Dr Dean, hear hear. I've never heard Ruth Rendell, Mary Shelley or Ann Rice, to select at random three female authors of crime/horror fiction described as particularly butch, but all three write/wrote stories steeped in murder and the darker side of the human psyche - great writing in whatever genre is great writing, period.

Stefan, I guess that would be why centuries of religious indoctrination resulted and still are resulting in so much bloodshed. If you're looking for "images of brutality and filthy desires," the Bible's got the lot, ditto the Quran and most other holy texts - or just watch/read the news. Somehow I doubt that Osama Bin Laden& Co or those lovely chaps doing the questioning at the CIA 'black sites' turned to Val McDermid, Ian Rankin or any other crime writer's work for their inspiration.

Rose , Hawalli, Kuwait

I don't care whether Rankins was right or wrong. What he said was not offensive

Ago Ndubia, Geneva, Switzerland

Ian Rankin likes girl-on-girl violence? Isn't that a category romance genre?

Pat, Grimsby, Canada

Contemplating violence is not the best way to spend your free time.
It's recipe to be less human ,less sensitive person .
Unwittingly you may gradually, insidiously program yourself to become psychopath .
Your subconscious filled with images of brutality and filthy desires can turn you suddenly ,to your surprise ,into murderer.
I know evil seems normal because its everywhere.

Stefan, Cracov , Poland

Who cares if the book is written by a 'gay' or 'straight' author? Both Rankin and McDermid write cracking good stuff. Peace, people!

Gabrielle, London,

Personally I neither knew nor cared which of these authors were lesbians, and I don't care whether they are male or female either. What I do care about is the increasingly bizarre and repellent content of such novels, which don't even have the excuse of bearing a resemblance to real life. The number which have to be laid aside after a chapter or two as boring and formulaic is increasing. Early novels by an author are often far more interesting and readable, but after a few they start scraping the barrel, the characters and actions become increasingly unpleasant and unrealistic and the whole thing breaks down. It is a form of pornography, and just like pornography, it has to become more and more extreme. Presumably at some point the pages will be so full of violence there will be no room for the rest of any kind of story.

alexandria, Sheffield, UK

Oh, pipe down and don't give us a bad name. Out gay women are in a minority, like it or not, and if a minority seems to enjoy particular success in a niche like crime-writing, well, that's interesting. Why not, if your career incolves monitoring other people's crime fiction, mention it?

Lisa, Manchester,

That's hilarious. He's proven his point really, offensive or not.

Emma, London,

Me thinks she doth complain too much.

Paul Turnbull, Alverstoke, Hampshire

As Michel Foucault put it in his History of Sexuality, 'the homosexual' as an identity is a 19th Century construct. Many many people are capable of sex with the same sex and enact their capabilities - but does that make them a special people group, classified by sexual activity?
Rankin's observations may in fact touch on the fact that people who do wish to advertise this identity publicly, as their main distinguishing feature, are bold, decisive and prepared to shock. Does that help the case to take his interpretation seriously?

Sophia, Wycombe, UK

Surely female writers (lesbian or not) should be congratulating themselves on outdoing their male counterparts in a field previously dominated by men. As a female crime and horror reader, I am continually disappointed by portrayals of 'emotional' heroines presented by the majority of female writers. These characters only seem to be able to do their jobs by sacrificing relationships and becoming bitter, twisted and angry about it, particularly as they get older. Potentially great plots with complex twists and interesting science get bogged down in diatribes about lost loves and failed marriages and we're left feeling that these women think their jobs are the only things they have to validate them. Whether you're into blood and violence or not, surely this departure from books about crime-fighting women who are 'flawed' creatures as a result of being single has to be a good thing. McDermid should re-evaluate her reaction to what, to me, seemed like a compliment.

Joan, London,

I agree with James from CA . I am a woman and I am guessing that the 'point' Rankin was trying to make was that it's interesting, in his opinion, that the more masculine orientated women have more of an interest in writing about violence.
I don't necessarily agree with that but I would defend to the end his right to say it.

Lj, York , UK

Obviously everyone is entitled to speak their mind but I do feel a lot of people in the public eye do so without really considering what they are saying or having much evidence to back up their statements.
I'm a big fan of Ian Rankin but I think his remarks were just plain inaccurate.
Just because a writer chooses to write about violence does not make them bloodthirsty. It is how that violence is depicted and dealt with that determinds how gratuitous is.
I have read books by all of these 'lesbian crimewriters' and, whilst they obviously contain depictions of violence (you wouldn't be much of a crime writer if you didn't!) I have failed to read anything I would consider 'bloodthirsty'.
On the contrary, I find women writers deal with the subject of violence quite simply in a more 'real' way than male writers, with a much keener appreciation of what it is to be a victim of it.

Clare Kendall, london, united kingdom

Note how (excluding Dr. Dean) men are supporting Ian Rankin and women Val McDermid.
James makes a valid point regarding the lack of outrage if someone had remarked that hetrosexual men write more graphically violent novels than women, but in our society today no-one would make such a remark, as it would not be revelatory in any way, simply because that it what is expected of male writers, in a way. Rankin merely made an observation, and I think that it has been slightly blown out of context. McDermid has taken it as a personal insult, which is unfair, particularly given the fact that Rankin is a widely respected writer, who is merely giving his take on his own profession.

Andrew, Stirling, Scotland, UK

It seems Ian Rankin touched an open wound there. But let me ask Ms McDermid two questions. As a lesbian, how d'you feel about men making remarks about women who are touchy about men making remarks about women and in particular lesbian women? Do you feel men should be restricted to making critical remarks only about men or should they be allowed by women to make remarks about women, even lesbian women and whether or not they are influenced by their sexuality in their approach to what they write.

John, Chichester, UK

Ian Rankin speaks his mind in the same way he always does - the same way that earns him the respect of his readership. James above makes a great point. Nanny state sensitive nonsense - it's just an observation and everybody is entitled to an opinion.

Dan Marsden, London, UK

I'm struggling to see what point Rankin was trying to make with this. Did he elaborate on why he found it 'interesting' that, in his opinion, lesbian writers were more bloodthirsty? I really can't see how an author's sexuality is relevant to the violence in their novels. Relevant to the characters, perhaps, in that lesbian writers such as McDermid and Cornwell write characters into their novels who just happen to be gay rather than writers who use characters' sexuality as a plot device, but beyond that why should it matter? You might as well say that Scottish writers are more bloodthirsty, or those who live in the countryside, or those who support a particular football team.

'Writer' is sufficient as a description, there's no need to concentrate on the gender, sexuality or anything else of the writer. No wonder McDermid was offended, why can't people be judged on their work without labels and preconceptions being attached?

Sophie, Birmingham,

So offense was taken because:
1) Lesbian novelists do not write novels that are inherently more violent than those written by men.
2) The novels are inherently more violent but it is not gratuitous violence as there is more discussion of the consequences of the violence.
3) The novels feature gratuitous violence but this is only due to the fact that women are more aware of the sexual violence that may target them in much the same way that a crazed serial killer with a fire ax will target his prey.

What a pathetic and ridiculous lack of integrity on the part of McDermid in crying 'victim.' Would any outrage have occurred if someone had claimed that heterosexual men write more graphically violent novels than women? I think not.

James, Vista, CA

Violence is violence. It does not matter in the slightest if the author is male, female, gay, straight, black, white, green or whatever. Dividing this particular discussion into group politic is grindingly elitest and a complete waste of energy. Call it author by author regardless of gender, color, or any other the over-politicized sub-designations of human beings. Words on the page are what matters and they are all the same regardless of who wrote them. Judge them by their words and ideas - nothing more.

Dr. Dean, Sacramento, USA / CA