Earlier this year, Quill and Quire magazine reported that the main character of the first lesbian detective novel—Helen Keremos of A Reason to Kill—is making a comeback. Author Eve Zaremba is collaborating on a new graphic novel with Keremos at the center, funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign.

Curling up with A Reason to Kill is the stuff that rainy summer days should be made of. The July 1978 issue of the Lesbian Organization of Toronto’s newsletter includes an early review of A Reason to Kill which describes the character as “daring, insightful, witting, and endearing.” The second in the series—Work for a Million, which will serve as the basis of the new graphic novel—is reviewed in a Winter 1988 issue of Cayenne, where it is described as a “fast-paced,” “entertaining spoof of the typical detective story” in which Helen Keremos “our lesbian heroine, is respected as a detective and is lusty in her life and desires.” 

In the mid-1980s, the International Women’s Day Committee included a column about the politically correct murder mysteries and detective stories that “were swamping the bookshelves of socialists and feminists.”

An image from the February 1985 issue of the International Women’s Day Committee Newsletter.

Penned by Andrea Knight, the column described how these novels sought to move away from “upper class intrigue and tough guy detectives” to more progressive characters and concerns. Eve Zaremba’s Helen Keremos stories were at the forefront of this work, and it is no wonder that they found such a receptive audience. Now, over three decades later, her detective seems destined to make a comeback with a new generation of fans!

Zaremba’s involvement as an activist during the 1970s and 80s, including co-founding Broadside, and the Lesbian Organization of Toronto, is critical to the archiving of the feminist movement in Canada, as is her work as a writer and novelist.

Rise Up aims to include a wide range of cultural items in our collection. These materials are an essential part of our feminist history and experiences. If you have resources, including (but not limited to) film, music, photos, buttons, posters, or other resources to share, please contact us.