Mary Christianna Lewis (née Milne; 17 December 1907 – 11 March 1988), known professionally as Christianna Brand, was a British

crime writer True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people associated with and affected by criminal events. The crimes most commonly include murder; about 40 per ...

and

children's author Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

born in

British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ms, Tanah Melayu British) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. U ...

Biography

Christianna Brand was born Mary Christianna Milne (1907) in Malaya but spent most of her childhood in England and India. She had a number of different occupations, including model, dancer, shop assistant and governess. Brand also wrote under the pseudonyms Mary Ann Ashe, Annabel Jones, Mary Brand, Mary Roland, and China Thompson. Christianna Brand 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 1972 to 1973. She married Roland Lewis. Mary Lewis died on 11 March 1988, aged 80. Her estate was valued at £96 417. Her first novel, ''

Death in High Heels ''Death in High Heels'' is a 1947 British crime film directed by Lionel Tomlinson and starring Don Stannard, Elsa Tee and Veronica Rose. It was based on the 1941 novel of the same title by Christianna Brand. It was a very early Hammer Films ...

'', was written while Brand was working as a salesgirl, the idea stemming from her fantasies about doing away with an annoying co-worker. In

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...

, one of her best-loved characters, Inspector Cockrill of the Kent County Police, made his debut in the book '' Heads You Lose''. The character would go on to appear in seven of her novels. ''

Green for Danger ''Green for Danger'' is a popular 1944 detective novel by British writer Christianna Brand, praised for its clever plot, interesting characters, and wartime hospital setting. It was made into a 1946 film which is regarded by film historians ...

'' is Brand's most famous novel. The whodunit, set in a World War II hospital, was adapted for film by

Eagle-Lion Films Eagle-Lion Films was a British-American film production company owned by J. Arthur Rank intended to distribute British productions in the United States. In 1947, it acquired Robert R. Young's PRC Pictures, a small American production company, ...

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

, starring

Alastair Sim Alastair George Bell Sim, CBE (9 October 1900 – 19 August 1976) was a Scottish character actor who began his theatrical career at the age of thirty and quickly became established as a popular West End performer, remaining so until his ...

as the Inspector. She dropped the series in the late 1950s and concentrated on various other genres as well as short stories. She was nominated three times for Edgar Awards: for the short stories "Poison in the Cup" (

EQMM ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' is a bi-monthly American digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction, and mystery fiction. Launched in fall 1941 by Mercury Publications, Mercury Press, ''EQMM'' is ...

, Feb. 1969) and "Twist for Twist" (

, May 1967) and for a nonfiction work about a Scottish murder case, ''Heaven Knows Who'' (1960). She is the author of the children's series '' Nurse Matilda'', which

Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress. Regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation, she has received numerous accolades throughout her four-decade-long career, including two Academy Awards, two British A ...

adapted to film as ''

Nanny McPhee ''Nanny McPhee'' is a 2005 comedy drama fantasy film based on the Nurse Matilda character by Christianna Brand. It was directed by Kirk Jones, coproduced by StudioCanal, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Working Title Films, Three Strange Angel ...

'' (

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

). Her Inspector Cockrill short stories and a previously unpublished Cockrill stage play were collected as ''The Spotted Cat and Other Mysteries from Inspector Cockrill's Casebook'', edited by Tony Medawar (2002). She was the cousin of the illustrator Edward Ardizzone.

Bibliography

Novels

As Christianna Brand

=Novels featuring Inspector Charlesworth

= * ''

'' (1941) * ''The Rose in Darkness'' (1979)

=Novels featuring Inspector Cockrill

= * '' Heads You Lose'' (1941) * ''

'' (1944) . Serialised in the United States as ''Danger List'' * '' Suddenly at His Residence'' (US title: ''The Crooked Wreath'') (1946) . Serialised in the United States as ''One of the Family'' * '' Death of Jezebel'' (1948) * ''

London Particular Pea soup fog (also known as a pea souper, black fog or killer fog) is a very thick and often yellowish, greenish or blackish fog caused by air pollution that contains soot Atmospheric particulate matter, particulates and the poisonous gas sulphu ...

'' (US title: ''Fog of Doubt'') (1952) * '' Tour de Force'' (1955) * ''The Spotted Cat and Other Mysteries from Inspector Cockrill's Casebook'' (

Crippen & Landru Crippen & Landru Publishers is a small publisher of mystery fiction collections, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1994 by husband and wife Sandi and Douglas G. Greene in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is named af ...

, 2002)

=Novels featuring Inspector Chucky

= * ''Cat and Mouse'' (1950)

=Non-series titles

= *''The Three Cornered Halo'' (1957) *''

Court of Foxes ''Court of Foxes'' is a 1969 historical adventure romance novel by the British writer Christianna Brand. During the late eighteenth century Marchesa Marigelda, a celebrated London society lady, operates a double life as a highwaymen A high ...

'' (1969) *''The Honey Harlot'' (1978) *''The Brides of Aberdar'' (1982)

=Collections

= * ''What Dread Hand?'' (1968): **The Hornets' Nest (Inspector Cockrill) **Aren't Our Police Wonderful? **The Merry-Go-Round **Blood Brothers (Cockrill) **Dear Mr Editor ... **The Rose **Akin to Love ... **Death of Don Juan **Double Cross **The Sins of the Fathers ... **After the Event **Death of a Ghost **The Kite **Hic Jacet ... **Murder Game * ''Brand X'' (1974) **The Niece from Scotland **A Miracle in Montepulciano (essay) **Such a Nice Man **I Will Repay **How the Unicorn Became Extinct (essay) **The Kite **Charm Farm **A Bit of Bovver **The Blackthorn **The Hilltop **How Green Is My Valley! (essay) **Bless This House **Spring 1941 (essay) **Murder Hath Charms **An Apple for the Teacher (essay) **Pigeon Pie **Madame Thinks Quick **The Scapegoat * ''Buffet for Unwelcome Guests'' (1983) **After the Event (Inspector Cockrill) **Blood Brothers (Cockrill) **The Hornet's Nest (Cockrill) **Poison in the Cup **Murder Game **The Scapegoat **No More a-Maying ... **The Niece from Scotland **Hic Jacet ... **The Merry-Go-Round **Upon Reflection **From the Balcony ... **Bless This House **Such a Nice Man **The Whispering **The Hand of God * ''The Spotted Cat and Other Mysteries from Inspector Cockrill's Casebook'' (2002): **Inspector Cockrill (essay) **After the Event (Cockrill) **Blood Brothers (Cockrill) **The Hornet's Nest (Cockrill) **Poison in the Cup (Cockrill) **The Telephone Call (Cockrill) **The Kissing Cousin (Cockrill) **The Rocking-Chair (Cockrill) **The Man on the Roof (Cockrill) **Alleybi (Cockrill) **The Spotted Cat (Cockrill)

=Books for children

= * ''Welcome to Danger'' (1949) juvenile mystery, also published as ''Danger Unlimited'' * '' Nurse Matilda'' (Leicester: Brockhampton Press, 1964), illustrated by Edward Ardizzone * '' Nurse Matilda Goes to Town'' (Leicester: Brockahmpton Press,1967), illustrated by Edward Ardizzone * '' Nurse Matilda Goes to Hospital'' (Leicester: Brockhampton Press, 1974), illustrated by Edward Ardizzone

As Mary Roland

* ''The Single Pilgrim'' (1946)

As China Thompson

* ''Starrbelow'' (1958)

As Annabel Jones

* ''The Radiant Dove'' (1975)

As Mary Ann Ashe

* ''Alas, for Her That Met Me!'' (1976) * ''A Ring of Roses'' (1977)

Unpublished novels

* ''Take off the Roof'' (Non-series) * ''Jape de Chine'' or ''The Chinese Puzzle'' (Cockrill)

Non-fiction books

* ''Heaven Knows Who'' (1960)

Uncollected short stories

As Mary Brand

* Dance Hostess.

The Star ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, 8 April 1939 * Gloria Walked down Bond Street.

The Tatler ''Tatler'' is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications focusing on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper-middle class and upper class, and those interes ...

, 1939

As Christianna Brand

*Shadowed Sunlight.

Woman A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

, 7 July to 11 August 1945 *Hibiscus Blooms Again. *Mother.

, 17 January 1959 (romantic story) *Grandad.

, 24 October 1959 (romantic story) *The Right Man for Tilly.

, 12 May 1960 (romantic story) *Someone to Love.

, 1 October 1960 (romantic story) *To Remember with Tears.

, 3 May 1962 (romantic story) *White Wedding.

, 19 May 1962 (romantic story) *Cloud Nine. Published in ''Verdict of Thirteen: A Detection Club Anthology'' (1979) *Over My Dead Body.

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' is a bi-monthly American digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction, and mystery fiction. Launched in fall 1941 by Mercury Press, ''EQMM'' is named after the fict ...

, August 1979 *A Piece of Cake.

, January 1983 *And She Smiled at Me.

, May 1983 *To the Widow. The Saint Magazine, June 1984 *Bank Holiday Murder.

, September/October 2017 *Cyanide in the Sun.

Daily Sketch The ''Daily Sketch'' was a British national tabloid newspaper, founded in Manchester in 1909 by Sir Edward Hulton. It was bought in 1920 by Lord Rothermere's Daily Mirror Newspapers, but in 1925 Rothermere sold it to William and Gomer Berry ...

, August 1958. An edited version was published in an anthology, ''The Realm of the Impossible'' (2018) *The Rum Punch. Published in ''Bodies from the Library'', ed. by Tony Medawar (2018)

Unpublished short stories

*The Dead Hold Fast (Inspector Charlesworth) *Inquest *The Little Nun *The Mermaid *Murder by Dog *The Murder Man *The Codicil

Uncollected short non-fiction

As Christianna Brand

*Ball or Skein.

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

, 16 February 1944 (Published anonymously) *The Detective Story Form. Press and Freelance Writer and Photographer, August 1950 *May I Introduce Myself?.

(Japanese edition), March 1983 *Famous Writers I've Known in the Long Ago Past.

(Japanese edition), July 1983

Anthologies edited by Christianna Brand

*''Naughty Children: An Anthology'' (London: Victor Gollancz, 1962), illustrated by Edward Ardizzone

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brand, Christianna 1907 births 1988 deaths British mystery writers Members of the Detection Club British children's writers 20th-century British novelists Women mystery writers 20th-century British women writers