We debated this issue in the last Litopia After Dark podcast:

http://tinyurl.com/d6mbhd

Suffice to say, we concluded that, sadly, Chris Ryan is in the minority and it is mostly female authors who have to hide under a pseudonym or, more commonly, a pair of initials (cf JK Rowling). It seems that boys (and we’ll include men in that sweeping statement) still prefer their books, or at least their heroes, to be written by members of the same sex. Alison Flood writing in the Guardian came to pretty much the same conclusion:

http://tinyurl.com/b7nvkm

I would contend that many readers would be unable to tell which gender had written a book if the author’s name were to be removed. One of my favourite internet toys, The Gender Genie, upholds my theory that styles of writing do not conform to gender bias. Each time I try it, it firmly tells me that I am a man. And who am I to argue? You can have a go yourself here:
http://bookblog.net/gender/genie.php

It’s often touted that the golden age of Hollywood coincided in part with the Great Depression, resulting in a rash of comedies and glitzy musicals to take the collective mind off what was happening. In fact, the majority of popular films reflected the social zeitgeist. It seems we find comfort in the familiar, i.e. in what is happening to us on a daily basis. Given that there has been a huge upsurge in what psychologists are calling Recession Sex, I feel certain that my prediction of a parallel upsurge in demand for eighties-style bonkbusters will prove correct.

As authors we would be providing a public service by fulfilling this need. Divorce and adultery statistics are also going through the roof. Far better to read about it in a book than actually indulge. The age of the testosterone-packed City is over. There are no square-jawed heroes in Wall Street. We need the real deal and the safest place to find it is between the covers of a book

http://tinyurl.com/d6mbhd