Female crime writers were not always given the same recognition as today. Edgar Allan Poe s
detective story The Murders in the Rue Morgue' written in 1841 is regarded as the beginning
of the detective genre. In the following years the genre was typically dominated by male
authors. Since then considerable progress has been made and female authors have created a very
individual way of writing detective novels. However experts still disagree on a clear
definition of the female crime novel. The present study hopes to gain further insight into
female detective novels coming from the USA and Great Britain. After giving basic information
on the history of female detective novels and the ideal crime scheme the study analyses the
characteristics of female detective novels as opposed to male detective novels and the appeal
of detective novels for women writers. Although female detective novels are not a separate
sub-genre but rather a separate field within the genre of detective novels women have given
the genre new impulses.
