Barbara Louise Mertz (September 29, 1927 – August 8, 2013) was an American author who wrote under her own name as well as under the pseudonyms Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Michaels. In 1952, she received a PhD in

Egyptology Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Ancient Greek, Greek , ''wiktionary:-logia, -logia''; ) is the scientific study of ancient Egypt. The topics studied include ancient Egyptian History of Egypt, history, Egyptian language, language, Ancient Egypt ...

from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. She was best known for her mystery and suspense novels, including the ''Amelia Peabody'' book series. In the 1960s, Mertz authored two books on

ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

: ''Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs'', a

popular history Popular history, also called pop history, is a broad genre of historiography that takes a popular approach, aims at a wide readership, and usually emphasizes narrative, personality and vivid detail over scholarly analysis. The term is used in con ...

of ancient Egypt; and ''Red Land, Black Land'', which explores daily life in ancient Egypt. Both have remained in print ever since, and revised editions were released in 2007 and 2008, respectively.

Biography

Barbara Mertz was born on September 29, 1927, in

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative divisions * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and entertainment * Canton (band), an It ...

, Illinois. She graduated from the University of Chicago with a bachelor's degree in 1947, a master's degree in 1950, and a PhD in

in 1952, having studied with John A. Wilson. She authored two books on ancient

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, ''Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs'' (1964; rev. ed. 2007) and ''Red Land, Black Land'' (1966; rev. ed. 2008) (both of which have been continuously in print since first publication), but primarily wrote mystery and suspense novels. She became a published writer in 1964. She was married to Richard Mertz for 19 years (1950–1969); the marriage ended in divorce. They had two children, Peter and

Elizabeth Mertz Elizabeth Mertz is a linguistic and legal anthropologist who is also a law professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School, where she teaches family law courses. She has been on the research faculty of the American Bar Foundation since 1989. ...

. Under the name Barbara Michaels, she wrote primarily

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...

and supernatural

thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

s. Her publisher chose that pseudonym since Mertz had already published one non-fiction book on ancient Egypt, and the publisher did not want Mertz's novels to be confused with her academic work. Under the pseudonym Elizabeth Peters, Mertz published mysteries, including her

Amelia Peabody Amelia Peabody Emerson is the protagonist of the Amelia Peabody series, a series of historical mystery novels written by author Elizabeth Peters (a pseudonym of Egyptologist Barbara Mertz, 1927–2013). Peabody is married to Egyptologist Radcli ...

historical mystery The historical mystery or historical whodunit is a subgenre of two literary genres, historical fiction and mystery fiction. These works are set in a time period considered historical from the author's perspective, and the central plot involves th ...

series, using a ''nom de plume'' drawn from the names of her two children. She was member of the Editorial Advisory Board of '' KMT'', ("A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt"),

Egypt Exploration Society The Egypt Exploration Society (EES) is a British non-profit organization founded in 1882 for the purpose of financing and facilitating the exploration of significant archeological sites in Egypt and Sudan, founded by writer Amelia Edwards and coin ...

, and the

James Henry Breasted James Henry Breasted (; August 27, 1865 – December 2, 1935) was an American archaeologist, Egyptologist, and historian. After completing his PhD at the University of Berlin in 1894 – the first American to obtain a doctorate in Egyptology – ...

Circle of the

University of Chicago Oriental Institute The Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, West Asia & North Africa (ISAC), formerly known as the Oriental Institute, is the University of Chicago's interdisciplinary research center for ancient Near Eastern studies and archaeology museum. ...

. Mertz was also a feminist, a topic that frequently arose in her fiction, and in her professional life. Mertz founded "Malice Domestic", a Washington-based organization for women mystery writers, "because she thought men were getting all the prizes." She also started a scholarship for women writers at

Hood College Hood College is a private college in Frederick, Maryland. In fall 2018, Hood enrolled 2,052 students (1,092 undergraduate students; 960 graduate students). Thirty-eight percent of students are either members of under-represented racial or ethni ...

.Karen Gardner
"Author Barbara Mertz Gives Her Fans a Parting Gift"
''The Frederick News-Post'', July 22, 2017. Mertz died at her home in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

on August 8, 2013. Her papers are held at the

Lilly Library The Lilly Library, located on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, is an important rare book and manuscript library in the United States. At its dedication on October 3, 1960, the library contained a collection of 20,000 bo ...

, at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

Awards

Mertz received a number of award wins and nominations from the mystery community. Her first recognition came when ''Trojan Gold'' was nominated for the

1988 Anthony Award Bouchercon is an annual convention of creators and devotees of mystery and detective fiction. It is named in honour of writer, reviewer, and editor Anthony Boucher; also the inspiration for the Anthony Awards, which have been issued at the conv ...

in the "Best Novel" category; the following year, ''Naked Once More'' won the 1989

Agatha Award The Agatha Awards, named for Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short ...

in the same category. Following this Mertz earned a series of Agatha Award "Best Novel" nominations, including ''

The Last Camel Died at Noon ''The Last Camel Died at Noon'' is the sixth in a series of historical mystery novels, written by Elizabeth Peters and featuring fictional sleuth and archaeologist Amelia Peabody. It was first published in 1991. This story in the historical my ...

'' in 1991; ''

The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog ''The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog'' is the seventh in a series of historical mystery novels, written by Elizabeth Peters and featuring fictional archaeologist and sleuth Amelia Peabody. It was first published in 1992. The story is set in t ...

'' in 1992; ''Night Train to Memphis'' in 1994; ''

Seeing a Large Cat ''Seeing a Large Cat'' is the ninth novel in the Amelia Peabody historical mystery series by Elizabeth Peters, first published in 1997. The story takes place in Egypt during the archaeological dig season of 1903–1904. Plot summary The story ...

'' in 1997; ''

The Ape Who Guards the Balance ''The Ape Who Guards the Balance'' is the tenth in a series of historical mystery novels, written by Elizabeth Peters, first published in 1998, and featuring fictional sleuth and archaeologist Amelia Peabody. The story is set in the 1906–1907 d ...

'' in 1998; and ''

He Shall Thunder in the Sky ''He Shall Thunder in the Sky'' (also published as ''Thunder in the Sky'') is the 12th in a series of historical mystery novels by Elizabeth Peters, first published in 2000, and featuring fictional archaeologist and sleuth Amelia Peabody. The s ...

'' in 2000 which also received an

Anthony Award The Anthony Awards are literary awards for mystery writers presented at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention since 1986. The awards are named for Anthony Boucher (1911–1968), one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America. Categori ...

"Best Novel" nomination in

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

. Mertz received a final Agatha Award nomination for "Best Novel" in 2002 for '' The Golden One'' and won the "Best Non-fiction Work" the following year for '' Amelia Peabody's Egypt: A Compendium'', which also received an

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America which is based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards hon ...

nomination in 2004 in the "Best Critical / Biographical Work" category. Mertz was also the recipient of a number of grandmaster and lifetime achievement awards, including being named Grandmaster at the Anthony Awards in 1986 and Grandmaster by the Mystery Writers of America in 1998; in 2003, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Malice Domestic Convention. In 2012 she was honored with the first Amelia Peabody Award at the Malice Domestic Convention; the award was named after the leading character in her long-running series.

Bibliography

Fiction written as Elizabeth Peters

Amelia Peabody

This series contains 20 books; the most recent and last, ''The Painted Queen'', was published in July 2017 after being completed by Joan Hess. The

heroine A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

and her husband Radcliffe Emerson are Egyptologists, while their only biological son Walter (always known as Ramses) is a specialist in ancient Near Eastern languages. In addition to Ramses, the family includes two other members whom Amelia regards as her children: Nefret Forth (3 years older than Ramses) and Sennia (ca. 25 years younger). The stories all relate to the "Golden Age" of

and nearly all are set in

, with the excavations providing the backdrop for the mystery/adventure plots. The timeline begins in the 1880s with Amelia's decision to see the world as an unexpectedly wealthy feminist spinster, and ends with the discovery of

Tutankhamun Tutankhamun or Tutankhamen, (; ), was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during the late Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt. Born Tutankhaten, he instituted the restoration of the traditional polytheistic form of an ...

's tomb in late 1922. (Peters had planned additional books in the series to "fill in the blanks" in the chronology, as she did with ''River'': set in 1910, though it was written after other books that are set later.) # Covers the 1884–85 Season. # Covers the 1892–93 season. # Covers the 1894–95 season. # Covers the 1895–96 season. # Covers Summer 1896. # Covers the 1897–98 season. # Covers the 1898–99 season. # Covers the 1899–1900 season. # Covers the 1903–04 season. # Covers the 1906–07 season. # Covers the 1911–12 season. # Covers the 1914–15 season. # Covers the 1915–16 season. # Covers the 1916–17 season. # Covers the 1919–20 season. # Covers the 1907–08 season. # Covers the 1922 season # Covers the 1922–23 season. # Covers the 1909–1910 season in Palestine. # Covers the 1912–1913 season; manuscript completed by

Joan Hess Joan Hess (January 6, 1949 – November 23, 2017) was an American mystery fiction, mystery writer, a member of Sisters in Crime, and a former president of the American Crime Writers League. She wrote two popular mystery series: ''The Claire Malloy ...

following Mertz' death Additionally: '' Amelia Peabody's Egypt: A Compendium'' – (with Kristen Whitbread) Published October 2003

Vicky Bliss

The Vicky Bliss novels follow the adventures of an American professor of art history, who keeps getting involved in international crime, and her love interest, a charming art thief known as Sir John Smythe. Another Peters novel, ''The Camelot Caper'' (1969) (also published as ''Her Cousin John''), while not technically a Vicky Bliss story, features Smythe. The novels can be enjoyed in any order, but the stories are highly sequential in nature and are probably better appreciated if read in order of publication. #''The Camelot Caper'' (1969) (alternate title: ''Her Cousin John'') #''Borrower of the Night'' (1973) #''Street of the Five Moons'' (1978) #''Silhouette in Scarlet'' (1983) #''Trojan Gold'' (1987) #''Night Train to Memphis'' (1994) #''The Laughter of Dead Kings'' (2008) This series and the Amelia Peabody series are slightly related: a fictional tomb discovered by Amelia Peabody and her husband plays an important role in ''Night Train to Memphis'', and in ''The Laughter of Dead Kings'' it is revealed that John Smythe is related to the Emersons.

Jacqueline Kirby

In this series, Jacqueline Kirby is a middle-aged librarian with a very large purse and a knack for solving mysteries. Initially an unwilling detective, and not the apparent protagonist, in the first book (''The Seventh Sinner''), Kirby's quirkiness and middle-aged romantic success generated a following and led to sequels. The series continued with ''The Murders of Richard III'' and ''Die For Love'', each of which featured Jacqueline Kirby plumbing a mystery arising out of a subculture ( Ricardians and romance novelists). In ''Die for Love'', Kirby began writing a romance novel, and in ''Naked Once More'', the fourth and final book of the series, has proven to be quite successful in that career. In ''Naked Once More'', Jacqueline is commissioned to write a sequel to a "famous" prehistoric romance novel, GoodReads website, ''Naked Once More''
/ref> whose author died under mysterious circumstances. In each of the books, Kirby solves a mystery, attracts one or more suitors, but remains alluringly aloof and independent. #''The Seventh Sinner'' (1972) #''The Murders of Richard III'' (1974) #''Die for Love'' (1984) #''Naked Once More'' (1989)

Other fiction

Source: *''The Jackal's Head'' (1968) *''The Dead Sea Cipher'' (1970) *''The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits'' (1971) *''Legend in Green Velvet'' (1976) *''

Devil-May-Care Devil May Care may refer to: Music * ''Devil May Care'', an album by Bob Dorough, 1956 * ''Devil May Care'' (album), by Teri Thornton, 1961 * ''Devil May Care'', an album by Claire Martin, 1993 * "The Devil May Care (Mom & Dad Don't)", a song b ...

'' (1977) *''Summer of the Dragon'' (1979) *''The Love Talker'' (1980) *'' The Copenhagen Connection'' (1982)

Fiction written as Barbara Michaels

Georgetown trilogy

#''Ammie Come Home'' (1968) – Adapted and made into the made-for TV movie, ''

The House That Would Not Die ''The House That Would Not Die'' is a 1970 American made-for-television supernatural horror film starring Barbara Stanwyck (in her television film debut), Richard Egan, Michael Anderson Jr. and Kitty Winn. It premiered as the '' ABC Movie of ...

'', starring

Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career, she was known for her strong, realistic screen p ...

and Richard Egan. #''Shattered Silk'' (1986) #''Stitches in Time'' (1995)

Someone in the House duology

#''Black Rainbow'' (1982) #''Someone in the House'' (1981)

Stand-alone novels

*''The Master of Blacktower'' (1966) *''Sons of the Wolf'' (1967) (alternate title: ''Mystery on the Moors'') *''Prince of Darkness'' (1969) *''The Dark on the Other Side'' (1970) *''The Crying Child'' (1971) – Adapted into a film of the same name starring Mariel Hemingway in 1996 *''Greygallows'' (1972) *''Witch'' (1973) *''House of Many Shadows'' (1974) *''The Sea King's Daughter'' (1975) *''Patriot's Dream'' (1976) *'' Wings of the Falcon'' (1977) *''Wait for What Will Come'' (1978) *''The Walker in Shadows'' (1979) *''The Wizard's Daughter'' (1980) *''Here I Stay'' (1983) *''The Grey Beginning'' (1984) *''Be Buried in the Rain'' (1985) *''Search the Shadows'' (1987) *''Smoke and Mirrors'' (1989) * "The Runaway" (ss) ''Sisters in Crime'', ed. Marilyn Wallace, (1989) *''Into the Darkness'' (1990) *''Vanish with the Rose'' (1992) *''Houses of Stone'' (1993) *''The Dancing Floor'' (1997) *''Other Worlds'' (1999)

Nonfiction books

*''Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs'' (1964; rev. ed. 2007) *''Red Land, Black Land'' (1966; rev. ed. 2008) *''Two Thousand Years in Rome'' (with Richard Mertz) (1968)

References

External links

Barbara Michaels
at Fantastic Fiction
Elizabeth Peters
at Fantastic Fiction
Amelia Peabody website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mertz, Barbara 1927 births 2013 deaths American Egyptologists American mystery writers Writers of historical mysteries

Elizabeth Peters Barbara Louise Mertz (September 29, 1927 – August 8, 2013) was an American author who wrote under her own name as well as under the pseudonyms Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Michaels. In 1952, she received a PhD in Egyptology from the Universi ...

Agatha Award winners Anthony Award winners Edgar Award winners University of Chicago alumni People from Canton, Illinois People from Frederick, Maryland American women mystery writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers American women historical novelists American historical novelists American women non-fiction writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers Pseudonymous women writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century American women