Our top 10 female detectives abroad

19 March 2014

While the early days of the detective saga deserve a hearty slap on the back in celebration of the role they played in fathering this phenomenal genre, it is fair to say that the structures of this first batch of murder mysteries were formulaic to say the least. Always, they involved a cunning male detective with the ability to see that which is invisible to the rest of us.  Almost always they took place in the English countryside, and usually in an old country house with a limited number of guests who, for whatever reason (snow/storm/ extreme distance from the nearest town) find that they simply can’t leave.    

Not anymore! Over the years we have seen this genre expand and develop in ways that would blow the socks of Sherlock (or should we say the Deerstalker Hat). Our wandering imaginations have not had to stay limited to the English countryside for long with our channels now flooded by detective stories from overseas. With The Bridge returning to our screens for a second series and Homeland for a third, to name but a tiny few of the most recent hits, the Detective story played out abroad has justifiably become a recognisable and well-loved TV genre of its own. Interestingly more and more we see that this traditionally masculine role has been adopted by women who continually prove themselves to be as feisty, fearless and intuitive as the best of their male counterparts.

So, join us in celebration of Sherlock’s overseas sisters as we uncover our Top 10 Female Detectives Abroad…  

1. Patricia Cheng: Serangoon Road

You don’t get a much more enticing, exciting and exotic background to a good ole detective saga than 1960s Singapore. It is a world in a state of flux with the colonial rule of the British having finally come to an end; the island is in the process of forging an identity for itself, in terms of culture and of crime. Patricia Cheng, of the Cheng Detective Agency, can be celebrated by strong, straight-forward women everywhere. She owns the Agency, having been left it by her late husband Winston, after his mysterious murder. Patricia’s need for closure surrounding her husband’s death convinces her to use her own agency as a springboard in the search for Winston’s killer. More than any other Patricia understands that it is crucial to obtain the right contacts in the various local communities but also among the ex-pats of Singapore.

2. Laura Berthaud: Spiral

This chic Parisian police drama focuses on the action-packed days of a tough female Captain Laura Berthaud, alongside her two lieutenants, a Judge, a Prosecutor and a Lawyer.  One of the feistiest females on our list, Berthaud is a no-messing, stringent and doggedly determined police captain. She is renowned for pushing both herself and her team to their limits and is utterly invested in her job. Her forceful willpower means that she is never one to shy away from taking risks, although her approach has been known to land her in trouble in the past. Tensions arise with each of the opinionated central characters having a different vision of justice and each with their own personal dramas to contend with. They must try to work together to establish the truth, whilst navigating a tangled web of political intrigue, prostitution and drugs in Paris. Spiral has been a huge success with audiences outside of France, broadcasting in some 70 countries and acting as Channel 4’s first French-language drama series.

3. Carrie Matheson: Homeland

Homeland displays a twisty-turny tale of terrorism in both America and further afield. Damian Lewis’ militant convert Brody is the focus of the conspiracy but it’s Claire Danes’ performance as bipolar intelligence analyst Carrie Matheson, and the constant stream of curveballs that really blows your socks off. Sure, she’s got her issues, and her taste in men is questionable at best - but Carrie is one hell of an analyst, not to mention one of the most compelling characters to grace the airwaves in years. In Season 1 we saw her in the thick of it in Iraq, with Season 3 taking her away from home again, following Brody to Iran. With more field-work rumoured to be on the horizon in Season 4, we can’t wait to see our favourite double-crossers back in action abroad.

4. DS Camille Bordey: Death In Paradise

Death In Paradise may be as far from the English countryside context as it is possible to be,  yet has been described as ‘Miss Marple with Coconuts’, in that this police drama is untroubled by forensics, profiling and CCTV. Our first wonder woman, DS Camille Bordey, was working as an undercover investigator before she was accidentally arrested by Poole (a Detective from the London Met Police, who was sent out to work on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint-Maire) during his first mission. After her cover is blown Camille is assigned to the precinct, where she is widely considered, alongside Poole, as one of the best of the team’s investigators. Initially she and Poole do not hit it off with her fiery, emotional openness contrasting with his reserved and stuffy nature, although over time their friendship blossoms and even contains hints of romantic interest. 

5. Precious Ramotse: The Number One Ladies Detective Agency

When her father dies, Precious Ramotse from Botswana, decides to sell her inheritance of 180 cows, move to the capital Gaborone and open her own Detective Agency. This comic, light-hearted series, based on the well-loved books by Alexander McCall Smith, gives us a central protagonist who is truly one of kind, with Jill Scott’s performance capturing effortlessly the blend of wisdom, compassion and humour that has made this character such a popular creation. Business begins slowly at the Number One Ladies Detective Agency, but as Precious’ clients begin to trickle in, she uses her developed memory skills and keen sense of observation to solve an eclectic mix of weird and wonderful crimes.

6. Sarah Lund: The Killing

Set in Copenhagen, The Killing (or Forbrydelsen to use its proper name) debuted on Danish TV on January 7, 2007 and we Brits didn’t get our hands on it until 2011. Despite the fact that it featured no actors that anyone in Britain had ever heard of, it has become one of the most passionately adored shows on British TV, praised by critics and audiences, and winning a Bafta for Best International Television Series.  With heroine detective Sarah Lund dubbed one of the greatest female characters ever created, we watch in awe as she determines to solve the crimes each more disturbing than the last – all in the traditional Scandinavian attire of numerous envy-inducing woolly jumpers.

7.  Robin Griffin: Top Of The Lake

Elisabeth Moss, previously imperious as Mad Men's Peggy Olson, takes the lead as Robin Griffin, a local girl who has flown the coop of her small New Zealand town amid secrets and implied terrors. While home to care for her dying mother, Robin, now a gutsy but inexperienced Detective takes on an investigation into the disappearance of a pregnant 12-year-old girl. But as Robin becomes more and more obsessed with the search for the 12 year old girl she slowly begins to realize that finding Tui is tantamount to finding herself - a self she has kept well-hidden. Set against one of the most amazing and untouched landscapes left on the planet, Top of the Lake is a powerful and haunting story about a search for happiness in paradise, alongside a fear of its dark twin, the fall.

8. Saga Noren: The Bridge

When a body was found on the bridge which marked the border between Denmark and Sweden, fans of the Nordic noir were joined once more in morbid celebration as a new Scandinavian saga hit our screens. Porsche driving, leather pants donning, Saga Noren of the Swedish police, provides one of the most fascinating female Detectives on our list. Saga’s fine-tuned perceptive skills as a detective are constantly set against her lack of social awareness and her no-holds-barred honesty which can sometimes cause her trouble within her team. Her autistic traits, however, can be seen as some of her most inspiring qualities, argues actress Sofia Helin who plays Saga’s role. Playing a character who cares so little what others think of her frequently provokes Sofia to reassess a situation by asking “What would Saga do?”

9. Kima Greggs: The Wire

As the only female in the Baltimore Police Department, Kima is more than adequate at holding her own in the macho company. This tough cookie is well-respected for her professional working attitude, unflappability in the face of danger and integrity. She is impervious to corruption in a department of cops who possess sometimes somewhat questionable ethics. In her home life, Kima is an out lesbian, with a child, and a tumultuous relationship with partner Cheryl, a broadcast journalist. Whenever her gender or sexuality are called into question, which it turns out is fairly regular occurrence, Kima firmly lets her colleagues know where they stand in terms of her personal life: her sexuality will not define her as a person or as a detective. Notable for delivering a few brutal home truths to Dominic West’s wayward McNulty. A darn fine 5-0.

10. Jessica Fletcher: Murder She Wrote

Finally for the archetypal mother of the female detective characters from overseas, who else but Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote.  This Sunday night staple aired for 12 whole seasons from 1984 to 1996 and boasted a total of 264 episodes with 23 million viewers in its prime. Angela Lansbury plays the retired English teacher Jessica Fletcher, who after being widowed in her early fifties, remains a resident of the cozy Cabot Cove in Maine, and becomes a very successful mystery writer. Her perceptive prowess invariably proves greater than that of the official investigators when attempting to trap the mysterious murderers of this sleepy town. Where the police invariably fall into the trap of arresting the most likely suspect Jessica’s astute questions and piecing together of clues sets them back on track. 

Serangoon Road premieres exclusively in the UK on Sony Entertainment Television (Sky 157 / Virgin 193 / BT and TalkTalk 454) at 9pm on Wednesday 9^th April, and runs weekly.