Laurie R. King

Laurie R. King
Born	September 19, 1952 Oakland, California
Pen name	Leigh Richards
Occupation	Writer
Education	B.A., M.A.
Alma mater	University of California, Santa Cruz (1977) Graduate Theological Union (1984)
Period	1993 to Present
Genre	Detective fiction
Notable awards	Creasey Memorial (1995) Edgar (1994) Lambda (2007) Macavity (2002) Nero (1996)
Spouse	Noel Quinton King (1977-2009)
Children	2
Website
www.laurierking.com

Laurie R. King (born September 19, 1952) is an American author best known for her detective fiction.

Life and career

Laurie was born in Oakland, California, earned a degree in comparative religion from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1977 and a masters in theology from the Graduate Theological Union in 1984, where her thesis was on "Feminine Aspects of Yahweh". She later received an honorary doctorate from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific.

Among King's books are the Mary Russell series of historical mysteries, featuring Sherlock Holmes as her mentor and later partner, and a series featuring Kate Martinelli, a fictional lesbian police officer in San Francisco, California. Using the pseudonym "Leigh Richards", she has published a futuristic novel, Califia's Daughters (2004).

King's first book, A Grave Talent (1993), received the 1994 Edgar Award for Best First Novel^[1] and a 1995 John Creasey Memorial Award.^[2] This was followed by the 1996 Nero Award, for A Monstrous Regiment of Women,^[3] the 2002 Macavity Award for Best Novel, for Folly,^[4] and the 2007 Lambda Award for Best Lesbian Mystery, for The Art of Detection.^[5] She has also been nominated for an Agatha,^[6] two Anthonys,^[7] a Barry,^[8] two additional Edgars, another Macavity, an Orange Prize,^[9] and four RT Reviewers' Choice Awards.^[10]

She lives in Watsonville, California,^[11] in the hills above Monterey Bay, southeast of Santa Cruz, California. From 1977 until his death in early 2009, she was married to the historian Noel Quinton King. They are the parents of two children, Zoe and Nathan.

Works

Kate Martinelli mysteries

• A Grave Talent (1993) ISBN 0-312-08804-3
• To Play the Fool (1995) ISBN 0-312-11907-0
• With Child (1996) ISBN 0-312-14077-0
• Night Work (2000) ISBN 0-553-10713-5
• The Art of Detection (2006) ISBN 0-553-80453-7 (Lambda Literary Award 2006)

Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes mysteries

• The Beekeeper's Apprentice (1994) ISBN 0-312-10423-5
• A Monstrous Regiment of Women (1995) ISBN 0-312-13565-3
• A Letter of Mary (1997) ISBN 0-312-14670-1
• The Moor (1998) ISBN 0-312-16934-5
• O Jerusalem (1999) ISBN 0-553-11093-4
  (Although written fifth in sequence, the events in this book take place during the latter part of those described in The Beekeeper's Apprentice)
• Justice Hall (2002) ISBN 0-553-11113-2
• The Game (2004) ISBN 0-553-80194-5
• Locked Rooms (2005) ISBN 0-553-80197-X
• The Language of Bees (2009) ISBN 0-553-80454-5
• The God of the Hive (2010) ISBN 0-553-80554-1
• Beekeeping for Beginners (an ebook novella) (2011) ISBN 978-0-7490-4059-8
  (This short story describes the early events of The Beekeeper's Apprentice from the point of view of Sherlock Holmes. The novella is included with the publication of Garment of Shadows in ISBN 978-0-7490-1377-6)
• Pirate King (2011) ISBN 0-553-80798-6
• Garment of Shadows (2012) ISBN 978-0-7490-1377-6
• Dreaming Spies (2015) ISBN 978-0-3455-3179-7
  (Although written thirteenth in sequence, the events in this book take place between those described in The Game and Locked Rooms)

Harris Stuyvesant & Bennett Grey series

(Historical novels of suspense, featuring FBI agent Harris Stuyvesant and injured British soldier Bennett Grey)

• Touchstone (2007) ISBN 978-0-553-80355-6
• The Bones of Paris (2013) ISBN 978-0-7490-1587-9

Non-series books

• A Darker Place [UK title: The Birth of a New Moon] (1999) ISBN 978-0-553-57824-9
• Folly (2001) ISBN 978-0-553-38151-1
• Keeping Watch (2003) ISBN 978-0-553-38252-5
• Califia's Daughters (as Leigh Richards) (2004) - science fiction. ISBN 978-0-553-58667-1

Further reading

Emrys, A. B. "Under Cover of Wartime: Disguised Murder in Works by Rennie Airth, Laurie R. King, Martha Grimes, and Anthony Horowitz." CLUES: A Journal of Detection 25.4 (Summer 2007): 53-63.

References

1. "Edgar Awards". Mystery Writers of America. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
2. "John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger". Crime Writers Association. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
3. "Nero Awards". The Wolfe Pack. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
4. "Macavity Awards". Mystery Readers International. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
5. "Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
6. "Past Agatha Awards". Malice Domestic. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
7. "Nominees and Winners". Bouchercon World Mystery Convention. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
8. "Barry Awards". Deadly Pleasures Magazine. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
9. "Orange Prize Loglist". Women's Prize for Fiction. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
10. "RT Award Nominees and Winners". RT Book Reviews. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
11. page 133, Great Women Mystery Writers, 2nd Ed. by Elizabeth Blakesley Lindsay, 2007, publ. Greenwood Press, ISBN 0-313-33428-5

External links

• Official site
• Ex Libris Archives: Laurie R. King