Emma Lathen is the pen name of two American authors, Mary Jane Latsis and Martha Henissart. Both women were businesswomen in their professional lives, with Latsis working as an attorney and Henissart as an economist analyst. They met each other while studying as graduate students at Harvard.
Latsis was born on July 12, 1927 and passed away in 1997, while Henissart was born in 1929. Henissart received her Bachelor of Arts degree in physics from Mount Holyoke College in 1950. Under the pen name of Lathen, the two authors wrote a number of mystery books featuring John Putnam Thatcher, a banker on Wall Street, as the main character. They were known for their ability to write about complex financial issues in an entertaining and clear manner.
In addition to writing under the Emma Lathen pen name, the duo also wrote several books under the pen name R.B. Dominic. All of the stories under this pseudonym feature a Congressman named Benton Safford, who works as a sleuth in the novels. The pseudonym Emma Lathen is derived from the first letters of their first names (M' and Lat') and the first letters of their last names (Ma' and Hen').