Lynda Suzanne Robinson (born July 6, 1951) is an American writer of romance fiction under the name Suzanne Robinson and
mystery
Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
*Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange''
*Mystery, a seahorse that SpongeBob SquarePants adopts in the episode " My Pre ...
novels under the name Lynda S. Robinson. She is best known for her Lord Meren series of historical mysteries set in
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 ...
during the reign 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 ...
.
Biography
Lynda Suzanne Heavener was born in
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County, Texas, Randall County ...
to George H. Measley Heavener and Lois Ann Womack Heavener."Lynda S. Robinson" by Rosemary M. Canfield Reisman, ''Guide to Literary Masters & Their Works'', Salem Press, January 2007. She received an associate degree from
San Jacinto College
San Jacinto College () is a public community college in the Greater Houston area, with its campuses in Pasadena and Houston, Texas. Established in 1961, San Jacinto College originally consisted of the independent school districts (ISD) of Chan ...
in 1971 and her undergraduate degree in 1973 from
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres.
Rice University comp ...
. The same year she married Wessley I. Robinson, who worked as a school administrator.
In 1984 Robinson earned a
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
in
anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...
from the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...
with a specialization in archaeology. While working on her dissertation, Robinson realized she didn't want to work in
academia
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
. Her husband suggested she try writing fiction, which she did.
Robinson lives in Texas in the south central hill country with her husband.
Writing career
Robinson publishes her fiction under different variations of her name. As Suzanne Robinson, she has written twelve historical romances of various settings and time periods ranging from ancient Egypt to the Elizabethan and Victorian periods. Robinson's first published novel, "Heart of the Falcon", was a historical romance set in ancient Egypt with a heavy dose of suspense and mystery.
As Lynda S. Robinson, she is the author of critically acclaimed Lord Meren series of mysteries set in ancient Egypt. Lord Meren is King Tutankhamen's chief investigator and trusted advisor. The books focus on political intrigue such as plots against the pharaoh and also feature Queen Nefertiti. The first book in the series, ''Murder in the Place of Anubis'', was published in 1994 and received a starred review from
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 ...
along with praise from ''
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...
'' and other media outlets.
Critical reception
According to the ''Guide to Literary Masters & Their Works'', Robinson's novels are known for "painstaking historical research, insight into human relationships, an understanding of political intrigue, and a gift for inventing suspenseful plots."
Writing in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'',
Marilyn Stasio
Marilyn Stasio is a New York City author, writer and literary critic. She has been the "Crime Columnist" for ''The New York Times Book Review'' since about 1988,Crime by Marilyn Stasio, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', February 19, 1995, Section 7, Page 25.
Bibliography
As Suzanne Robinson
''Sorted by publication''
Single novels
*''Heart of the Falcon'' 1990/May
*''Lady Gallant'' 1992/Fev
*''Lady Hellefire'' 1992/Jun
*''Lady Defiant'' 1993/Jan
*''Lady Dangerous'' 1994/Mar
*''Lord of the Dragon'' 1995/Sep
*''The Engagement'' 1996/Jun
*''The Rescue'' 1998/Fev
*''The Treasure'' 1999/Apr
*''Just Before Midnight'' 2000/Fev
*''The Legend'' 2001/Mar
*''Never Trust a Lady'' 2003/Aug
St. John Family Series
#''Lady Valiant'' 1993/Jun
#''Lord of Enchantment'' 1995/Jan
Anthologies in collaboration
*"''The unwanted bride''" in ''WHEN YOU WISH'' 1997/Nov (with
Jane Feather
Jane Feather (born Jane Robotham 1945 in Cairo, Egypt) is a popular British–American writer of historical romance novels. In 1984 she wrote five contemporary romances under the pseudonym Claudia Bishop. She is a ''The New York Times''-bestselli ...
Patricia Potter
Patricia Caroline Potter (born 3 March 1975) is an English actress, known for her role as Diane Lloyd in the BBC medical drama series ''Holby City''. From 2016 to 2017, she appeared in the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'' as Jane Fairweather.
Per ...
)
As Lynda S. Robinson
The Lord Meren series
Novels
#''Murder in the Place of Anubis'' (1994, ; 2021)
#''Murder at the God's Gate'' (1995, ; 2021)
#''Murder at the Feast of Rejoicing'' (1996, ; 2021)
#''Eater of Souls'' (1997, ; 2021)
#''Drinker of Blood'' (1998, ; 2021)
#''Slayer of Gods'' (2001, ; 2021)
Short Stories
#''Heretic's Dagger'' (2002, in ''Mammoth Book of Egyptian Whodunnits'', ; 2024)
See also
*
P. C. Doherty
Paul Charles Dominic Doherty (born 21 September 1946) is an English author, educator, lecturer and historian. He is also the Headmaster of Trinity Catholic High School in London, England. Doherty is a prolific writer, has produced dozens of his ...