A
lthough detective
fiction gained
popularity in the ’20s,
it remains one of the
most potent genres in
fiction. A Case of Distrust taps into
its murky iconography perfectly.
Set in 1924’s San Francisco, it
follows a newly minted PI called
Phyllis Malone as she trawls a
realm of speakeasies, barbershops
and townhouses to solve a case.
Phyllis is a woman with a crummy
apartment who noses her way into
spaces primarily for men and stakes
her claim. She’s like the Jessica Jones
of the ’20s, I thought at one point.
But I wondered if her experiences
were historically accurate. Did you
often see female police officers or PIs
in the ’20s? I didn’t think so. So was
this just wish fulfilment, to create an
alternative noir story where a woman
takes the place of the jaded detective?
I dug into the internet to find out.
Things were starting to change for
women in the ’20s. A movement
called the New Woman embraced
new fashions, freedom and
challenging ideas. Opportunities also
rose following World War 2 and
women could find work as factory
workers, secretaries, shop girls and
telephone operators. Phyllis fits into
this trend, but her role goes further.
She’s an ex-cop, she drinks and
supports herself. You can’t forget that
most women were housewives at this
point, dutiful and feminine.
There were jobs for women in the
police force, but these were support
roles. I did find one woman, Alice
Wells, who was sworn into the LAPD
as its first female officer in 1910.
Wells also founded the International
Association of Policewomen, where
she advocated for women’s rights.
But this was just one amazing woman
in a profession created for men.WRITE ON
Anne Katharine Green was the first
American woman to write detective
fiction, and her detective Violet
Strange appeared in the novel The
Golden Slipper and Other Problems
in 1915. The first American woman
detective to take a central role was
Clarice Dyke in Harry Rockwood’s
crime novels, and it was in the pulp
novels of the ’30s that the female
private eye came into fashion.
I did come upon an example of a
real-life female PI: Kate Warne, who
joined the Pinkertons in 1856. PIs
then were usually part-bodyguards
and always men, but in her interview
Warne pointed out that women could
be “most useful in worming out
secrets in many places which would
be impossible for a male detective”.
In 1858, this was proven true when
Warne befriended the wife of the
prime suspect in an embezzlement
case and acquired evidence that
eventually convicted him.
A Case of Distrust isn’t historically
accurate, but that hardly matters. It’s
exciting to play in an alternate history
where women have control of their
bodies and the places they inhabit. I
hope the women of the ’20s would
have loved it just as much.KIMBERLEY BALLARD
THIS MONTH
Broke into a house as she
got high on laudanum.ALSO PLAYED
Gris, ShelterCouldPhyllisMalonefromA CASE OF DISTRUSTever have been a detective?
“Did you often see female police
officers or PIs in the ’20s?”
IT’S EXCITING TO PLAY IN AN
ALTERNATE HISTORY WHERE
WOMEN HAVE CONTROL*Slams door
in face.*Phyllis acts like your
typical noir PI.EXTRA LIFE
NOW PLAYING (^) I UPDATE I DIARY I REINSTALL I WHY I LOVE I M U S T P L A Y