Thrillers and Mysteries Had Homogenous Histories

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I’ve written about diversity in literature before, but this time I’m going to be a bit more specific. As in the welcome increased diversity in thrillers and mysteries during the past few decades.

Many right-wing Republicans would find that “woke,” but they’re welcome to fall asleep listening to Ron DeSantis speeches.

There was of course some diversity in long-ago mysteries and thrillers, but old novels in those genres often featured white male detectives in lead roles and mostly “conventional” women in supporting roles. If there were rare inclusions of people of color, those characters were usually depicted in cringe stereotypical fashion.

Famous white male detectives of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century included Edgar Allan Poe’s C. Auguste Dupin (in three short stories rather than any novels), Charles Dickens’ Inspector Bucket, Wilkie Collins’ Sergeant Cuff, Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, Dorothy L. Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey, Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade, and Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe, among others.

There were a few long-ago exceptions of strong females as leads or co-stars in crime fiction, including Miss Marple and Harriet Vane in the novels by the aforementioned Christie and Sayers, respectively; Marian Halcombe of Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White; and…Nancy Drew! But the portrayal of people of color in, say, Christie’s otherwise fabulous Death on the Nile? Ugh. And LGBTQ+ people were usually not portrayed at all; if they were, it was almost always in a veiled, negative way.

I got to thinking about all this last week while reading Still Life (2005), the absorbing debut novel in Louise Penny’s series starring investigator Armand Gamache. He’s a white guy, but the residents of Three Pines — the small Canadian town where the murder in Still Life occurs — are a wonderful mix: a Black woman who owns a bookstore, a white female artist, a white female poet, two gay restaurant operators, etc. Plus some female investigators and a Jewish female prosecutor. Most are three-dimensional; their color, gender, sexual orientation, and religion/culture are part of who they are, but not all of who they are.

There was a similar mix in Caleb Carr’s The Alienist and its scintillating sequel, The Angel of Darkness — both written in the 1990s and both set in the 1890s. The team investigating some very seedy goings-on include white men, a woman, a Black man, and two Jewish detective brothers. Given the 19th-century timeframe, Sara Howard, Cyrus Montrose, and Marcus and Lucius Isaacson are hit with plenty of nasty societal bias, but the mostly cordial interactions within the investigating team are inspiring. Everyone is respected for what they bring to the table.

Women and people of color who are the flat-out stars of crime series? They include private investigator Kinsey Millhone of Sue Grafton’s “Alphabet Mysteries” (first installment published in 1982), Black private investigator Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins of Walter Mosley’s novels (debut book in 1990), and bounty hunter Stephanie Plum of Janet Evanovich’s novels (a 1994 start), to name a few protagonists. Oh, and Rita Mae Brown’s 1990-launched mysteries with Mary “Harry” Haristeen (and some animal detectives 🙂 ) as well as Dorothy Gilman’s Mrs. Pollifax novels starring an amateur CIA agent. That latter series, which began in 1966, does have some stereotypical moments with its senior-citizen lead character, but overall Emily P. is fairly modern in her way.

A female investigator co-starring in a series? That would be Robin Ellacott of J.K. Rowling’s crime novels. Male investigator Cormoran Strike was the initial focus of the series (written under the pen name Robert Galbraith), but Ellacott moved into a position of essentially being equal to Strike.

Quite a few of John Grisham’s novels — The Racketeer, The Judge’s List, The Client, etc. — have Black characters as protagonists or in memorable secondary roles. And Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels (now co-written by Andrew Child) have plenty of women and people of color (female or male) as significant supporting players.

Your thoughts on this topic?

My literary-trivia book is described and can be purchased here: Fascinating Facts About Famous Fiction Authors and the Greatest Novels of All Time.

In addition to this weekly blog, I write the 2003-started/award-winning “Montclairvoyant” topical-humor column for Baristanet.com every Thursday. The latest piece — about a current court case that makes some of my town’s leaders and their attorneys look pathetic — is here.

114 thoughts on “Thrillers and Mysteries Had Homogenous Histories”

  1. I would include Inspector Javert in the novel Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Javert is surely a candidate for character analysis. A person devoted to law and who had know sympathy especially for criminals.

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  3. Dave, love this topic !
    ” The Racketeer ” is John Grisham`s one of the best seller. I like the book so much I purchased the book.
    BUT, Grisham wasted his time because he wanted Mr. Denzel Washington to take the lead role, as I`ve read Grishem waited way too long.

    There are so many Black actors these days, the one is ” Michael B. Jordan “, one of the top Black actor of today.
    Something very interesting I discovered, this excellent actor was on the cover of People Magazine, couple of years ago, okay good for Him.

    I had no clue who he is, imagine my shock to find out. When a teen he was in a soap ” All my Children”, that time I used to watch the show !

    Now this young man is a director, producer and what not .

    John Grisham wasted his time all these years, and Mr. Jordan might not be available now..

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    • Thank you, Bebe! I agree — “The Racketeer” is terrific! Such an intricate plot, and then a surprise ending. I can see why you purchased it! Denzel Washington would have been great in the lead part, but, yes, various other Black actors (including the excellent Michael B. Jordan) would have been as well. And some amazing actors and actresses did indeed get their starts very young on TV. A similar shocking thing for me was learning that the outstanding current Jack Reacher, Alan Ritchson, was on “American Idol” about 20 years ago.

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      • Here is the soap AMC, when he was on the cover on People, I had no clue who he was , imagine my shock to find out the young man grew up to be an A list actor.

        Obviously something he did right !

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      • Oh my Dave I did not know that !
        Sadly I could not watch Jack Reacher, as we only have regular TV station, for anything else, we have to play extra.

        Anway, PBS keeps me going, no commercials as we pay some amout yearly which is by choice..

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        • Wow — so young-looking back then!

          I haven’t watched full episodes of the Reacher series, either, Bebe, but I’ve watched a number of clips on YouTube. Ritchson is absolutely amazing! Makes the former Reacher actor Tom Cruise look like an amateur in the role.

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          • Hi Dave, something away from the topic, yet similar in diversity.
            ” Elliot Page Comes Out as a Transgender In a Moving Open Letter ”

            I just read a two page article in Time magazine, it was so gut wrenching , of what Elliot had to go through , from around 30 years of age from thinking ( or being told) she was a Lesban woman to a Transgender.

            There is a book out, one of these days perhaps i would borrow it.

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  4. Hi Dave, I don’t read much in the murder mystery or thriller line of books, although I have read Agatha Christie’s books (I prefer Poirot to Marple). My recent reads by authors who are still alive (referring to your post last week) are much more diverse than the older classics I read. Hotel on the corner of Bitter and Sweet had a Chinese boy and a Japanese girl as the protagonists. The MC in the Museum of Ordinary People was a woman of colour (her mother was a black lady and her father was a white man). The MCs in Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress are obviously all Chinese. In The Midnight Library, Nora Seed’s brother is gay and there are a few supporting characters of colour. Literature has changed over the years in line with the modern thinking.

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  5. I’m afraid thriller and mystery aren’t genres I’m very well read up on, so I have little to add to this week’s topic. 😦 So I guess I will only say I’m happy to see more diversity coming in across all genres of literature, especially in my own historical-fiction genre. I’ve read some REALLY great works this year by some very diverse authors, and it’s making for a great reading year!

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  7. Another great topic and wonderful discussion, Dave. I read a lot of non-fiction and historical fiction, and one of the issues is that diversity has to comply with the era in which the story is set. In some cases, the presence of a female or a character of color is too hard to believe but in others, the problems caused by war (say WWII) gave rise to people in unexpected roles. “The Rose Code” by Kate Quinn is a mystery involving three women who worked at Bletchley Park as code breakers. It shifts between two timelines (during and after the war). It’s accurate enough to be believable, and we know women served in those roles.

    I prefer stories where I can imagine the characters as people of color or different ethnic backgrounds or sexual preferences. I’m not a fan of in-your-face scenes added to get attention. Subtle references that let my imagination fill in some gaps brings me in closer to the story. I think a lot of modern fiction is obvious, bordering on gratuitous when it comes to diversity.

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    • Thank you, Dan! That’s a terrific point about how the era a novel is set in can determine whether diversity seems authentic. For instance, Caleb Carr was probably injecting a more modern multicultural ethos in “The Alienist” and “The Angel of Darkness” than 1890s America might have warranted — though the New York City setting helped. And, yes, there were moments, such as the way World War II put women in some prominent roles (because many men were in the military abroad), when progress jumped ahead of its time.

      Yes, also, there’s something to be said for subtlety.

      As for Kate Quinn, I’ve loved the two novels of hers I’ve read: “The Huntress” and “The Alice Network” — both with women in prominent roles that were sort of “before their time.”

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    • In light of the above, we also have Patricia Cornwell, whose strong series character, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, forensic examiner and administrator, is highly authentic both to biomedical facts and to gender diversity among its continuing characters and sidekicks.

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  8. Not in the Holmes/Christie detective style, rather mysteries, I’ll mention Joan Aiken and Jeanette Winterson novels. Re: diversity and inclusion Winterson hands-down. As far as women writing crime novels, there are what I call the “where’s the girl now books”– like Paula Hawkins’s Girl On A Train and Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. Great theme, Dave. Susi

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  10. The ONLY thriller-mystery-detective series I’ve read are the first three Cormoran Strike novels. Gruesome but good! I need to catch up. 🙂 Oh wait, I take that back…Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy as well.

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    • No one has yet mentioned American writer Elizabeth George, whose London-centric mysteries feature a wealth of diverse characters, mostly because they are in the London area. Elizabeth George presents not only a working-class woman, a Caribbean Black man, and a lordly Brit as her main detectives, but a wide variety of ethnicities and skin colors and regional Europeans representing a typical London population. Her characters are heavy on Asians, people of color, and diverse Europeans, throughout her entire series of mysteries (many of which were on BBC.) I mention this because her characters are so natural and not contrived or seeming like “token” characters.

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      • Thank you, kaylebrooks, for mentioning Elizabeth George! Her work sounds terrific; your excellent description of the diversity in it reminded me of the really good London-set novel “White Teeth” by British author Zadie Smith. I see George’s first book in her series was “The Great Deliverance”; will look for it.

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        • Thank you, Dave. Yes, it is probably a good idea to read E. George in chronological order as the story lines connect somewhat in sequence. Early stories begin in a more Agatha Christie-like setting, becoming more and more modern, urban, and ethnically diverse as the series proceeds.

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          • Or, if you are bold, you could jump right in with “Playing for the Ashes” or “Just One Evil Act,” then go back and pick up the earlier mysteries. As mentioned elsewhere, George writes a very “psychological” novel, focusing on the inner individual(s), as well as touching on various ethnic groups and class categories under discussion here.

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            • Thank you, kaylebrooks! I do like to read series in order (usually), even though I realize many of them get more interesting and accomplished later — as you describe is the case with Elizabeth George 🙂

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  12. As a devout follower of Poirot and Holmes, I wasn’t aware there was so much diversity in the world of detective literature. Other than Marple and Jessica Fletcher, joke, I wasn’t aware of any other female protagonists. BBC has a host of diversity, but so much of it seems contrived.

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  14. A most excellent discussion, Dave. I have gone back to books read in the past and recognize the paucity of diversity. We have made progress over the years and have become more aware that we live in a world that requires diversity in every area of activity and endeavour. While not in a novel format, I offer the work of Mary Parker Follett (1868 – 1933), who was an American social worker, management consultant, and pioneer in the fields of organizational theory and organizational behavior. She authored several books that are still relevant today, including “The New State: Group Organization, the Solution of Popular Government,” “Creative Experience,” and “Dynamic Administration.” Her work emphasized the importance of collaboration, conflict resolution, and the integration of individual and group goals. Mary Parker Follett’s ideas continue to shape modern management practices.

    I believe that the increase in diversity in books can be attributed to the growing demand for representation in literature. Demand will bring out supply. Publishers are recognizing the importance of reflecting the diverse experiences of readers and are actively seeking out diverse voices. I believe that social media and online communities have provided a platform for marginalized authors to share their work and gain recognition. Traditional publishers, where white, male authors have historically dominated the industry, are now responding with increased diversity.

    Don recalled reading every book by Mickey Spillane on Mike Hammer. Mike Hammer is a tough private detective with the catchphrase “I’ll make a mental note.“

    And of course, I must end with a quote. This one comes from Mary Parker Follett

    “The ignoring of differences is the most fatal mistake in politics or industry or international life: every difference that is swept up into a bigger conception feeds and enriches society.”

    Another great post and follow-up discussion.

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  15. Shanda Rhimes has given much overdue roles for women of color on her executive produced television, award winning tv shows. More diversity is always better. Hamilton made in roads and millions in weekly ticket sales. Religious, non religious, atheists like Ron Regan Jr. who doesn’t care if he burns in Hell by the way , books should have relatable people of all ethnic backgrounds, preferences or non preference for LGBTQ + or not one’s business. As a kid I remember Angie Dickinson as Police Woman and Dianne Caroll who had the program Julia when I was born in late 1960’s, both beautiful, strong women. Let people of all backgrounds see themselves in all forms of creativity, tv,theatre,books, + 🙂 That’s woke.

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    • Thank you, Michele! Excellent examples of diversity in various media! I’m not a TV viewer these days, but watched some shows when I was younger, and it was thrilling to start to see women and people of color in at least some decent roles. The 1980s/’90s TV version of “In the Heat of Night,” co-starring Howard Rollins as a police detective, is another show that comes to mind.

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  16. Joseph Hansen wrote a dozen detective mysteries whose main character, insurance investigator Dave Brandstetter, was gay. His sexual orientation was neither over-stressed nor under-, and occasionally figured in the solving of crimes, and the identification and capture of criminals. I’ve read a couple of these novels, and they’re pretty good, if a bit dated, given they were written in the 1970’s, when such fare was not often served sympathetically to readers of the genre. In other words, there were certainly gay characters and criminals, at least obliquely so identified, in crime fiction , but few, if any, before Brandstetter, who were featured as detectives, or had a series built around them.

    A quibble: The irreducibly foreign aspects of London-based Hercule Poirot, a Belgian– who is also painfully fastidious, sexually repressed, and whose insistent pride in his investigative achievements is a sort of egoistic perversity to the perpetually understated English upper class types among whom he plies his trade– make him an outsider, white and male though he is also. Poirot must regularly endure slights and outright insults about his foreign background as he works, and, were it not for his revelatory powers of deduction and synthesis, would hardly be expected to appear, nor be welcome, in the circles he frequents.

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    • Thank you, jhNY! I appreciate your mention of Joseph Hansen and his mysteries. Definitely a man ahead of his time. Very interesting to read the information you offered.

      And I totally hear you about Hercule Poirot. While a white male, he was considered an “other” by some “establishment” figures in Agatha Christie’s books, and thus is almost an honorary member of The Diverse Characters Club. Well argued/analyzed on your part!

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    • Thank you, Rosaliene! I totally agree about the importance (and pleasure) of reading books by a diverse variety of authors. Among other things, that is sure to give us a diverse variety of characters — authentically depicted.

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  19. I really love Walter Mosley’s work! Though due to serious illness I’m not getting much time to read books now. You might also enjoy James Lee Burke crime stories that feature Dave Robicheaux as protagonist.

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    • Thank you, Leah!

      Very sorry about your illness. Wishing you better health.

      I’ve had the first book in that Dave Robicheaux series (“The Neon Rain”) on my list for a while. Will hopefully get to it in the not-too-distant future. 🙂

      Walter Mosley’s work IS excellent; I’ve read the first two Easy Rawlins novels, and liked them a lot.

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  22. According to me you have touched one of the most current topics, Dave and I thank you very much🤣 I havn‘t recently read one of your mentioned thrillers but the book „Gendered Brain“ by Gina Rippon, a neuroscientist, has tought me quite a lot about social and sexual prejudices and inferiority of women to men!

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  23. Great post and subject matter! I haven’t followed the development with representation and diversity in litterature like you do, but find it very important that there is a positive development when it comes to diversity. It makes it all the more interesting to read and take part of literature and culture when there is a broad representation.

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