《图书馆杂志》(Library Journal )书评
Barnett, a lawyer and teacher of political science, has collected mystery fiction with female protagonists for more than 20 years. Here she focuses on those protagonists instead of on female mystery writers, as other guides do (e.g., Jean Swanson's By a Woman's Hand, Berkley, 1996. 2d ed.). This book is the first of a proposed three-volume work covering female protagonists in detective fiction from the inception of the popular mystery to 1979. Entries are grouped by era (e.g., Victorian, interwar, etc.), with an introductory essay describing the political and social background of the era with reference to women. Each entry describes a female detective (or major female character in a mystery series), the works in which they appear, and the significance of the series or works to the development of the genre. Appendixes list authors with their works and characters, works with their authors and characters, and reference sources. A character index to the three volumes would have helped. Nevertheless, Barnett offers a unique and highly subjective approach to the genre. Recommended where there is an interest in "mystery women" and for readers' advisory services.Denise Johnson, Bradley Univ. Lib., Peoria, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.