Mary Diana Norman ( Narracott;

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

, Ariana Franklin; 25 August 1933 – 27 January 2011) was a British author and journalist. She is best known for her historical

crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...

Life and work

Norman was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. She was moved to

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

by her family to escape

the Blitz The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...

. Her father was a journalist, and she followed this profession until moving to the countryside to "bring up two daughters, study

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

history, and write". She also published historical mystery novels under the pen name "Ariana Franklin", featuring the fictional medieval pathologist Adelia Aguilar. Diana Norman was married to the film critic

Barry Norman Barry Leslie Norman (21 August 1933 – 30 June 2017) was a British film critic, television presenter and journalist. He presented the BBC's cinema review programme, '' Film...'', from 1972 to 1998. Early life Born at St Thomas' Hospital, Lo ...

and they had two daughters, Samantha and Emma. She died on 27 January 2011, aged 77."Barry Norman's novelist wife dies aged 77"
BBC News, 29 January 2011 Her life and marriage are the subject of memoirs published by Barry Norman in 2013 (''See You in the Morning'').

Novels

Writing as Diana Norman

* ''Fitzempress' Law'' (1980), set in the reign of

Henry II of England Henry II () was King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with the ...

* ''King of the Last Days'' (1981) * ''The Morning Gift'' (1985) * ''Daughter of Lîr'' (1988) * ''Pirate Queen'' (1991), based on the life of the 16th-century Irish pirate

Grace O'Malley Gráinne O'Malley (, ; – ), also known as Grace O'Malley, was the head of the Ó Máille dynasty in the west of Ireland, and the daughter of Eóghan Dubhdara Ó Máille. Upon her father's death, she took over active leadership of the lords ...

* ''The Vizard Mask'' (1994), set in Restoration London * ''Shores of Darkness'' (1996) * ''Blood Royal'' (1998) * ''A Catch of Consequence'' (2002), Book 1 of the Makepeace Hedley series, set in the late-18th century against the backgrounds of the French revolution and the American war of independence * ''Taking Liberties'' (2003), Book 2 of the Makepeace Hedley series * ''The Sparks Fly Upward'' (2006), Book 3 of the Makepeace Hedley series

Writing as Ariana Franklin

* ''City of Shadows'' (2006), centred on the plot to pass off a psychiatric patient,

Anna Anderson Anna Anderson (born Franziska Schanzkowska; 16 December 1896 – 12 February 1984) was an impostor who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia. Anastasia, the youngest daughter of the last Tsar and Tsarina of Russia, Nicholas II ...

, as the Russian princess

Anastasia Romanov Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (; – 17 July 1918) was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, the last sovereign of Imperial Russia, and his wife, Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna. Anastasia was the younger sister of Grand Duc ...

* ''Mistress of the Art of Death'' (2007), first book of the historical crime series featuring 12th-century medical examiner Adelia Aguilar; winner of the

Ellis Peters Historical Dagger The CWA Historical Dagger (currently called the CWA Endeavor Historical Dagger) is an annual award given by the British Crime Writers' Association to the author of the best historical crime novel of the year. Established in 1999, it is presented to ...

award from the British

Crime Writers' Association The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors' organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its "Dagger" awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. ...

* ''The Death Maze'' (UK), published as ''The Serpent's Tale'' in the US (2008), a second Adelia Aguilar mystery * ''Relics of the Dead'' (UK), published as ''Grave Goods'' in the US (2009), a third Adelia Aguilar mystery * ''The Assassin's Prayer'' (UK), published as ''A Murderous Procession'' in the US (2010) the fourth Adelia Aguilar mystery; winner of the British Crime Writers' Association's

Dagger in the Library The Dagger in the Library (Golden Handcuffs in 1992–1994) is an annual award given by the British Crime Writers' Association to a particular "living author who has given the most pleasure to readers". Yearly shortlists are drawn up of the ten auth ...

award * ''Winter Siege'' (2014/UK), published as ''The Siege Winter'' in the US (2015), a standalone set in 1141 during the conflict between King Stephen and the

Empress Matilda Empress Matilda (10 September 1167), also known as Empress Maud, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter and heir of Henry I, king of England and ruler of Normandy, she went to ...

. The writing was finished after her death by her daughter, Samantha Norman * ''Death and the Maiden'' (2020) is the final novel in the 'Mistress of the Art of Death' series. The unfinished manuscript was completed by Samantha Norman

Non-fiction

* ''The Stately Ghosts of England'' (1963, 1977) * ''Road from Singapore'' (1970, 1979) * ''Terrible Beauty: Life of Constance Markievicz, 1868–1927'' (1987)

References

External links

Transworld Publishers

Ariana Franklin at Random House Group

Diana Norman Biography at BookBrowse
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norman, Diana 1933 births 2011 deaths 20th-century British novelists 21st-century British novelists Writers of historical mysteries Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages British women mystery writers 20th-century British women writers 21st-century British women writers British women historical novelists 21st-century pseudonymous writers Pseudonymous women writers