The Women's Mystery Club discussion

Hi all!

I'd really enjoy hearing from the group perspectives on how a woman main character helps or hinders a thriller. I've been exploring the topic on my blog and would be interested in hearing more perspectives.

http://thecharitythriller.blogspot.co...

http://thecharitythriller.blogspot.co...

-Connie

I think the most important aspect is good character development regardless of gender.

Character development is always important. So is the pace of the book and the writing style. I've read a lot of mystery books. I hate reading ones that are slow moving, poorly written and don't seem to have cohesion when I read a book. Women tend to be more methodical then men going step by step. Men just seem to want to get from A to Z as quickly as possible so they tend to jump to conclusions versus following the facts and clues. Also it's a woman in what's always been a mans club (which pisses me off) so she has to make sure all her i's are dotted and her t's crossed because there is still a lot of discrimination.

I don't like any book that is slow moving and poorly written. I'm not concerned about who did it (most of the time I can figure that out right off anyway) I just like a well told story. For me that involves getting to know the main character in depth and what changes take place within said character. My favorite mysteries are by Sue Grafton. All of her characters have depth and I always want to know where these people are going and how are they going to change by the books conclusion.

Hi Pasta and Liz,

We agree on good writing, well paced action, character development regardless of gender, and cohesive story line. I'm wondering if there is an essence to an approach to a story or a character's portrayal in a story that is different because a woman is at the lead.

Pasta - you seem to be identifying a bias toward action with men characters and/or authors.

Liz - you seem to be identifying greater thought/detail placed into characters.

I'm interested in hearing more from you both.

-cjh

Not really sure how you read my comment Connie. I was trying to say mysteries with men. Men are more likely to bumble thru the book and just randomly stumble onto to answers rather than ferreting them out. It's just how they think. For them the proof is in the end result versus how they got there. Women think, analyze and theorize to get to solutions and solve problems. Best way to describe it is a man is like a bowling ball chucked down the lane whereas a women is more like the dinosaurs in Jurassic park and Ian Malcolm's chaos theory of life will find a way. Women always find a way. Men give up and ask us. The brains just work differently. I can read a book without knowing the author and easily know if it was written by a man or women. The women's mystery clubs were good at first but did not really sizzle until he added Maxine paetro as a coauthor. I would like to see more books jointly written by a male and female. The characters I think would be more rounded and the stories would definitely be stronger. Just my thoughts.

I really think strong woman helps

I really enjoy a strong woman in the lead,at all times. It seems that for centuries we have been imersed in the male lead, so a female lead is always refreshing. Yay for Jane Eyre, the Bronte's and of course Sue Grafton, and Janet Evanovich.
A strong, authentic, realistic female lead rules if you ask me.

After reading the first book in the Kate and Jake Connors series, I'd have to say it definitely helps!It was so refreshing, first of all, to have a wife-husband team working together as protagonists, but it got even better when the author had the wife take the lead in the investigation.

Pasta wrote: "Not really sure how you read my comment Connie. I was trying to say mysteries with men. Men are more likely to bumble thru the book and just randomly stumble onto to answers rather than ferreting t..."

Hey Pasta - You could be on to something about men and women as joint authors. A similar sentiment was also posted. As "bowling balls", men used brute force to push through situations, whereas women don't. I like the fresh perspectives many women characters give to a situation and they can do so while moving a scene along and not sacrificing "action" - in the page turning sense.

Glad you liked my bowling balls thought :)

I think it helps