Women times three : writers, detectives, readers /

This volume posits a connection between woman-authored woman detective fiction and the woman reader. Klein claims she will explore this far-ranging connection, but this disparate collection of essays does not fulfill such a lofty promise. Although some of the essays--for example, Margaret Kinsman's "A Question of Visibility: Paretsky and Chicago"--with their feminist perspective are excellent in themselves, all in all the book does not hold together. One problem is the lack of overall focus or consistency. Another problem is the superficiality of Klein's introductory piece, "Women Times Women Times Women." Last, Klein provides no overall index or bibliography of works cited or works recommended (although each essay has a brief works cited at its conclusion). However, the writing is accessible to undergraduates and yet challenging enough for graduate students and faculty. This would be a pleasant volume to add to a comprehensive collection of feminist criticism or detective fiction criticism, but it is not suggested for libraries that are collecting basic works. S. Raeschild; University of Cincinnati