Compromising Positions is an excellent example of how an author can combine such disparate genres as the detective story and the Bildungsroman or novel of development. As a detective writer, Isaacs has been likened to Chandler, and her heroine labeled a mature Nancy Drew as well as "Sam Spade in pantyhose. Three parts Bloomingdales and one part de Beauvoir . . ." In fact, there is much to be said for Isaacs' choice of genre. As the great detective writer Dorothy Sayers has pointed out, few professional female detectives populate the genre, but the amateur detective holds a respectable place.

Many women protagonists, from Christie's Miss Marple and Tuppence Berensford to Josephine Tate's Miss Pym to the contemporary Kate Fansler created by Amanda Cross, have been interested in crime solving because they have a genuine interest in and ability to understand people. It is significant that none of these...