Six Queer Characters in Crime

Uncover six iconic Queer characters in crime.

Lindsay Gordon created by Val McDermid

Gordon is the protagonist of six mystery novels by the Scottish Queen of Crime, Val McDermid, beginning with Report for Murder, published in 1987. An investigative journalist, Gordon describes herself in the opening pages as “a cynical socialist lesbian.’

Tom Ripley created by Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith was openly gay, however queerness in her fiction is more coded. The Talented Mr Ripley is now widely regarded as a study of repressed homoeroticism as well as one of the most iconic psychological thrillers of the last century.

Sue Trinder created by Sarah Waters

Fingersmith has become something of a modern classic, not least because of its seamless interweaving of genres. As well as being a historical crime novel about theft, deception and betrayal, it’s also a brilliant portrayal of passion and seduction between two women.

Villanelle/Eve Polastri created by Luke Jennings

Now famous as the inspiration for the hit TV series Kill Eve featuring Jodi Comer and Sandra Oh, Luke Jennings’s series about a female assassin and the intelligence officer tasked with tracking her down is a compulsive cat-and-mouse tale of mutual obsession and attraction.

DCI Kate Daniels created by Mari Hannah

Mari Hannah’s crime series began with The Murder Wall published in 2010 and there are now 9 books in the series. The central detective is DCI Kate Daniels, a gay woman making her mark in team dominated by straight white men.

Dave Brandsetter created by Joseph Hansen

Like Dashiel Hammett and Raymond Chandler, Joseph Hansen belongs to the canon of what is known as hardboiled crime. But unlike Nick Charles or Philip Marlowe, Hansen’s protagonist, Dave Brandsetter, is an openly gay detective. The first novel, Fadeout was published in 1970 to significant acclaim.