Women and Thrillers

Page B7 yesterday from the New York Times: Book review of Alan Furst's The Foreign Correspondent. Left of the review, ads to two Jan Sandford thrillers. Right of the review an ad for Lee Child's The Hard Way. Below left, an ad for Joseph Finder's Killer Instinct. Lower left of the the review Philip Roth ad for Everyman (not a thriller).

What stands out here? All guys. No women need apply on Thursday. I've noticed the NYTimes and the Wall Street Journal consistently review books by males on Thursday. Obviously, the ads are a tie-in. I'm not a marketing illiterate. I know also, that Philip Roth, Joseph Finder, Lee Child and Alan Furst are excellent writers. Haven't read (yet) Mr. Sandford but he's in august company on page B7 on June 1, 2006.

A few blogs ago, I asked, where are the female thriller writers? I know Gayle Lynds has a new book, The Last Spymaster out. Plenty of women write true crime. Mysteries, by the gross, and lots of so-called cozies, yeah. Knitting and cat mysteries.
Otto Penzler never misses a chance to dis them.

I don't write thillers (don't write cozies, either), so this is not sour grapes, but gee, it still seems like an old boys club on page B7 of the New York Times on June 1, 2006. Looks like Grapeshot may not be the only one to have to suck it up.

As always,

Onward