Link between gender of writer and gender of main character (detective) created.?

Question

I want to write a series of detective novels and one of my favourite hobbies is reading crime fiction novels.

I have noticed that male writers always seem to create male detectives e.g. DI Tom Thorne created by Mark Billingham and vice versa e.g. Miss Marple created by Agatha Christie.

With the exception of Inspector Wexford created by Ruth Rendell I can not think of any crime fiction detective series where the author has created a detective with a gender opposite to their own.

Could anyone identify any other series where this has happened (author and detective having opposite genders)?

Suggestions would be gratefully appreciated.

Answer 1

There's quite a few female authors who write male detectives -

Lindsey Davis' Ancient Roman detective Marcus Didus Falco

Ellis Peters Cadfael

Dorothy L Sayers Lord Peter Whimsey

I think Paul Temple was also created by a woman, but I can't remember her name.

Also in the crime category are women writing as male criminals (Patricia Highsmith's Ripley).

BUT I can't think of any men writing a female detective though unless you count Alexander McCall Smith's Mma Ramotswe or Isabel Dalhousie.

Answer 2

The Hawk & Fisher series by Simon Green - a partnership Hawk male, Fisher female both compelling characters.



Precious Ramotswe - Allexander McCall Smith

Sister Fidelma - Peter Tremayne

Answer 3

Agatha Christie also created the detective Poirot, a Frenchman. Some of her novels used Miss Marple, but the others (I think they were her first novels) used Poirot.

Answer 4

But the most obvious one is Adam Dalgleish, created by P D James!

Answer 5

agatha christie - poirot



i'll get back to you if i remember more



but as a fellow aspiring writer, i always find it easier to write female characters, purely because i'm more confident in the character, through experience of what it's like to be female.