The detective novel has evolved and changed during the years of its existence, which more or less dates back to the same historical period as the beginnings of crime literature. Even though nowadays distinguishing between a crime and a detective novel is difficult, we can say that the crime novel, in comparison with the detective novel, which has no clearly set guidelines, carries with it a broader meaning of encompassing crime literature as a whole. Gillian Flynn, whose opus consists of crime thrillers, has, in her works, focused mostly on female main characters with a dark side to them. They are not the heroines that we are used to in literature, but are psychologically imbalanced, frightening and dark. The autor is interested in the worst side of women, their violence and manipulation, which is why women with these characteristics have become the leading characters of her narratives.
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