Open Access
American Research Journal of English and Literature
ISSN (Online): 2378-9026
DOI: 10.46568/arjel
A Reading of the Trials and Tribunals of a Female Detective with Reference to Tana French’s the Secret Place and the Trespasser
Abstract
The Dublin Murder Squad Series is a collection of novels by the American Irish Crime Fiction Writer Tana French. The
Series comprises of loosely interconnected novels which can also be read as stand-alone novels. The Black Woman
Detective named Antoinette Conway works in this famous murder squad and she features in The Secret Place and The
Trespasser which are the fourth and the sixth novel in the series respectively. Tana French through her portrayal of the
character of Antoinette Conway talks about the topics related to gender, class, and racial discrimination, and also about
the psychological understanding of rejection and abandonment issues, even when faced as a child, and how it impacts
adversely for a lifetime and as a traumatic memory these underlying triggers surface at particular circumstances. As the
only woman and that also of color, Conway had to face racist and sexist remarks at her workplace and she is considered
as an outsider. Yet driven by her passion and love for the profession, Conway continues to strive to make her own identity
in an essentially male dominated arena.
This paper intends to make a comprehensive study on how even while battling past trauma and abandonment issues,
Conway, the black woman, despite facing a hostile atmosphere at work, continues to pursue her profession and it is only
through her intelligence and relentless persistence that she is finally successful in establishing her individual identity as
a professional female detective.
