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What is the attraction of a lesbian detective novel?by Andy Smart
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You might well ask why read any genre of novel. What follows here are my reasons and opinions. It would be fun to read yours and add them to the site, just mail me and tell my your reasons and, assuming that they are not actionable in a court of law, I'll add them to the site.
The lesbian detective novel is not usually a lesbian novel so much as a detective novel in which the detective is a lesbian. This is an important destinction to make, in that there is no overarching philosophy that links them any more than there is in detective novels in which the detective is straight, or black, or elderly. What this novel form does achieve however is a fusion of three themes: the mystery novel in which the resolution of a crime is the main plot; the novel which celebrates independent, confident and assertive female characters; and the novel which deals with the day to day issues of lesbian life. All modern detective novels interweave aspects of the detective's daily life with the detection process, and an important aspect of this is often the romantic and sexual entanglements of the lead - this frequently takes the form of the detective falling for the prime suspect, or the process of detection having negative effects on the detective's relationships. It is this latter feature which marks the lesbian detective genre as distinct, in that the romantic inclinations of the detective are very clearly at varience with those in the majority of mystery fiction. Some conventions are still true however, the detective still often falls for the prime suspect! All good detectives hang around in bars, it's just that lesbian detectives hang around in lesbian bars; there does not however appear to be a distinctly lesbian form of coffee and donuts for lesbian cops to consume.
OK, you say, you've deconstructed the lesbian detective novel in more detail than the casual reader would ever want, why do you read them?
First off I like to read novels about independent, assertive and confident women. I think this type of characters are excellent role models for women, and I think there should be more of them, regardless of sexual orientation. Add to that the undoubted appeal of a good crime novel - I am an avid reader of Patricia Cornwell (though I think Lucy is the more interesting and appealing character), Ellis Peters, Conan Doyle, and the rest - and you get a book that cannot fail to entertain.
In general they are no better or no worse than straight detective novels as novels - why should they be, sexual orientatin has no effect on writing ability. However they often take an approach or aspect of life which is perhaps under-used in detective fiction generally. The character's problems and life issues are just that bit different - and few of them regard a .45 as the way to deal with difficult people.
So, those are my reasons for reading and enjoying lesbian detective novels. In your opinion are my reasons good or am I just talking a whole load of horse pucky? Let me add your ideas and reasons to this site.