There is hardly any genre that can compete with crime fiction in terms of a worldwide presence, consumption, and reception. While the genre continues to be linked to its US-American and European forefathers and traditional formulas, a growing number of crime fiction works from the Global South can be observed in the last decades.

This comparative analysis looks into the specific representation of space and gender in crime fiction from India and Latin America. It is inspired by a growing number of female-centered crime fiction novels from India written in English by authors such as Askok Banker, Kishwar Desai, or Kalpana Swaminathan vis-à-vis a scarce appearance of female figures in its Latin American counterpart, with the exception of works by Claudia Piñero, Marcela Serrano, or Cristina Rivera Garza.

This study will show how crime fiction, traditionally linked to US-American and European male discourses, has been adapted to local settings and conditions in the Global South by drawing back on specific extratextual (urban) spaces. Moreover, the focus on female protagonists, especially detectives, will help determine the extent to which crime fiction has been used by authors as a space for alternative identity constructions—particularly as a space for challenging patriarchal gender roles in India and Latin America. Following the demand for new transregional approaches, this study aims to explore how literature is simultaneously shaped by global and local influences; contribute to the conceptualization of crime fiction in the two regions discussed above; and offer mutual inspirations for the potential of crime fiction in the Global South.