Top Ten Fictional Women Detectives and PIs
GUEST POST FOR THE STRAND
FROM KARA THOMAS
AUTHOR OF LOST TO DUNE ROAD, Thomas & Mercer
Crime fiction has come a long way in terms of how women characters are represented—gone are the days where women were either office secretaries or nagging wives to the male detectives. These days there is no shortage of badass women detectives and private investigators in the genre—here are some of my favorites.
Angie Gennaro (Kenzie & Gennaro series by Dennis Lehane)
Long before Michelle Monaghan portrayed Angie Gennaro in the film adaptation of Gone Baby Gone, Patrick Kenzie’s partner was a total badass. In the first book of the series, Angie sends her abusive estranged husband to the hospital with internal injuries. Angie is a complex character that forces Patrick—and the reader—to reconsider the moral implications of solving a crime, and who the real victims might be.
Antoinette Conway (Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French)
Antoinette Conway makes her first appearance in The Secret Place, forging a tentative alliance with narrator Detective Stephen Moran. Conway is a standout character of the novel, even though she’s not the central protagonist. Antoinette is not only a woman surrounded by male detectives—she’s also the only Black detective on the squad, bringing to the forefront issues of class, race, and discrimination. When Conway takes over narrative duties in The Trespassers, readers get to see the strain the harassment and abuse from her colleagues takes on Conway personally, and professionally. What emerges is one of the best partnerships in French’s beloved series.
Evangeline Navarro (True Detective: Night Country)
While the first season of True Detective was a groundbreaking prestige crime drama, there are valid criticisms about the show’s treatment of female characters and toxic masculinity. True Detective: Night Country cements itself as a standout in the anthology series for the way it interrogates the role of women in crime fiction. Kali Reis’s portrayal of State Trooper Evangeline Navarro is nothing short of hypnotizing. Watching Navarro contend with demons both real and imagined elevates a mystery that is at times frustrating as viewers question, “Well is this supernatural, or not?”
Rosa Diaz (Brooklyn 99)
How could a detective who was expelled from ballet academy, and takes a hammer to the precinct printer, not make this list? Stephanie Beatriz’s portrayal of a bisexual, hard-ass detective was a breakout performance, highlighting the actress’s ability to be completely hilarious even when serving as the straight man in this beloved comedy.
Finlay Donovan (Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano)
For another pick from the more humorous side of crime fiction, there is no protagonist quite like Finlay Donovan. Finn is neither a detective or a PI, but she is forced into the role of both when a case of mistaken identity gets her unwillingly involved in a murder-for-hire plot. Cosimano’s hilarious and action-packed series is a bestseller for good reason—on top of all those pesky dead bodies to dispose of, Finlay is also a midlist romance novelist who struggles to balance her deadlines with being a single parent to two feral children. Anyone who wants a side of laughter with their crime fiction should pick up this series immediately.
Sarah Linden (The Killing)
Mireille Enos is magnetic as Sarah Linden, a troubled detective searching for the killer of a teenage girl. The trope of “detective with a tragic past” is too familiar, but Enos’s performance, and the relationship between Sarah and her partner Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman), makes this series a must-watch.
Mare Sheehan (Mare of Easttown)
For yet another troubled detective on a prestige TV drama, one needs to look no further than Kate Winslet herself. Mare is brash, foul-mouthed, and consumed by personal drama—it’s a character we’ve seen before, but Winslet also injects the sort of humor into the role that prevents the show from being relentlessly dark. From her ex-husband living in the house behind hers, to a fresh-faced younger partner who has a crush on her, Mare demonstrates how even a seasoned detective isn’t immune from men causing chaos in her personal life.
Marge Gunderson (Fargo)
Frances McDormand’s Oscar-winning portrayal of a pregnant police chief investigating a triple murder is a standout on this list because Marge is, quite simply, normal. She has no dark or tragic backstory, and she adores her husband and soon-to-be-born son. Marge is so memorable because her demeanor presents such a stark contrast to the depraved individuals she’s hunting down—Marge knows there is evil and darkness in the world, and she can’t understand it. You won’t see her kidnapping a perp and torturing him, like some of the ladies on this list.
Lisbeth Salander (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series)
I do love a good character driven by revenge—especially when she’s also a skilled hacker who uses her talents to expose and punish men who brutalize women. Lisbeth is anti-social and morally questionable, making her the perfect anti-heroine in a series that plumbs the darkest impulses of humanity.
Miss Marple (Agatha Christie’s novels)
This list would not be complete without the OG female crime-solver. Miss Marple proves that you can’t age out of being a badass—and instead of relying on brawn or weapons to solve crimes, Miss Marple always cracks the case with her keen observation skills and sharp intellect. There is something to be said for the role of wisdom and experience in cracking tough cases, and no one has more of both than Agatha Christie’s beloved investigator.
For more by Kara Thomas, visit her website.
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