# Thrillers with female protagonists



## Jude Hardin (Feb 5, 2011)

I've always enjoyed Tess Gerritsen's Razzoli and Isles, Laura Lippman's Tess Monaghan, Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone, etc. Any recommendations for indie mysteries in the "women sleuth" category?


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## Darcia (Jul 16, 2010)

Twenty-Five Years Ago Today by Stacy Juba fits loosely into that category. The main character is a reporter, not a P.I., but she turns into an amateur sleuth in the book. It's very well written and a good, light mystery.


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## S.J. Harris (Feb 10, 2011)

Thanks, Darcia. I'll check it out. I like amateur sleuth mysteries too!


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## Ciareader (Feb 3, 2011)

Great thread idea.  I love mysteries / thrillers and am always looking for new things to read.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

if you go to 
http://www.stopyourekillingme.com
you can sort it by male/female protagonists, What type of job they hold, all sorts of things.. it's a great site.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

"The Silence of the Lambs."


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## Jude Hardin (Feb 5, 2011)

SOTL is one of my all-time faves, DYB.


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## Sandra Edwards (May 10, 2010)

Try Markee Anderson's Saved by the Glass Slipper and Dating a Spy Isn't All Fun and Games

Both feature women sleuths and (last time I checked) they were just $.99 each 

Sandy


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## Basil Sands (Aug 18, 2010)

A couple I enjoyed recently were Whiteout by Ken Follet and A Bad Place by Dean Koontz

Both were quite good.


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## joanhallhovey (Nov 7, 2010)

This is the genre I write in and love to read in.  Tess Gerritsen is definitely up there with my favorites.  Al Karen Slaughter, Ruth Rendell and the late Patricia Highsmith.  Good topic.  Women are writing some fine books, probably more than men.  Or maybe I'm biased.  

Joan


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## SuzanneTyrpak (Aug 10, 2010)

joanhallhovey said:


> This is the genre I write in and love to read in. Tess Gerritsen is definitely up there with my favorites. Al Karen Slaughter, Ruth Rendell and the late Patricia Highsmith. Good topic. Women are writing some fine books, probably more than men. Or maybe I'm biased.
> 
> Joan


Hah! As soon as I saw this thread, I was gonna mention Tess Gerritsen--and I loooove Ruth Rendell. She also writes as Barbara Vine. I devour her books. If your looking for mystery, and you like an English setting, try Elizabeth George--Barbara Havers isn't for everyone, but some people adore her. Elizabeth Engstrom is an interesting writer--great prose and creepy, scary. http://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Engstrom/e/B000APXZS4/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1


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## Basil Sands (Aug 18, 2010)

joanhallhovey said:


> This is the genre I write in and love to read in. Tess Gerritsen is definitely up there with my favorites. Al Karen Slaughter, Ruth Rendell and the late Patricia Highsmith. Good topic. Women are writing some fine books, probably more than men. Or maybe I'm biased.
> 
> Joan


You know, that makes me wonder what women think about men writing female protagonists.

Rather than here though, I'm going to start a new thread on that.

Oh...and here's another good femme writer with a powerful femme lead...Dana Stabanow....and she's Alaskan...like me.


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## edwardgtalbot (Apr 28, 2010)

Women sleuths by indie authors - well Joe Konrath's Jack Daniels definitely comes to mind


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

edwardgtalbot said:


> Women sleuths by indie authors - well Joe Konrath's Jack Daniels definitely comes to mind


I second this. I always thought Jack Daniels was a guy so I wasn't overly interested. (I know, I'm biased in my reading tastes). Then I found Jack was female and immediately went off to buy one. I wasn't disappointed.


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## Eric C (Aug 3, 2009)

Haven't read this one myself, Jude, but know it's sold a ton:

http://www.amazon.com/Identity-Crisis-ebook/dp/B002BWQ676


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## Mel Comley (Oct 13, 2010)

*little voice in the corner says, Mine's on offer at 99c and the sequel is due out at the weekend*

Impeding Justice is receiving great reviews too.

Okay I'm slinking away again now!

Mel


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## TimFrost (Jan 26, 2010)

Australian author Vicki Tyley specialises in amateur women sleuths. I can particularly recommend 'Sleight Malice'. I'm reading her new book, 'Brittle Shadows', right now and that's great too.

Tim


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## maryannaevans (Apr 10, 2010)

Larabeth McLeod, the protagonist of my environmental thriller, Wounded Earth, is a successful business owner with a PhD and a couple of patents. She's also an Army veteran who once used a broken IV bottle to slash open the throat of a man who attacked her in a medical ward, way back in Vietnam. When a mysterious voice on the phone threatens the daughter she gave up for adoption many years before, Larabeth takes action...because she's not your typical business executive.

The reason I'm so happy about the opportunity to do indie publishing is that when I circulated Larabeth's story through New York in the late 90s, publishing executives said, "_We_ really like it, but we don't think our female readers will identify with such a strong, hard-edged protagonist."

I thought they were wrong, because Larabeth is also a tender mother and she is devoted to the man in her life. She is strong and smart, but she is completely feminine. I also thought the publishing houses' commentary was demeaning to the very women who bought their books. Now I can give those women a chance to decide for themselves.


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## Bob Mayer (Feb 20, 2011)

I remember in the 90s when trying to sell a thriller with two female leads was almost impossible. The times have certainly changed.  Considering most readers are female, is just makes sense.  Some people have mentioned Tess Gerritsen and that's a good writer to start with.  I've heard her speak several times and her process for developing plot is quite interesting.


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

Hey, Bob Mayer's here!  Cool.  If you like women sleuths in thrillers with a humourous bent then I highly recommend the books Bob wrote with Jennifer Crusie.  Great reads and I loved them all.


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## Mel Comley (Oct 13, 2010)

_--- edited... no self-promotion outside the Book Bazaar forum. please read our Forum Decorum thread._


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## SpecOps (Feb 20, 2011)

Enjoyed a pair of thrillers by Robert Doherty: Bodyguard of Lies http://www.amazon.com/Bodyguard-Lies-Black-Ops-ebook/dp/B003AYEP4A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1298561968&sr=1-1 about a female assassin and a housewife teaming up. And the following book, Lost Girls http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Girls-Black-Ops-ebook/dp/B003CYKQSM/ref=pd_sim_kinc_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2 about a Special Forces sniper team that comes back to the states to wreak vengeance on those who betrayed them. A female profiler featured in that book.


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## Kristan Hoffman (Aug 6, 2009)

I used to love Mary Higgins Clark. She writes mystery/thrillers and as far as I know every protagonist is female.

Kristan


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## Alexis-Shore (Feb 20, 2011)

The Pelican Brief by John Grisham, obviously. And Airframe by Michael Crichton springs to mind.


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

Tara Moss is an Australian author with a detective series based around a female protagonist. I've only read two so far but both were very good. She is also a bit of a method writer, i.e. if her character gets a lap dance, so does she, if her character gets choked unconscious, then so does she.


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## brianjanuary (Oct 18, 2011)

I've always liked the classic Modesty Blaise series by Peter O'Donnell.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

I'm a big fan of the old _Modesty Blaise_ books by Peter O'Donnell ... much better written and characterized than you'd expect.


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## Tony Rabig (Oct 11, 2010)

You might also check out some of the novels of Marcia Muller. If memory serves, Sara Paretsky had a series with a female P.I. Robert B. Parker did several in his Sunny Randall series.

Also worth a look: _Demolition Angel_, by Robert Crais; _Mine_, by Robert McCammon; Ken Follett's _Eye of the Needle_.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

A reminder that self promotion, of one's books or websites, is not allowed outside the Book Bazaar, thanks.

Betsy
KB Moderator


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## LilianaHart (Jun 20, 2011)

I'd also recommend Allison Brennan's Lucy Kincaid series. And I second everyone's rec of Tess Gerritsen. I love the Rizzoli and Isles series.


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## ddarol (Feb 5, 2009)

i second tess gerritisen.  i also enjoyed janet evanovich and the stephanie plum series.  i am currently reading the sue grafton alphabet series.  on "D" and is good series so far.  i've also read the first 3 of james patterson's murder club.  also a very good series so far.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Has anyone mentioned Liza Cody's Anna Lee mysteries?


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## Audrey Finch (May 18, 2012)

The Girl with the dragon tattoo


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## anguabell (Jan 9, 2011)

brianjanuary said:


> I've always liked the classic Modesty Blaise series by Peter O'Donnell.





Tony Richards said:


> I'm a big fan of the old _Modesty Blaise_ books by Peter O'Donnell ... much better written and characterized than you'd expect.


I thought I was the only one here who likes Modesty Blaise! Some of them are really surprisingly good.

Not an indie but I'd recommend The Blue Place by Nicola Griffith. Not for the faint of heart, though


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## Alexis-Shore (Feb 20, 2011)

Jasper FForde's Thursday Next series.


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## MadCityWriter (Dec 8, 2011)

Harley Jane Kozak is a traditionally published mystery writer, not indie, but her _Dead Ex_ has a fun voice and I enjoy the female protagonist a lot.

Also, I just finished _Copper River_ by William Kent Krueger. The funny thing is, his hero Cork O'Conner was a passive character in this book, and the female "consultant" Dina Willnert did all the active sleuthing. Ordinarily it annoys me when the main character is passive, but I liked the female character in this story so much I'm hoping the author starts a series with her!


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## Alexandra Sokoloff (Sep 21, 2009)

Denise Mina writes a FABULOUS, prickly, unconventional female journalist/sleuth, Paddy Meehan, in her series that starts with THE DEAD HOUR.
If you love Jane Rizzoli, you'll love Paddy.  Mina is a star.


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## AuthorSuzanneMorrison (Jun 11, 2012)

I think Stephanie Plum in the Janet Evanovich's number series is a great character.  There's a lot of humour which makes the twists and turns of her plots even more fun


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Allison Brennan, yes! JT Ellison, too--traditionally pub'd but great stories. Tess G is one of my favs as well.


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## Audrey Finch (May 18, 2012)

Dr Scarpetta, brilliant creation of Patricia Cornwall.
Actually I re-read the series a couple of years ago and it's amazing the changes which have taken places since the first one - for example I seem to remember she spends a lot of time looking for a working phone box at one point.  Remember that?


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## Maud Muller (Aug 10, 2010)

In the middle of _Snake Skin_. The protagonist is an FBI Agent named Lucy Guardino. Based on what I've read so far, I'll probably read more from CJ Lyons who writes "Thillers with a Heart"


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## Rob May (Jun 18, 2012)

Kate Westbrook's The Moneypenny Diaries is a great companion to Ian Fleming's Bond novels, and a detailed insight into British intelligence in the sixties. It's the first part of a fantastic trilogy too!

Rob


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Just another reminder that authors should not suggest their own work. . .no self-promotion is allowed in the Book Corner.  Thanks.


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

I just finished  "Ties that Bind" by Phillip Margolin - and Amanda Jaffe is the lawyer/all around brave woman  in  his books.. also thinking of  Kathryn Dance in Jeffrey Deaver's books.


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