Kinn Hamilton McIntosh (born 20 June 1930), known professionally as Catherine Aird, is an English

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

. She is the author of more than twenty

crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

s and several

collections Collection or Collections may refer to: * Cash collection, the function of an accounts receivable department * Collection (church), money donated by the congregation during a church service * Collection agency, agency to collect cash * Collection ...

of short stories. Her witty, literate, and deftly plotted novels straddle the "cozy" and "police procedural" genres and are somewhat similar in flavour to those of

Martha Grimes Martha Grimes (born May 2, 1931) is an American writer of detective fiction. She is best known for a series featuring Richard Jury, a Scotland Yard inspector, and Melrose Plant, an aristocrat turned amateur sleuth. Biography Grimes was born in ...

Caroline Graham Caroline Graham (born 17 July 1931) is an English playwright, screenwriter and novelist. Early life and education Graham was born in Nuneaton, Warwickshire to a working-class family, and attended Nuneaton High School for Girls where her Englis ...

, M C Beaton,

Margaret Yorke Margaret Beda Nicholson (née Larminie; 30 January 1924 – 17 November 2012), known professionally as Margaret Yorke, was an English crime fiction writer. Life and work Margaret Larminie was born in Compton, Surrey, near Godalming, on 3 ...

, and Pauline Bell. She is a recipient of the 2015

Cartier Diamond Dagger The Diamond Dagger is an award given by the Crime Writers' Association of the United Kingdom to authors who have made an outstanding lifetime's contribution to the genre. Winners * 1986 – Eric Ambler * 1987 – P. D. James * 1988 – John le Car ...

award.

Biography

Aird was born in

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

in England. She attended the Waverley School and Greenhead High School, both in Huddersfield. She has lived since the war in a village in East Kent, where for many years she took an active interest in local affairs as well as acting as a dispenser. As a young adult, she was bedridden due to a serious illness.Rue Morgue Press: Aird
2008 ] Upon recovery, she worked as practice manager and dispenser for her father's medical practice in Sturry, near Canterbury, Kent.Rosemary Herbert, ''Who's Who in Crime and Mystery Writing,'' Oxford University Press Her first novel, ''The Religious Body,'' was published in 1966. Aird served as Chair of the

Crime Writers' Association The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors’ organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its Dagger awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. T ...

from 1990 through 1991. She has been awarded the CWA Golden Handcuffs award for lifetime achievement and the

Diamond Dagger The Diamond Dagger is an award given by the Crime Writers' Association of the United Kingdom to authors who have made an outstanding lifetime's contribution to the genre. Winners * 1986 – Eric Ambler * 1987 – P. D. James * 1988 – John le Car ...

for an outstanding lifetime's contribution to the genre, in 2015. In 1988, she was made a Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

for services to the Girl Guides Association. She has been awarded an honorary MA from the

University of Kent , motto_lang = , mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...

. She lives in the village of Sturry, Kent and is active in village life. Aird is best known for her successful ''Chronicles of Calleshire'', a series of crime novels set in the fictional County of Calleshire, England, and featuring Detective Inspector C.D. Sloan of the Berebury

CID CID may refer to: Film * ''C.I.D.'' (1955 film), an Indian Malayalam film * ''C.I.D.'' (1956 film), an Indian Hindi film * ''C. I. D.'' (1965 film), an Indian Telugu film * ''C.I.D.'' (1990 film), an Indian Hindi film Television * ''CID'' ( ...

, and his assistant, Detective Constable Crosby. She has also written and edited a series of village histories, and is an

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

and contributing author on works regarding other writers and the art of writing.

Bibliography

Novels

* ''The Religious Body'' (1966) * ''A Most Contagious Game'' (1967) * ''Henrietta Who'' (1968) * ''The Complete Steel'' (1969) he Stately Home Murder* ''A Late Phoenix'' (1970) * ''His Burial Too'' (1973) * ''Slight Mourning'' (1975) * ''Parting Breath'' (1977) * ''Some Die Eloquent'' (1979) * ''Passing Strange'' (1980) * ''Last Respects'' (1982) * ''Harm's Way'' (1984) * ''A Dead Liberty'' (1986) * ''The Body Politic'' (1990) * ''A Going Concern'' (1993) * ''After Effects'' (1996) * ''Stiff News'' (1998) * ''Little Knell'' (2001) * ''Amendment of Life'' (2002) * ''A Hole in One'' (2005) * ''Losing Ground'' (2007) * ''Past Tense'' (2010) * ''Dead Heading'' (2014) * ''Learning Curve'' (2016) * ''Inheritance Tracks'' (2019)

Collections

* ''The Catherine Aird Collection'' (1993) * ''The Second Catherine Aird Collection'' (1994) * ''The Third Catherine Aird Collection'' (1997) * ''Injury Time'' (short stories, 1994) * ''Chapter and Hearse'' (short stories, 2003) * ''Last Writes'' (short stories, 2014)

Short stories

* "Grave Import" (1996) * "Like To Die" (1997) * "Handsel Monday" in ''

Past Poisons ''Past Poisons: An Ellis Peters Memorial Anthology of Historical Crime'' is a 1998 British anthology of historical mystery short stories and novellas, edited by Maxim Jakubowski. The collection is named for novelist Ellis Peters, whose '' Cadfael ...

'' (1998) * "The Man Who Rowed for the Shore" (1998) * "Gold Frankincense and Murder" (2000) * "Cold Comfort" (2001)

Non-fiction

* ''The Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing'' (1999) * ''Mystery Voices: Interviews with British Crime Writers'' (1991)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aird, Catherine English crime fiction writers Living people People from Huddersfield Members of the Order of the British Empire English women novelists 20th-century English novelists 21st-century English novelists 20th-century English women writers 21st-century English women writers Women mystery writers Pseudonymous women writers Writers from Yorkshire 1930 births People from Sturry 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers Cartier Diamond Dagger winners Members of the Detection Club