12 LGBTQ+ Characters in Crime Fiction
It’s always exciting when fiction featuring LGBTQ+ characters is about more than just sexual orientation or the coming out process. The mystery genre has evolved a lot in recent years, and LGBTQ+ characters have gone from being the victims to solving crimes and chasing down leads. Here are ten of our favorite LGBTQ+ characters in mystery and thriller novels!
CHARACTER: Betty Rhyzyk
Betty is a tough-as-nails Brooklyn cop who relocates when her girlfriend gets a new job in her hometown of Dallas, TX. Working on a new team provides plenty of challenges for Betty, especially when her first big case involving the drug trade spirals out of control.
Betty's investigation gets deep and dangerous real quick, but her relationship with her girlfriend is a bright spot throughout the novel, and it is what keeps Betty grounded. This is the electric start of a crime series.
And don't forget about the sequel which finds Detective Betty going rogue in an investigation that leads directly to an underground Dallas drug cartel.
CHARACTER: Leonard Pine
Leonard Pine is one half of the iconic duo Hap and Leonard, best friends who often find more than they bargained for in their various misadventures. The two get embroiled in all sorts of mysteries and rollicking trouble, but they're friends through and through, despite vast differences.
The novels are the basis of the TV show Hap and Leonard, which was sadly canceled after three seasons. Luckily for fans, Joe R. Lansdale has a new Hap and Leonard adventure, called The Elephant of Surprise!
CHARACTER: Villanelle
Villanelle is as mysterious as she is dangerous, but her sense of style is undeniable. She's gone undetected as an assassin for months, until MI6 agent Eve Polastri begins to connect the murders and track her. A dangerous cat-and-mouse game ensues, spanning around the world, as Eve becomes obsessed with bringing Villanelle down, and Villanelle becomes obsessed with Eve.
The novels are the basis for the excellent TV show Killing Eve, starring Jodi Comer as Villanelle and Sandra Oh as Eve.
And don't forget about the newest release in the Killing Eve series by Luke Jennings!
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CHARACTER: Dylan Reinhart
Dylan Reinhart is an expert on criminal behavior, having written a bestselling book on the subject. When a murder scene shows up with evidence that someone is taking his expertise to heart, NYPD detective Elizabeth Needham solicits Dylan's help in tracking the murderer before he can keep killing.
Dylan is gay, which is just a facet of his identity, but that fact becomes more important when you consider that the TV show adaptation if Instinct starring Alan Cumming is "the first hourlong broadcast series on any broadcast network with a gay lead" (TV Guide)!
What to Read Next
Tirzah Price is a writer and librarian who loves scouting out LGBTQ+ genre fiction. She’s a contributing editor at Book Riot, and can be found tweeting @TirzahPrice.