Mystery Authors You May Have Missed
Robert Barnard
Biography
Robert Barnard was born in Essex, England in 1936. His father was a writer of weekly magazines’ women’s romances. Barnard attended Oxford and studied history before changing his focus to English. He worked for five years as a lecturer in English in Australia, where he also met his wife. The couple headed next to Norway where Barnard remained for many years as a professor of English. Finally, in 1983, he gave up his dual existence as academic and mystery writer and devoted himself full-time to writing. He and his wife Louise, a librarian, now live in Leeds, England.
What he writes: A prolific writer, Barnard has produced a number of standalone mysteries, most set in England, as well as two series. One series features Charlie Peace, a black police detective whose beat is a small English parish. Satirical, often humorous, Barnard’s characters exhibit the best and worst of human nature. Barnard cites Charles Dickens as a major influence.
Awards
Edgar Award nominations for best novel, 1981, for Death of a Literary Widow, for best critical study, 1981, for A Talent to Deceive: An Appreciation of Agatha Christie, and five others, all from Mystery Writers of America; Cartier Diamond Dagger Award, Crime Writers Association lifetime achievement award, 2003; Crime Writers Association Short Story Award, 2006, for "Sins of Scarlet."
| What the critics say |
| "[His] books are maliciously funny, closely plotted, acutely observed, and genuinely puzzling." - The New Republic |
| "One of the deftest stylists in the field (and out)." - The New York Times Book Review |
| He "has never allowed murder — however well-planned and executed — to interfere with his fun as a playfully irreverent observer of the human scene." - Washington Post Book World |
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