Historically the detective genre was as male-dominated as they come, along with the early police force, but a lot has changed over the years. Try the Falco novels, which are set in the male-dominated world of ancient Rome with a male detective but still manage to pass the Bechdel test with flying colours. In fact, the series is particularly noted for its characterisation and the relationships between the characters - even the family dog is a great character! Admittedly Davis isn't quite as brilliant at writing the detectoring side of things, though still perfectly acceptable, but I don't think that suffers because of this rich background, it's improved by it. A conversation where Falco is flirting with a witness is much more interesting when you're wondering what his wife will think of it, and in fact the wife will sometimes go round and chat to the lady herself, managing to accomplish something that Falco couldn't.
Or look at the fact that there's an entire subgenre for lesbian detective fiction.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2010-08-02 05:03 pm (UTC)Or look at the fact that there's an entire subgenre for lesbian detective fiction.