A Woman's Eye: A Large Print Anthology

by Sara Paretsky (Editor)

Gathers stories by Sue Grafton, Amanda Cross, Faye Kellerman, Antonia Fraser, Sara Paretsky, and Dorothy B. Hughes

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Detective

569 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Sara Paretsky is a modern American author of detective fiction. Paretsky was raised in Kansas, and graduated from the state university with a degree in political science. She did community service work on the south side of Chicago in 1966 and returned in 1968 to work there. She ultimately completed a Ph.D. in history at the University of Chicago, entitled The Breakdown of Moral Philosophy in New England Before the Civil War, and finally earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. Married to a professor of physics at the University of Chicago, she has lived in Chicago since 1968.

The protagonist of all but two of Paretsky's novels is V.I. Warshawski, a female private investigator. Warshawski's eclectic personality defies easy categorization. She drinks Johnnie Walker Black Label, breaks into houses looking for clues, and can hold her own in a street fight, but also she pays attention to her clothes, sings opera along with the radio, and enjoys her sex life.

Paretsky is credited with transforming the role and image of women in the crime novel. The Winter 2007 issue of Clues: A Journal of Detection is devoted to her work.

Her two books that are non-Warshawski novels are : Ghost Country (1998) and Bleeding Kansas (2008).

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review
3.5 out of 5 stars to A Woman's Eye, a collection of short stories published in 2001 by Sara Paretsky. What's great about this anthology is it contains short stories from 20+ female crime writers in the 1990s / 2000s. It's a fantastic way to expose yourself to new authors, styles and characters. For instance, Sue Grafton has a short story with Kinsey Millhone. If you read it, you'll know whether you may or may not like her full series. Always worth taking a chance on books like this as you get see a quick version of a style before you buy an entire book. Paretsky had a few of these over the years, but this one was by far my favorite. I found 2 new authors from it and started their series, too. Some are not series, also. Give this one a shot.

About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by.

[Barbara K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never been especially drawn to the short story as a form of story-telling, preferring the luxury a novel allows to present and complete both character and plot. So I'm not sure how I came by this anthology of short stories by female crime authors, published by Sara Paretsky in 1991 - but I found a lot in it to like.

My favorites, unsurprisingly, were by authors I already knew and liked: Paretsky, Sue Grafton, Marcia Muller, Julie Smith, and Dorothy Hughes. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed Muller's Sharon McCone and Julie Smith's Skip Langdon series back when I first read them. I've come to Dorothy Hughes more recently; her entry in this volume was true to her sometimes unsettling form. Carolyn Hart, an author I think I'd only read once previously, had a solid entry. One author who was completely new to me was Carolyn Wheat. Her story, Ghost Station, is an excellent character study with a murder attached. And Barbara Wilson's Theft of the Poet was a bit of feminist fun.

All in all, not enough to make a short story enthusiast of me (so often they just seem to get started with a great idea - and then it's over), but definitely worth the time.

[Sharon Ouderkirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of 21 mystery stories by women who dominated the field in the 1980s and 1990s is of mixed quality. There were great stories by Liza Cody ("Lucky Dip"), Dorothy Salisbury Davis ("The Puppet"), Margaret Maron ("Deborah's Judgement"), and Carolyn Wheat ("Ghost Station"). There were stories with a feminist bent that are interesting, but maybe a bit dated now, by Amanda Cross ("Murder Without a Text"), and Barbara Wilson ("Theft of the Poet") and Mary Wings ("Kill the Man for Me"). Most of the rest of them were pretty good, but were probably better when they were written, back in the 1990s. Two of the 21, in my opinion, were terrible, which is not a bad average: Antonia Fraser ("Getting to Know You)" and the dreadful "Where are you Monica?" by Maria Antonia Oliver. In fairness, that story is translated from the Spanish (Catalan), so it might be that something was lost in translation.
The book also includes a short story from the well-regarded Dorothy B. Hughes. It was a pretty good story, and serves as a fine introduction to one of the great pioneer women mystery writers.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, early 90s, short stories collection by feminist mystery writers.

[Lukasz Pruski · Rating 2 out of 5]

"What we have all learned in the last three hundred and fifty years is that the reading and writing are 'such things as belong to women'."
(Sara Paretsky, in the Introduction to A Woman's Eye)

The emphasized phrase that Ms. Paretsky mocks in the sentence above comes from the 17th-century A Puritan Opinion of Literary Women by John Winthrop. Indeed, it would be my impression that mystery/suspense/crime fiction has become about equally women's as men's domain in the 20th century. Female authors are as successful - if not more - as their male counterparts. For example, Denise Mina and Karin Fossum are among my top four mystery/crime authors of all time, along with Nicolas Freeling and Ross Macdonald, so maybe I am not guilty of preferring writers of one gender over the other. The disclaimer is needed, lest I am accused of sexism, as I do not much like the collection of mystery, crime, and suspense short stories written by female authors and titled A Woman's Eye. The set was published exactly a quarter of a century ago, in 1991, and edited by Ms. Paretsky. It contains 21 stories, some by well known authors, such as Ms. Grafton or the editor herself, and many by authors whom I have not heard about.

To me, Amanda Cross' Murder Without a Text is a standout in this collection. The story of an elderly female college professor accused of murdering a college senior is intelligent and funny. Being myself an elderly college professor, albeit male, I can appreciate the sharp and accurate portrayal of college sociology. The following passage about the young college feminists is still relevant 25 years later:

"[...] they are known to be an unruly bunch, [...] They spoke about early feminists, like me, as though we were a bunch of co-opted creeps [...]"

Sue Grafton's short story Full Circle is well written and interesting yet lacks plausibility when the mystery is solved by accident. Nancy Pickard's tale The Scar, a cool yet predictable suspense story that involves Maori customs in New Zealand, impresses with the heavy atmosphere of foreboding. While Gillian Slovo's Looking for Thelma is a nice homage to Raymond Chandler, both in the setting and mood of the story as well in the prose, it had been done better before. Carolyn Wheat's Ghost Station shows the author's great potential yet is wasted by formulaic touches, insistent repetition of phrases, and cheap sentimentalism. And finally we have Ms. Paretsky's own Settled Score, an interesting story yet one whose full enjoyment would require the reader to know most of the recurring characters from her novels, like Lotty or Mr. Contreras.

Although I quite enjoyed reading a few selected stories, I cannot recommend the collection because its overall tone is set by many completely unremarkable pieces. Of course, if the reader approaches the collection as a sampler from which to choose the authors to get better acquainted with, it may serve its purpose as long as one has the patience to read all the tedious stories.

Two stars.

[Kalam Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a trip down memory lane. Back in the 80s/90s (before the kids’ schedules took over my life) I was a ravenous reader and devoured the Warshawski, Millhone, McCone, and Decker series. I came across the anthology and was instantly transported back in time to reading these books on the beach (I used to go to Santa Barbara armed with Millhone books which were based out of Santa Barbara).

At any rate, I grabbed it quickly from the library and sat down to enjoy some good mysteries from four great writers with hopes to discover some new ones (new to me, at least).

I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with some old friends and did, indeed find some new authors to check out further. Overall, I found the writing a bit uneven, but that’s to be expected. Especially since the writers all have different styles and approaches. I really enjoyed some, and others, not so much. But it was a fun read and I like the short story format. And looking at other reviews, it’s not for everyone. You’re not going to get complex plots or deep character development or everything wrapped up in a nice bow. I like some of the open endings. It leaves it up to my own imagination as to what happens next and enjoy spinning out my own possibilities in my head.

And now that I’ve finished this, I want to go back and revisit some of these old series again which have grown during my absence. I actually can’t decide whether to do that or pick up a full novel from one of the other authors first! I suppose what’s available from my library will dictate that in part.

Anyway, a nice read and a fun break from some of the heavier books I’ve read lately. Give it a shot if you’re looking for a lighter fare!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is better than reading a short mystery? How about a book-ful of mystery shorts?

Sara Paretsky, of V.I. Warshawski fame, edited A Woman's Eye, a book of short mysteries; she also wrote the introduction. It is not the only book Paretsky has edited; she followed it with Women On The Case (1996) and Sisters On The Case (2007).

In A Woman's Eye, the reader finds stories by Faye Kellerman, Sue Grafton,Sara Paretsky, Dorothy B. Hughes, and others. While many readers may find one or two stories not to their liking, most of these are well written and satisfying.

Definitely worth reading!

[Cybercrone · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the few anthologies I've read where I didn't like virtually anything in the book very much - and a couple were downright awful.

I liked the Paretsky story, but had read it before. The rest seemed mostly small bits carved out of larger stories with no real story-line and no real endings at all. I think it must be quite old (I just checked - 25 years) and with luck the writers have gone on to improve their work or have quit the game.

[Estelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of 21 detective, mystery, crime stories by noteworthy women authors. Some stories are better than others; hence, the three stars. Many of the authors have written best-selling novels and have won awards that recognize their works. They bring to their writing "an eye of a woman." Edited by Sara Paretsky, famous for her detective V. I. Warszawski, and published in 1991.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed some of these stories, but most were fairly lightweight and straightforward as they inevitably had to be with only a few pages to set up and solve a mystery or crime of some sort. There were a couple with twists that kept me interested. It was good to be introduced to some older (as in written about longer ago) women who solved mysteries and for the most part I enjoyed the stories. But more than anything this solidified my opinion that a short story is not a good vehicle for mystery fiction.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Woman's Eye is an anthology of short stories edited by Sara Paretsky, the protagonists of which are female detectives/sleuths. These 21 stories are all written by women and was published in 1991. I enjoyed the book very much, although there were no women of color included in the anthology. I doubt a similar anthology compiled in 2022 would omit authors of color.

My favorite stories were:

Lucky Dip by Lizz Cody
Murder Without a Text by Amanda Cross
Her Good Name by Carolyn G. Hart
Where are you, Monica? by Maria Antonia Oliver

[Victoria & David Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

21 mysteries by women about women circa 1991.
As is true with most anthologies, whatever the theme, the quality runs mostly to no more than average. But the two exceptions: Wow! 'Lucky Dip' by Liza Cody, who I've read before, and 'Deborah's Judgement' by Margaret Maron, who is new to me but well worth checking out. Both immerse the reader within a world: Cody with the urban (English) homeless and Maron with a small town/rural southern U.S. social setting. In addition, Maron has an original plot that still haunts days after reading.

[Penny Carney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sara Paretsky is not the author of this compilation of short crime stories. They are all women authors. I love Paretsky’s stories and thought that’s what this book was. Not so. The plus side of these short stories is that I could read entire stories while waiting for the next library book. The minus side is that the worst part of any story is the beginning when you’re learning the characters and story line. This book is a series of that - each is 18-22 pages

[Susan Sarabasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

One is better than the next or the previous.

Excellent author choices. Sharp stories with great female sleuths who make their own marks and trails. Great way to find more series or authors to read.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

The short stories in this book are nothing like I ever remember a short story. Things dragged - mysteries were solved out of the blue, characters hard to follow, etc. What I thought would be a pleasure to read took over a year to complete. At times it was actually painful!!

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly good. Of all the stories, I didn't really care for the one about the only detective I was previously familiar with, the story featuring VI Warshawski. But there were other good ones to read and I'm glad I took the time.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sara Paretsky was the editor of this book of short stories by women mystery writers. I really enjoyed the variety and being introduced to some writers with whom I was not familiar. I like short stories because I can read each one at one sitting.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting short story collection with a few authors that were new to me.

[Maedyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection from women writers. All were very good. A few authors I had not heard of and lots by authors I have read for years. But I had not read any of these stories.

[Deborah Gaspar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short storied

Great stories by women detective writers. Each well written and wonderfully done. Worth the read.

Authors everyone will recognize today.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many of the stories ended abruptly as if the author had reached the desired word count, so called it the end right there.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Girl Power!

An amazing group of stories. They will fill your craving for detective work better than Marlowe or Spade ever could.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

major collection

Excellent collection. It truly flies. Paretsky does as good a job presenting the works of other women as writing her own.

[Regine]

Strong.

[Khanson919 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice variety of stories written by women with women as the main focus of the story.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

i do wish this was a more focused anthology, but as with most anthologies there were hits and misses

[Danise Habun · Rating 5 out of 5]

A grand collection of short stories on women PIs excellently curated by Sara Paretsky.

[Jayne Subwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong 4.5. Very good stories.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read several collections of mystery fiction, but never one whose contributors (and protagonists) were all women, until now. Edited by Sara Paretsky, the collection first appeared in 1991. Although the book is touted as twenty-one stories of contemporary fiction, it was kind of strange to read pieces without cell phones, GPS systems, and other hi-tech gadgets. So, I’m not sure this collection could still be called contemporary. I guess it depends on your definition.

As with most collections, I found certain stories and writing styles more appealing than others. In fact, I really liked about half of the stories in the collection. The others were okay, and one was a translated piece that didn’t work at all. The language was stilted and transitions awkward. Among my favorites were “Benny’s Space” by Marcia Muller, “The Scar” by Nancy Pickard, “Murder Without a Text” by Amanda Cross, “Deborah’s Judgment” by Maraget Maron, and “Her Good Name” by Carolyn G. Hart. I also discovered great writers I wasn’t familiar with such as Liza Cody, Gillian Slovo, and Dorothy B. Hughes.

This collection features all types of protagonists with different jobs and viewpoints, and it was fun to see famous, fictional private eyes in one book. All stories are not created equal, but I’m sure you’ll find some standouts in among them.

[Rhonda D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book for 2 authors that I knew -- Paretsky and Grafton -- and enjoyed extensions of their PI characters -- Warshawski and Milhone. But along the way I found some new authors to read. There are 21 short stories in this anthology (8 of which can also be found on tape (or maybe CD too). Not all of the mysteries are solved by detectives, but all are solved by women. I especially enjoyed PI Kiernan O'Shaughnessy in "Death and Diamonds" by Susan Dunlap, journalist Jemima Shore In Getting to Know You by Antonia Fraser and Annie Darling in "Her Good Name" by Carolyn Hart.