Elizabeth C. Bunce is an American author who writes mysteries,

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

, and ghost stories. Best known for her

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 ...

-winning Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery series and her novel ''A Curse Dark as Gold'', her books feature strong female characters, are often inspired by

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

, and targeted toward

young adult In medicine and the social sciences, a young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence, sometimes with some overlap. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages ...

and pre-teen readers while also appealing to adults. Her writing style has been referred to as

literary fiction Literary fiction, serious fiction, high literature, or artistic literature, and sometimes just literature, encompasses fiction books and writings that are more character-driven rather than plot-driven, that examine the human condition, or that are ...

, and her works have been called “mysteries in fantasy dress,” “spun with mystery and shot through with romance.” Her works are infused with the results of her research into history, science, culture, and etymology, often set in or inspired by historical places and times.

Career

Bunce's first novel ''A Curse Dark as Gold'' received the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

’s inaugural

William C. Morris Award The William C. Morris YA Debut Award is an annual award given to a work of young adult literature by a "first-time author writing for teens". It is administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American ...

, and was named a Smithsonian Notable Book. The first book in Bunce’s Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery series, ''Premeditated Myrtle,'' was awarded the 2021

by the

Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is a professional organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the E ...

, it was an honoree of the

Society of Midland Authors The Society of Midland Authors is an association of published authors from twelve American states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. According to its constit ...

, and it was an

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 ...

finalist and 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 ...

finalist. In 2022 Bunce again was named a finalist for the

, and

for the third book in her series, ''Cold-Blooded Myrtle,'' making Bunce one of only three authors with this distinction. In 2024 she became a three-time

finalist with the nomination of the fifth book in her series, ''Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity.'' With nominations for the fourth consecutive year for the series in 2024, she became a four-time

finalist and a four-time

finalist. ''In Myrtle Peril'' won the Silver Falchion Award at Killer Nashville 2023 (''Cold-Blooded Myrtle'' was a finalist for the award in 2022). Two of Bunce's novels have appeared on

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

's Kids’ Reading List, and four of Bunce's novels have been awarded Kansas Notable Book Awards. A full-time writer since earning her degree in English and anthropology from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

in 1996, Bunce has presented workshops on writing and storytelling techniques for both professional writers and kids, appeared as a panelist for her fans at

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...

, Planet Comicon,

Bouchercon Bouchercon, the Anthony Boucher Memorial World Mystery Convention, 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, and pronounced the w ...

Malice Domestic The Agatha Awards, named for Agatha Christie, are literary awards for mystery and crime writers who write in the traditional mystery subgenre: "books typified by the works of Agatha Christie . . . loosely defined as mysteries that contain no expli ...

, the

World Fantasy Convention The World Fantasy Convention is an annual science fiction convention, convention of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. The World Fantasy Awards are presented at the event. Other features include an art sh ...

, WisCon, and other pop culture conventions, and she was Guest of Honor at

Archon ''Archon'' (, plural: , ''árchontes'') is a Greek word that means "ruler", frequently used as the title of a specific public office. It is the masculine present participle of the verb stem , meaning "to be first, to rule", derived from the same ...

45. She has appeared as a panelist or presenter at numerous libraries and schools. Bunce has referred to herself as an avid “maker”—she is also a historical costumer, cosplayer, and needlewoman. She was the keynote speaker at Kansas City's inaugural event for the 36th annual World Doll Day. Bunce is a fan of

Gothic fiction Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror (primarily in the 20th century), is a literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name of the genre is derived from the Renaissance era use of the word "gothic", as a pejorative to mean me ...

, ghost stories, mystery tropes, pop culture references, ''

The Scarlet Pimpernel ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with her husband Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in Lo ...

,'' ''

Veronica Mars ''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen neo-noir Mystery fiction, mystery Drama (film and television), drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas (writer), Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional city, fictional town of Ne ...

'', and the works of

Daphne Du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Gerald du Maurier, Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her gra ...

, Sharon Shinn, and

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

. Bunce has said that in her youth she was a voracious reader and a fan of the

Trixie Belden Trixie Belden is the title character in a series of "detective" mysteries written between 1948 and 1986. The first six books were written by Julie Campbell Tatham, who also wrote the Ginny Gordon series; the stories were then continued by vari ...

mystery novels.

Reception

Bunce has received favorable industry and literary reviews for her writing. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' referred to her Myrtle Hardcastle mystery series as “the best thing to happen to youth mysteries since

.” ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' said “Younger Holmes fans (and older ones too) should be charmed by Elizabeth C. Bunce's ''Cold-Blooded Myrtle''.” ''

The Buffalo News ''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. On January 29, 2020, th ...

'' called ''Premeditated Myrtle'' a “hugely entertaining, well-crafted Victorian whodunnit.” ''

The Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and a ...

'' called ''Premeditated Myrtle'' "loaded with energy that propels the reader forward in the tradition of all the most addictive of children’s books mysteries.” Peter S. Beagle, author of '' The Last Unicorn,'' said "Elizabeth Bunce is the real thing, no question about it. ''A Curse Dark as Gold'' beats the hell out of any fantasy novel I’ve read this year. Her heroine/narrator is immensely appealing; the atmosphere of a world on the cusp of the Industrial Revolution is completely believable; and the suspense of the story builds so craftily that I started taking notes on just how she does it. Speaking as a writer, Elizabeth Bunce is definitely worth stealing from; speaking as a reader… all right, all right, already, I couldn’t put it down. She’s that good.” ''

Smithsonian Magazine ''Smithsonian'' is a magazine covering science, history, art, popular culture and innovation. The first issue was published in 1970. History The history of ''Smithsonian'' began when Edward K. Thompson, the retired editor of ''Life'' magazine ...

'' called Bunce's ''A Curse Dark as Gold,'' “a spellbinding novel of romance and buried secrets.”

Works

Bunce is known for two series, both ongoing. The first is a

high fantasy High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot. Brian Stableford, ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'', (p. 198), Scarecrow Pres ...

for young adults featuring a thief named Digger called the Thief Errant series, including the novels ''StarCrossed'' (named a

Chicago Public Library The Chicago Public Library (CPL) is the public library system that serves the Chicago, City of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. It consists of 81 locations, including a central library, three regional libraries, and branches distributed thr ...

Best of the Best Book for 2010) and ''Liar's Moon''. The series has been called a “political fantasy” and compared to the novels of George R.R. Martin. Her Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery series features a 12-year-old aspiring detective named Myrtle Hardcastle, who solves crimes with her governess Ada Judson and a cat named Peony, set in 1890s Victorian England. Bunce's young sleuth has been compared to

, Enola Holmes, Flavia de Luce, and Harriet the Spy. The series is being published internationally in German via Knesebeck Verlag, in Russian via Five Quarters Publishing, in Chinese via Zhejiang Literature & Art Publishing House, and in Czech via Albatros Media A.S., and distributed in Australia via Hardie Grant Publishing and Canada via Thomas Allen & Son, Ltd.

Standalone Novels

* ''A Curse Dark as Gold'' (2008), Arthur A. Levine Books/ Scholastic

Thief Errant series

* ''StarCrossed'' (2010), Arthur A. Levine Books/ Scholastic * ''Liar’s Moon'' (2011), Arthur A. Levine Books/ Scholastic

Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery series

* ''Premeditated Myrtle'' (2020), Algonquin Young Readers/ Workman Publishing * ''How to Get Away with Myrtle'' (2020), Algonquin Young Readers/ Workman Publishing * ''Cold-Blooded Myrtle'' (2021), Algonquin Young Readers/ Workman Publishing * ''In Myrtle Peril'' (2022), Algonquin Young Readers/ Workman Publishing/

Hachette Book Group Hachette Book Group, Inc. (HBG) is a publishing company owned by Hachette Livre, the largest publishing company in France, and the third largest trade and educational publisher in the world. Hachette Livre is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lagard� ...

* ''Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity'' (2023), Algonquin Young Readers/ Workman Publishing/

References

External links

Official website

Elizabeth C. Bunce
at Algonquin Young Readers Publisher Page {{DEFAULTSORT:Bunce, Elizabeth C. Living people American children's writers American fantasy writers American women novelists American women science fiction and fantasy writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers American women children's writers American women writers of young adult literature American writers of young adult literature Novelists from Iowa Novelists from Kansas Year of birth missing (living people) William C. Morris Award winners