A Suitable Job for a Woman: Inside the World of Private Eyes - Softcover

McDermid, Val

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1890208159 ISBN 13: 9781890208158

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, 2000

Synopsis

""But down these mean streets must go a man who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished or afraid."" When Raymond Chandler wrote these words in his classic The Simple Art of Murder, he drew a blueprint for the male private eyes who descend from Philip Marlowe to populate the world of crime fiction.
But what if the private eye is a woman? And what if she is not a character in a novel but a real, working investigator testing not only the meanness but the absurdity of life on seamy streets? Who will tell her story?

Enter Manchester's Val McDermid, herself a skilled writer of the P.I. novel but for years a professional journalist. In an effort to plumb the real world of working women--and throw new light on her own craft--she has interviewed women private eyes from both sides of the Atlantic and assembled their stories with an eye for the absurd and a keen grasp of the gritty nuts and bolts of the profession.

As fascinating as fiction, A Suitable Job for a Woman is, in the words of Edgar-winning author Nevada Barr, ""a concise and eye-opening trek through the competence, humor, and humanity of women.""

About this title

About the Author:

Nevada Barr is the award-winning author of thirteen previous Anna Pigeon mysteries, including the New York Times bestsellers Hard Truth and High Country. She lives in New Orleans.

Review:

."" . . I don't know if there are other books that focus on women in private investigation. If there are, I've not run across them. A Suitable Job for a Woman is a wonderful read, a concise and eye-opening trek through the competence, humor and humanity of women."" -Nevada Barr

About this edition

• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 1890208159
• ISBN 13: 9781890208158
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 302