Charlie wrote:
> In terms of innovation of noir, I'm going to put a
new name forward
> (and
> I don't expect many to agree with me). Liza Cody.
Specifically for her
> three BUCKET NUT books.
Hmmm... Cody also coloured outside the lines in creating her
excellent P.I. series featuring Anna Lee. What I particularly
liked about the series was the overall arc, as Anna journeyed
from bumbling rookie to seasoned pro, and how her
relationships with her co-workers and other people and how
they view her subtly shift and change along the way.
Too bad Ms. Cody and Ms. Lee have been virtually ignored --
at least in North America, while her contemporaries Grafton,
Muller and Paretsky racked up the huzzahs and got treated
like they invented the credible female private eye.
What? Honey West wasn't credible?
(Actually, I'm not sure anyone "invented" the credible female
eye. It seems to me it was a gradual development that had
been coming for a long time -- and there were antecedents
dotted throughout the genre's history. Anyone paying
attention could have also predicted the appearance of
credible black eyes, gay eyes, and every other minority you
can think of.)
Kevin
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