Abstract: Early crime fiction frequently confined women to narrow and predictable roles such as victims, temptresses or supporting figures to male protagonists. Detective narratives were largely dominated by male investigators, while female characters were often portrayed as passive sufferers of crime rather than active agents with the plot. Such portrayals reinforced traditional gender stereotypes in literature and that women lacked intellectual or heroic capabilities. Women writers gradually challenged these conventions by depicting female characters in powerful and independent role. Agatha Christie transformed crime fiction by creating intelligent and capable female detectives who defied stereotypes of vulnerability and demonstrated analytical skill, moral judgement and agency. Her female characters illustrated that female protagonists could solve complex mysteries and exhibit strength equal to male counterparts. This paper examines Christie’s representation of independent female detectives and the emergence of the ‘New Woman’ in the 1920s. The study highlights Christie’s contribution to redefining female agency and reshaping perceptions of women in crime literature, emphasizing her lasting impact on the genre.

Keywords: Detective Fiction, Female Detectives, Gender roles in literature, Golden Age of Detective Fiction, Agatha Christie.