Contemporary Feminist Historical Crime Fiction

This book is the first scholarly study to focus exclusively on the growing subgenre of historical crime fiction. By examining the feminist interventions of contemporary women writers working in this subgenre, Johnsen advances the existing critical discussion of women's crime fiction. The writers studied here bring research expertise to bear on their chosen historical settings, creating a powerful but widely accessible statement about women in history. Seven history-mystery series provide the main focus; their settings range from twelfth century France to twentieth century Ireland, but all of them feature female investigators, well-constructed mystery plots, and intriguing historical detail. This study demonstrates how these writers change readers' thinking about women in past and present times through their sophisticated textual practices.