Novelist Christopher Rice writes that poorly rendered female characters proliferate in crime novels because their authors are lazy. He outlines four clichés that come up again and again. “When a writer wants to write a thriller from a woman’s point of view, he needs to do more than slot [a caricature] into the starring role,” writes Rice. “Sometimes that means the tough guys need to dig a little deeper and accept some truths about the opposite sex they have trouble swallowing.”