Women Crime Writers of the 1940s and 50s

Introduction to Women Crime Writers by Sarah Weinman

The story of crime fiction in America has been largely understood as a male one. That story, of course, is far from the truth.

Publishing History of Women Crime Novels

Women crime writers were as likely as their male counterparts to publish in hardcover—more often than not working with celebrated women mystery editors such as Lee Wright, Joan Kahn, Isabelle Taylor, and Marie Rodell.

The Importance of Crime Writing by Women

Why devote two volumes to women crime writers? Here is a rich, nuanced tradition of American crime writing that got left behind and neglected.

Chronology of Books, 1940-1975

Browse a thorough chronology of crime novels written by American women between 1940 and 1975.

Women Crime Novels: The Movies

A chronology of the many film adaptations of books by these women crime writers, from 1943 to now.

Sarah Weinman, editor

Sarah Weinman is widely recognized as a leading authority on crime fiction. She is the editor of Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives: Stories from the Trailblazers of Domestic Suspense, which the Los Angeles Review of Books called “simply one of the most significant anthologies of crime fiction, ever.” She is the news editor for Publishers Marketplace, and her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the National Post, and The Washington Post, among other publications.