Why do women read crime fiction?

[wordfactory]

I've been thinking about this a lot.
Women read far more than men full stop. And the two genres that sell the most are romance and crime.
Now romance I kinda get (tho that's a different discussion) but crime?

I'm a crime writer myself and the majority of my readership is female, which always makes me wonder why.

Does anyone have any ideas/theories? Is there any research out there?

[Grumpla]

I enjoy crime fiction but gravitate much more towards those books which have strong female leads. I think the thing I enjoy about these books is that romance etc is usually incidental - the main focus is on the character as a character not just as passive object of someone else's desires. They are more likely to be pragmatic, witty, strong etc than the female characters in other genres. I also enjoy the "guessing game" nature of a good crime novel. Keeps me hooked. I particularly like crime novels set in a context I am unfamiliar with - I've been reading a lot of Dana Stabenow on my kindle recently and love all the info & detail about Aleut life, hunting, bushcraft etc.

[LaurieFairyCake]

Strong, female leads. Not much sex. Usually the women have interesting jobs. Much more analysis in crime fiction.

And I like working out why, British people like puzzles.

[StealthPolarBear]

Why? I enjoy it. Like books with a twist or where things come together. I've always preferred British based novels to American, and have started to notice a preference for those with a female lead.

[wordfactory]

This all makes sense. I always write strong female leads a. because I like them and b. because whenever I've tried to pull off a male lead, my publishers ahvn't liked it one bit!

But what about the violence? That clearly doesn't bother us.

[spendthrift]

A clear structure and sense of order in a world which isn't like that but where many womrn have to create it for others.

You know what to expect.

Good or semi good has to triumph. so a predictable "happy" ending just as in romance.

Clarity of thought and plot. Can't be too rambling.

and what the others have said.

[Trills]

If you are asking specifically why women read crime fiction it might be interesting to first find out if women read more crime fiction than men, proportional to the amount of reading that gets done.

IMO, crime gives a story something to hang on. In order for it to be a story you need something unusual to happen, or a source of conflict, or something that puts the characters outside of their comfort zones.

(it is possible to write stories about people going about their usual lives, but it's more tricky to make it interesting)

[mousymouseafraidofdogs]

I enjoy crime fiction, especially ones with strong femal lead characters.
romance novels I find booooooooring. always the same(ish) plot...
the violence doesn't bother me too much, as long as the crime is resolved at the end.

[PosiePumblechook]

Dunno, my friend penned this crime thriller it's ace.

[GooseyLoosey]

I like the puzzle solving aspect and the clear development of the plot. There is a definite beginning, middle and end.

I do not however like books that have graphic violence in them. I like older thrillers (Allingham, Marsh, Sayers) for this reason. You can have a mystery without degradation and violence.

[Abra1d]

I am an author, too (somewhat pushed into women's fiction, a tag I don't like). I read mainly crime. Why? Because some of the best writing to be found is in that genre. I'm reading a Nikki French at the moment.

And I think a lot of the appeal also comes from, as others have said, the sense of order being made, resolution following chaos.

And crime is a lot to do about relationships. Usually flawed, fatal, ones. I find it totally addictive.

The crime genre is a broad church, too. Whether you like psychological 'why-dunnits' or police procedurals, there's something for you.

[wordfactory]

This is all super interesting.

The search for a sense of order is fascinating. One would usually consider that male trait. Scratches chin...hmmm

Abraid - DH is reading Nicci French att he mo. Did you know it's written by a husband and wife team?

[Abra1d]

I did, wf. I like Nicci in her 'single' persona as well. Very talented author.

But the sense of order can be quite female. If I am feeling stressed about something I often find myself tackling the ironing or tidying the kitchen. I find it soothing to sort SOMETHING out. Even if it's not chapter 13.

Oh dear. Perhaps one shouldn't admit to this.

[wordfactory]

Oh that's a terrific angle abraid...women like a sens eof order in their homes and family lives, so this is somehting they seek in fiction, albeit in a very different setting.

Sheesh, I wish I'd thought of thi beforehand. I could have slapped together an article and maybe sold it for International Women's Day.

Note to self: more forward thinking required.

[Abra1d]

I know, all these 'things' we are supposed to do, planning ahead, self-promotion, marketing. The writing's the easy bit.

[wordfactory]

Tell me about it.

A friend of mine looks at the diary at the start of the year and plans to pitch stuff around the important dates iyswim. But you know what the lead up time is like!
I know I should opperate this way and I miss loads of opportunities through lack of organisation.

Maybe that's why I love crime fiction? It brings me the order I crave.

[SinicalSanta]

There's always a resolution.
A sense of justice.

There's so much misery and evil in the world, an overwhelming amount, it's comforting to focus on one criminal and watch them get their comeuppance.
Satisfying.

Dunno if that has any gender relevance though.

[mousymouseafraidofdogs]

I like the women characters, strong but human
Rizzoli
Brennan
Scarpetta
Havers
missed out loads, I know...

[Abra1d]

Yes, agree about that: women doing gritty, visceral work, but retaining their femininity. Using it, perhaps, to bring intuition to their work. And emotional savvy. Well, perhaps not Scarpetta.

[sportsfanatic]

I like crime fiction because:

It usually celebrates women for what they do, not just for existing;
It's a challenge to try and see where the author is going with it and work out the plot.

I particularly hate the way romantic novels are put under "women's fiction". Think Barbara bloody Cartland....

[InmaculadaConcepcion]

I love the puzzle-solving aspect of crime fiction and the fact that many of the female characters (on the crime-solving side) are kick-ass.

It's interesting that so many women have been/are incredibly successful crime writers. I enjoyed Agatha Christie hugely as a teenager and sill love getting stuck into a good whodunnit.

As a wannabe author myself (in a different genre) I'm finding this thread very interesting!

[vesuvia]

Echoing what mousymouseafraidofdogs wrote, I enjoy crime fiction, especially ones with strong female lead characters.

[hanahsaunt]

Quite frankly, I don't give a monkeys about the gender of the lead character(s). I don't read crime fiction to relate to my life or circumstances in any which way and thus don't look for female role models, I look for good writing. I read a lot of crime and thriller by a vast range of authors. Val Mcdermid did a v interesting piece for radio 4 on violence in fiction, maybe a year or so ago. I think there was also something by Ian Rankin about how we are in thrall to the violence in fiction because it is so far removed from our reality (hopefully!) that it's a safe place to go and to explore our thoughts and feelings towards such things.

[Trills]

A lot of the answers to "why do women read crime?" (as opposed to "why do people read crime?") seem to be making a number of assumptions about what women like.