The study traces the appearance of female paid, professional private investigators in British, Canadian, and American novels. Neither amateur sleuths (like Agatha Christie's Miss Marple) nor policewomen, the characters examined in this study pursue their careers within a widely accepted formula defined and dominated by men. A comparison of these characters with their male counterparts -- such as Sherlock Holmes, Sam Spade, or Spenser -- shows how both male and female novelists reinforce negative expectations regarding women detectives' professional and personal success. The book argues that this genre is both a reflection of and a potential barrier to social change for women, since the writers of detective fiction consciously undercut their female characters. Traditionally, fictional female detectives have given up their careers if they married. Those who do not marry are perceived as inadequate or unattractive. Thus, if the protagonists fit society's mold as women, they fail as detectives; conversely, if they are clever detectives, their femininity is suspect. The book concludes with an examination of recent attempts by feminists to break away from these traditional genre expectations. Subject index, 300-item bibliography. (Publisher summary modified)