Mary Diana Norman (née Narracott; 25 August 1933 – 27 January 2011) was a British author and journalist. She is best known for her historical crime fiction.

Life and work

Norman was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. She was moved to

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

by her family to escape

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

. Her father was a journalist, and she followed this profession until moving to the countryside to "bring up two daughters, study medieval history, and write". She also published historical mystery books under the pen name Ariana Franklin, featuring the fictional medieval pathologist Adelia Aguilar. Diana Norman was married to the film critic

Barry Norman Barry Leslie Norman (21 August 1933 – 30 June 2017) was a British film critic, television presenter and journalist. He presented the BBC's cinema review programme, '' Film...'', from 1972 to 1998. Early life Born at St Thomas’s Hospital ...

and they had two daughters, Samantha and Emma. She died on 27 January 2011, aged 77."Barry Norman's novelist wife dies aged 77"
BBC News, 29 January 2011 Her life and marriage are the subject of memoirs published by Barry Norman in 2013 (''See You in the Morning'').

Novels

Writing as Diana Norman

* ''Fitzempress' Law'' (1980), set in the reign of

Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...

* ''King of the Last Days'' (1981) * ''The Morning Gift'' (1985) * ''Daughter of Lîr'' (1988) * ''Pirate Queen'' (1991), based on the life of the 16th-century Irish pirate

Grace O'Malley Grace O'Malley ( – c. 1603), also known as Gráinne O'Malley ( ga, Gráinne Ní Mháille, ), was the head of the Ó Máille dynasty in the west of Ireland, and the daughter of Eóghan Dubhdara Ó Máille. In Irish folklore she is commonly k ...

* ''The Vizard Mask'' (1994), set in Restoration London * ''Shores of Darkness'' (1996) * ''Blood Royal'' (1998) * ''A Catch of Consequence'' (2002), Book 1 of the Makepeace Hedley series, set in the late-18th century against the backgrounds of the French revolution and the American war of independence * ''Taking Liberties'' (2003), Book 2 of the Makepeace Hedley series * ''The Sparks Fly Upward'' (2006), Book 3 of the Makepeace Hedley series

Writing as Ariana Franklin

* ''City of Shadows'' (2006), centred on the plot to pass off a psychiatric patient,

Anna Anderson Anna Anderson (born Franziska Schanzkowska, 16 December 1896 – 12 February 1984) was an impostor who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia. Anastasia, the youngest daughter of the last Tsar and Tsarina of Russia, Nicholas II an ...

, as the Russian princess

Anastasia Romanov Anastasia (from el, Ἀναστασία, translit=Anastasía) is a feminine given name of Greek origin, derived from the Greek word (), meaning " resurrection". It is a popular name in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia, where it was the mo ...

* ''Mistress of the Art of Death'' (2007), first book of the historical crime series featuring 12th-century medical examiner Adelia Aguilar; winner of the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger award from the British

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 ...

* ''The Death Maze'' (UK), published as ''The Serpent's Tale'' in the US (2008), a second Adelia Aguilar mystery * ''Relics of the Dead'' (UK), published as ''Grave Goods'' in the US (2009), a third Adelia Aguilar mystery * ''The Assassin's Prayer'' (UK), published as ''A Murderous Procession'' in the US (2010) the fourth Adelia Aguilar mystery; winner of the British Crime Writers' Association's

Dagger in the Library The Dagger in the Library (Golden Handcuffs in 1992–1994) is an annual award given by the British Crime Writers' Association to a particular "living author who has given the most pleasure to readers". Yearly shortlists are drawn up of the ten auth ...

award * ''Winter Siege'' (2014/UK), published as ''The Siege Winter'' in the US (2015), a standalone set in 1141 during the conflict between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda. The writing was finished after her death by her daughter, Samantha Norman * ''Death and the Maiden'' (2020) is the final novel in the 'Mistress of the Art of Death' series. The unfinished manuscript was completed by Samantha Norman

Non-fiction

* ''The Stately Ghosts of England'' (1963, 1977) * ''Road from Singapore'' (1970, 1979) * ''Terrible Beauty: Life of Constance Markievicz, 1868–1927'' (1987)

References

External links

Transworld Publishers

Ariana Franklin at Random House Group

Diana Norman Biography at BookBrowse
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norman, Diana 1933 births 2011 deaths 20th-century British novelists 21st-century British novelists Writers of historical mysteries Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages Women mystery writers 20th-century British women writers 21st-century British women writers Women historical novelists