P. D. James, dubbed the queen of crime by critic Julian Symons, has contributed extensively to the mystery genre since her first novel, Cover Her Face (1962). Many critics, scholars, and fans lament, however, that James wrote only two novels featuring Cordelia Gray. Gray was one of the first female private-investigator protagonists to appear in literature, and the first British example, which makes An Unsuitable Job for a Woman the most-studied novel of James’s oeuvre.

Feminist critics in particular have paid attention to the differences between the two Gray novels and have theorized about why the series did not continue. There may certainly be other reasons, but James wrote in her autobiography that she quit writing about Gray because a British television adaptation took too many liberties with the character. Responding to reader queries and pleas, James wrote in the essay “Ought Adam to Marry Cordelia?” (1977) that the answer is no: Gray should not marry Adam Dalgliesh, another of James’s popular protagonists. James may have decided that Gray was just too much trouble.

Gray also provides an interesting subject for critics and scholars because of the ethical issues involved in the cases and because of the choices she makes. While private investigators are not above breaking the law, it is rarer to see a detective put his or her own life and liberty at stake to protect a killer. In An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, Gray embraces the role of judge and jury in shaping the outcome of the Callendar case, and she does it for emotional reasons. She seems different in the second Gray novel, The Skull Beneath the Skin (1982); this issue of character development may also provide a clue to the cessation of the novel’s with Gray as protagonist.

Although this novel is groundbreaking in many ways, it is good to remember that it is one of James’s earlier works and its plot is less complex and more linear than her later works. Gray jumps to conclusions about a number of things throughout the investigation, leading her through a quick succession of suspects, and she is often intensely involved in the case. In An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, she feels connected to Mark and even comes into possession of some of his belongings, including the belt that had been found around his neck. She begins wearing the belt herself as a symbol of her connection. In some ways, this scene may reflect an honest portrayal of a novice investigator (as well as an honest portrayal of a sensitive young woman during a formative experience), but her sudden and exact realization that Evelyn Bottley Callendar’s cryptic note refers to her blood type may seem contrived. There novel also includes a number of convenient coincidences that wrap up loose ends quickly and tightly, such as Leaming dying in a car accident.

These minor criticisms are common to new writers of mystery and detective fiction. The fact remains that James became a master of the genre and became one of the best writers of the twentieth century, of any genre. An Unsuitable Job for a Woman also paved the way for a number of women to write mysteries and, importantly, to write mysteries with female protagonists.