the likes of Christa Faust, Megan Abbot, Val McDermid, Zoë Sharp, Chelsea Cain, Marcia Muller, and Sara Paretsky herself, among many others.
If you're looking for suggestions for finding women authors in the various subgenres of crime fiction, perhaps these resources will get you started:
- Feminist Mystery Corner has a listing of authors and books which fall more into the hardboiled vein.
- The Mystery List has a bibliography of "Old Maids and Private Eyes."
- Women Who Wonder Whodunit's listing includes ways of searching by author, title, character, and even subject.
- The Springfield City Library lists Religious Women as Amateur Sleuths.
- The Thrilling Detective categorizes hardboiled dames, or " You're a Mean Man with a Typewriter, Sister."
- And the ever-helpful Readers Advice resource has lists of Housewife Amateur Sleuths, Lesbian Mysteries, Spunky Women Sleuths, and Sweet Old Ladies (noting that these lists include works by male authors, too, who feature women protagonists).
So, three cheers for the grrrls and long may they reign.
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