A popular new feminist genre of American mystery fiction has emerged in the last decade, raising questions about its relationship to real crime, especially against women. Although the detective genre has certain inherently conservative tendencies, the feminist subgenre selectively draws on traditions, including the womanly British "cozy" detective and the American male "hard-boiled" private investigator, to create something new. The women sleuths in the new feminist genre of mystery fiction are neither victims nor villains, but rather independent agents who struggle with personal challenges and mostly succeed. The crimes themselves portray disruptions in the social landscape, and the pursuit of the villain suggests more a quest for truth than a celebration of law enforcement. Violence, often used defensively by the heroine, is portrayed as inescapable in confrontations with villains, but such violence is viewed through the eyes of a detective/observer rather than those of the criminal or the victim. 16 notes and 45 references