I rather like Buchan's women -- he's definitely got a type (the "high-minded boys in dresses" mould that Alison and Janet and Mary and to some extent Kore Arabin fall into) but they are allowed to transcend that type (cf Mary in The Three Hostages) and they don't usually need rescuing - well, Kore does, but it's a team effort. And I like his older women who aren't fooled.