Annie Haynes was an English crime author, born in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, United Kingdom, in 1865. After her father abandoned the family, she moved with her mother, grandmother, and brother to Beaumont farmhouse. Later, after the death of her mother in 1905, Haynes relocated to London to pursue her literary career, finding a home with her friend Ada Heather-Bigg. Haynes was known for her deep interest in detective novels and criminal psychology, which led her to visit murder scenes and attend trials to gather firsthand information about killers and their victims.
Haynes made her debut as an author with the publication of her first novel, "The Bungalow Mystery," in 1923. She was particularly famous for her Inspector Stoddart Mysteries and Inspector Furnival Mysteries series. In addition to her novels, Haynes had several long stories serialized in newspapers, some of which were later published as books. Her last novel, "The Crystal Beads Murder," was published posthumously, and it is believed that Dorothy L. Sayers or Agatha Christie may have contributed to its completion. Unfortunately, Haynes suffered from crippling rheumatoid arthritis for about fifteen years before her death in 1929.