Sleuths in skirts

“She’s had a long life of experience in noticing evil, fancying evil, suspecting evil and going forth to do battle with evil.”
― Agatha Christie, on Miss Marple

I was reading a book titled “The Midwife and the Assassin” by Sam Thomas, a mystery set in 17th century London where a midwife and her assistant solve a series of murders and unearth a major plot to blow up the Parliament. This got me thinking about all the female detectives that have featured in detective fiction, hence the poem.

(Source: wikipedia, wonderlist, crimefictionlover)

Women have found an unlikely place 

To be featured, a rather unusual space 

For them to occupy in works of fiction

Yet they fulfil the role with consummate conviction-

This poem is about the female detective

Who, by virtue of her curiosity, is quite effective

At finding the culprit by her powers of deduction

(Without using any feminine charms or seduction)

She has a keen eye, a perception remarkable

A fascination with minute details that enables

Her to notice things that others have ignored

(Including the pompous police officers on board)

She does not have any  academic qualification

But knowledge of human behavior is her specialization

 

There are no stereotypes, she might be

A teen like Nancy Drew or a middle-aged lady

Like Miss Marple, anywhere in the world she might be

In different settings, different eras you might see

A remarkable woman solving the mystery of a crime-

Give me such a detective novel to read any time!