How Do You Feel About...

I know some of you have pondered this question as well:  Why do so many mysteries and thrillers have an overwhelming amount of violence against women?  I'm not going to give up reading some of these books, but I am always relieved when I find an excellent mystery that doesn't have graphic violence or women who are abused/controlled/sexually assaulted/tortured/dismembered as major elements of the story.  

Of course, it does depend, to some degree, on how it is handled. Some authors use the violence as sexual titillation, others avoid that aspect.  Is that why we also love kick-ass women protagonists who can turn the tables?

I found this article encouraging:  The Staunch book prize has been founded to honour books where ‘no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered’

It is an interesting article with comments from Andrew Taylor and Val McDermid about it being easier said than done.  If you read the article tell me what you think.  

Maybe it has been on my mind more lately because of the abuses that have been making the news lately, but ...

Does it seem like the number of books with this focus has increased in recent years?  
How does violence against women in film and novels make you feel?  
Can you think of recent crime/mystery/ suspense novels that you really liked that don't have this as a major plot element?