Trailblazers of Queer Crime Fiction

Queer authors have been writing great mysteries and thrillers since the 19th century, often living outwardly queer lives and featuring openly queer characters in their work. With four of the ten crime fiction authors on The New York Times Best Of list being queer, this is a pivotal moment for queer crime fiction—but it’s important to remember that queer crime writers have always been here, crafting compelling stories and paving the way for today’s diverse voices. This list could not possibly include all the amazing talent in our genre, but we’ve tried to include the legends and some of the “firsts.”

While celebrating the contributions of these talented authors, it’s also necessary to acknowledge historical gaps, particularly the lack of representation of trans authors in queer crime fiction as well as the erasure of the bi community. We hope to see this change as the genre continues to evolve. If you haven’t heard of or read these trailblazing authors, now is the perfect time to explore the incredible variety of mysteries they’ve created. To learn about even more authors, visit queercrimewriters.com.

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Nathan Aldyne

Nathan Aldyne was actually a pseudonym for two men who wrote four books in a hilarious mystery series, each named after a color. The books feature Daniel Lovelace and Clarisse Starling, longtime friends who always get into trouble. With booze and wit, they are reminiscent of Nick and Nora Charles. The settings are realistic and evocative of the gay male community in the early 1980s, before the HIV/AIDS crisis. In Vermilion, the first book in the series, a gay hustler is killed and ends up on the front lawn of a homophobic politician. When the police come to Valentine’s bar, he and Clarisse must get involved. Sadly, both authors passed away after contracting HIV.

Find Nathan Aldyne on Bookshop.org.

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Nikki Baker

Nikki Baker, the pen name of Jennifer Dowdell, published her first mystery novel, In the Game, in 1991 through Naiad Press. She became the first African American lesbian mystery author. Her character, Virginia Kelly, was also the first African American lesbian sleuth. Baker, who held an MBA in finance, drew from her own background as Kelly was a financial analyst. In her debut novel, Virginia meets a friend who reveals that her partner is cheating. The partner is found murdered the next day in the same bar where Virginia had met her friend. Baker was reclusive and divulged little about her personal life. She adeptly wove themes of intersectionality into her works. Baker wrote four novels and two novellas in the series before ending it without explanation. Two of the novels in the series were nominated for Lambda Literary Awards.

Find Nikki Baker on bookshop.org.

Mary F. Beal

Mary F. Beal was part of the New York literati of the 1960s and 1970s. She wrote fewer than a handful of literary works. Angel Dance, published in 1977, is credited as the first lesbian mystery. Its main character, Maria Katerina Lorca Guerrera Alcazar, is a proud Chicana living in Manhattan. She takes on the Marine Corps and the CIA to protect the life of the woman she loves, author Angel Stone.

Find Mary F. Beal on abebooks.com. 

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Katherine V. Forrest

Katherine V. Forrest is known as the mother of lesbian mystery. Her widely read works, especially her Kate Delafield series, began with Amateur City in 1984. In this first outing, Delafield and her police partner investigate the murder of a CEO—while Kate struggles to keep her mind off one of the suspects. Forrest has won five Lambda Literary Awards and been nominated for twelve. Beyond her writing, she has blazed a trail in lesbian publishing, editing at Naiad Press for ten years.

Find Katherine V. Forrest on bookshop.org.

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Joseph Hansen

Joseph Hansen, the father of the gay male mystery, was born in South Dakota but later moved to Minnesota and eventually California. Hansen began writing poetry as a teen before transitioning to mystery fiction. His protagonist, David Brandstetter, is an insurance investigator—a role chosen because sodomy laws prevented him from being a policeman or private detective. In Fadeout, Brandstetter investigates the death of a nationally known radio personality who harbors secrets. Hansen’s gritty style was often compared to Hammett, Chandler, and MacDonald. Over two decades, he wrote eleven more books about Brandstetter. Hansen received a Lambda Literary Award for his final Brandstetter novel and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America in 1992.

Find Joseph Hansen on bookshop.org.

Fergus Hume

Fergus Hume, born in England, moved to New Zealand as a child, then to Australia in the late 1880s, and finally back to England in the early 1900s. He published over 130 novels and roughly a dozen plays. Most of his novels were mysteries, beginning with The Mystery of the Hansom Cab in 1886, which inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet. Hume’s A Black Carnation is considered one of the first novels with a gay main character. Lubore Press is republishing his works to make them widely accessible.

Find Fergus Hume on bookshop.org.

Val McDermid

Val McDermid is a prolific mystery author known for her five series, including those featuring Tony Hill and Karen Pirie. Her debut series, featuring freelance reporter Lindsay Gordon, began with Report for Murder in 1987, the first of seven books that continued until 2003. McDermid’s journalistic background informs her detailed and gripping mysteries. Today, her works, including standalones, have sold over 19 million copies. McDermid has also authored a book on forensics and crime.

Find Val McDermid on bookshop.org.

Michael Nava

Michael Nava is the author of the award-winning series featuring Henry Rios, a gay Latino lawyer. A Stanford Law graduate, Nava began the series with The Little Death (revised and reissued as Lay Your Sleeping Head) where Rios meets and falls for an addict, Hugh Paris. Paris works to get clean but is tragically found dead. Nava wrote five Lambda Literary Award-winning novels in the series. In 2021, he returned with Lies with Man, a new Henry Rios novel.

Find Michael Nava on bookshop.org.

Richard Stevenson

Richard Stevenson, the pen name of Richard Lipez, was the first Hispanic author of gay mysteries. His series featured Donald Strachey, an Albany private investigator. In Death Trick, Strachey investigates the disappearance of a wealthy family’s heir, a prominent community activist. Four of the books were adapted into films starring Chad Allen. Stevenson won a Lambda Literary Award in 2012 and passed away in 2022 at 83.

Find Richard Stevenson on Bookshop.org.