women readers of mysteries

[Anne Doran]

I would like to comment on a discussion that was taking place here a couple of days ago regarding women and mystery books.
I think the members were all of the male gender, but am not sure. As a longtime female reader of mysteries and crime fiction I would like to say that romance is definitely NOT what I look for in a book. I do much prefer stories with interesting female characters.
Having picked up a couple of unknown authors' books and found absolutely no women in the stories does make me lose interest quickly. Thanks for "listening".

[I. J. Parker]

Coffin? I remember a Coffin. British police officer? Don't remember any sheets though.

[Donna Moore]

I'm not big on romance either and so here are my suggestions for some authors who write books with great female protagonists - Megan Abbott, Christa Faust, Barbara Seranella, Zoe Sharp, Liza Cody, Robert Eversz, And I've just started a book with a female protagonist that looks as though it wil be excellent - Charlie Newton's CALUMET CITY.

[D K Gaston]

I like Sandra Brown, Erica Spindler, Iris Johansen, Faye Kellerman and Catherine Coulter. They usually write strong female characters into their story, while not dumbing down their male counterparts.

[I. J. Parker]

Catherine Coulter is only known to me as the author of fat bodice-ripper romance novels. She must be one of the romance writers who switched to crime.

[D K Gaston]

She does a FBI series featuring special agents Savich and Sherlock

There are eight or nine books so far.

[Anne Doran]

Which are fun and interesting !

[Karyn J. Powers]

Beg to differ.

[Anne Doran]

Not familiar with Erica Spindler but like the others you mentioned.

[D K Gaston]

I think you would enjoy her books. This is a list of some of her books:

Last Known Victim
Killer Takes All
See Jane Die
Breakneck
In Selence
Bone Cold
Cause for Alarm
Fortune
Red
Dead Run
Copycat

[MicheleEmrath]

I second Anne's response. In fact, I will not read an author twice if there is over-emphasis on the romance or sex angle. I am looking for a good, well-developed plot and interesting characters. I want good writing and a good setting. Give me a great crime any day, not a great romance! In fact, for a while I shunned all female authors because the few I had read were so "soft." Now I find I was doing my own gender a disservice. Louise Penny and Chelsea Cain top my list of favorite authors.

Michele
SouthernCityMysteries

[Harley Sachs]

As a feminist (since I married a woman and have three daughters who are also women) I have written a series of books with female protagonists. It's the Mystery Club series published as ebooks by Wings ePress. Wings also releases two as paperbacks and I do print editions of two others. You can find out about them at my web site www.hu.mtu.edu/~hlsachs. Since I winter in a retirement building where most of the residents are elderly women, I can write about them. These are so-called "cozy" mysteries, no gory scenes, no explicit sex no foul language. Some of the readers on this list love gore and mayhem, so a cozy is not for them, but women indeed can be the main characters in a mystery. So if you want to see smart old ladies putting their heads together to solve crimes, have a look at those. "The Mystery Club Solves a Murder" is in the top ten best sellers at Wings and the paperback can be found at www.lulu.com.

[Robin Richmond]

As a bookdealer I have found that many women especialy the young like hard bouiled crime. The older woman likes cosies. Very few are interested in Romance