Sister sleuths : female detectives in Britain
Darby, Nell2021
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The 1857 Divorce Act paved the way for a new career for women: that of the private detective. To divorce, you needed proof of adultery - and men soon realised that women were adept at infiltrating households and befriending wives, learning secrets and finding evidence. Whereas previously, women had been informal snoops within their communities, now they were getting paid for it, toeing a fine line between offering a useful service and betraying members of their sex for money. Over the course of the next century, women became increasingly confident in gaining work as private detectives, moving from largely unrecognised helpers to the police and to male detectives, to becoming owners of their own detective agencies. This book seeks to shed light on the female detectives who have worked over the past century and a half to uncover wrongdoing and solve crimes.
Main title:
Sister sleuths : female detectives in Britain / Nell Darby.
Author:
Darby, Nell, author
Imprint:
Barnsley : Pen & Sword History, 2021.
Collation:
200 pages ; 24 cm
ISBN:
9781526780256 (pbk. :)
Language:
English
Subject:
BRN:
1180405