I’m binge re-reading the series and had the same reaction about the descriptions of Myrna. It’s awkward and borderline cruel at times. I particularly noticed that, in contrast, Penny describes several white female characters as slim and chic.

To be fair, Penny provides Myrna with more depth in than some of the other recurring female characters. It’s good to see her self-correcting. I wouldn’t be surprised if the author cringes at some of her past descriptions. Great analysis. I enjoyed reading it. (I was just making some of the same observations earlier today to my husband, who is a scI-fi/fantasy/horror fan and not much of a sounding board for mysteries.)