There have been women mystery writers almost as long as there have been mystery books. But in the last 20-25 years, women have really come into their own. 3 top women mystery writers are Marcia Muller, Sue Grafton, and Faye Kellerman.

Marcia Muller is the author of the Sharon McCone series. McCone is a private investigator in the San Francisco area. She started out as an investigator for a legal aid organization called Alll Souls. But then she went out on her own. She was a one-woman operation at first, but gradually built up to a thriving business with a complete staff.

McCone is very much a modern woman--strong, independent, and self-reliant. But she has a vulnerable side, too. Through the series, the reader follow her through various relationships. None ot them last, until she meets Hy Ripinski, an operative for a private security firm, who has a past he doesn't want to talk about. Both are very wary of commitment, but gradually they find their way together, and now they are married.

There is another side of McCone that makes her especially appealing. She comes from a very dysfunctional famiy. As the oldest of five siblings, she is continually callled upon to intervene, and several of the books involve family members. She also has to deal with her parents' divorce and the discovery that the father she grew up with is not her biological father

In Sharon McCone, Marcia Muller has created a character that a reader really gets involved with. The plots are fast-moving and intriguing, and in addition to McCone, there is a host of other recurring characters that add interest, without being distracting. I 'm sure I speak for all Muller fans when I say that I eagerly await each new book in the series.

Even if you haven't read any of Sue Grafton's books, their titles have probably caught your eye at some point. She is the author of the "alphabet" mysteries, starting with the first, A is for Alibi, through the most recent, T is for Trespass.

Grafton's main character is Kinsey Milhone, a private investigator in the southern California town of Santa Teresa. In the first few books, she is an investigator for California Fidelity Insurance. But then she is fired, and goes out on her own. She still does some free lance work for them, but also gets her own cases.

Kinsey Milhone is very much a free spirit--which is one of the things that got her fired. Her investigative methods are often unorthodox. She has a whole collection of fake business cards to allow her to assume various fake personas in the course of her work. And she never lets a little danger keep her out of any situation.

In her personal life, Kinsey is definitely a minimalist. She lives in a one-room apartment that is a converted garage. Her wardrobe consists of jeans and T shirts, except for one black dress that she can wear for any occasion from a dinner party to a funeral. After two divorces, she steers clear of men, although she does occasionally allow herself to get briefly involved.

The "alphabet" books are not murder mysteries in the classic sense, In addition to murder, they involve fraud, missing persons, deception, and various other misdeeds. The plots are intricate and fascinating. And Kinsey Mihone is a delightfully unconventional character.

Sue Grafton's next book, U is for Undertow, is due out in December. I can't wait!

Faye Kellerman is the author of a series featuring Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus.

This is a very unique series. Decker is a lieutenant in the Los Angeles police department. In the first book, he investigates a rape in an Orthodox Jewish community. There he meets Rina Lazarus, a beautiful young widow with two small boys. She helps him in the investigation, and they fall in love.

There are obviously major obstacles to their relationship. Rina is deeply religious, and the whole Orthodox culture is totally foreign to Decker. He realizes that the only way Rina will marry him is if he converts to Judaism. After much soul-searching, he begins the process, but it is not an easy path. In addition, he is nervous about becoming a stepfather.

Eventually, Decker and Rina do get married, and have a daughter. Rina continues to be a prominent character in the books. On several occasions, she is actually involved in the cases Decker is investigating, but even when she's not, she never hesitates to give Decker her opinion.

As a Los Angeles police detective, Decker investigates a whole host of different crimes, from murder to arson to hate crimes. He doesn't always follow protocol, and sometimes his long-time sergeant, Marge, has to keep him in line.

Over the series, we follow the problems of Decker and Rina's family life. As her sons grow up, they experience not only the difficulties of young manhood, but also of the conflict of the world around them with their Orthodox culture. And another twist is thrown in when Decker's daughter from his first marriage decides to become a cop, much to his chagrin.

This is truly an unusual and fascinating series. The plots are always fast -moving and suspenseful, and the characters are appealing and believable.