Thanks! Hopefully I didn't just open a repetitive thread! That's an explanation, kind of forced, but I can buy it. She's a cool character and I'd like to see her again. Especially she's a female character who was not created to be anyone's love interest (I think it is you who mentioned it first, for the fact that we don't have many cross-gender friendships)!
Casty is clearly a feminist writer, in a good sense. Adding non-stereotypical female characters is a speciality of the man since 2003! One of his leitmotiv, so to speak.
I wish some of that feminism would rub off on Minnie. For all the great things Casty has done with Eurasia, Estrella, Uma, Sara Saturn etc., his portrayal of Minnie is very conservative and, IMO, doesn't really make her very appealing. At times she really seems shallow. Compare that to one of my favourite stories from the 80s, "The Robbery of the Crown Jewels" (which really should be printed in English at some point - hint hint), where Minnie is every bit as clever as Mickey and actually gives him invaluable help in solving the case.