Lindsey Davis

Lindsey Davis is a highly acclaimed English author, best known for her historical mystery novels. She was born in Birmingham, England in 1949 and attended Oxford University where she studied English literature. After graduation, she worked in civil service for 13 years before her writing career took off. Davis' romance novel was a runner-up for the 1985 Georgette Heyer Historical Novel Prize, which encouraged her to pursue her dream of becoming a writer.

Davis is most famous for her Marcus Didius Falco series and its spin-offs. Her interest in history and archaeology led her to write a historical novel about Vespasian and his lover Antonia Caenis, titled 'The Course of Honour'. However, she struggled to find a publisher for this novel. Undeterred, Davis wrote 'The Silver Pigs', the first novel in the Falco series, which was published in 1989 and marked the beginning of her successful career as a writer of historical whodunnits. The series, set in the same time period as 'The Course of Honour', features the Roman 'detective' Marcus Didius Falco and his partner Helena Justina, as well as their friends, relatives, pets, and bitter enemy the Chief Spy. Davis has since written a further nineteen Falco novels, as well as 'Falco: The Official Companion', a handbook for readers.

In addition to the Falco series, Davis has written a new series featuring Flavia Albia, which is growing in popularity. She has also written an epic novel set in the English Civil War and Commonwealth, titled 'Rebels and Traitors', and a short book in the Quickreads series, 'A Cruel Fate'. Davis' works have been translated into many languages, serialised on BBC Radio 4, and have won numerous literary awards. She has been the honorary president of the Classical Association, Chair of the Crimewriters' Association, and a Vice President of the Classical Association. Davis was born in Birmingham and continues to reside there. She has won the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger, the Dagger in the Library, and a Sherlock award for Falco as Best Comic Detective. In 2011, she was awarded the Premio Colosseo for enhancing the image of Rome, and in 2019, she received the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement as a mystery writer.