Emery Bonett (2 December 1906 – 7 November 1995) was the pen name of Felicity Winifred Carter, an English writer and playwright. Her books were made into films. She wrote several mystery, suspense and detective novels in collaboration with her husband,

John Bonett John Bonett was the pen name of John Hubert Arthur Coulson (10 August 1906 – 21 January 1989), an English writer, best known for numerous mystery and detective novels written in collaboration with his wife, Emery Bonett. He was born in Lon ...

, published during the 1940s-60s.

Life

Felicity Winifred Carter was born in

Ecclesall Ecclesall Ward—which includes the Areas of Sheffield, neighbourhoods of Banner Cross, Bents Green, Carterknowle, Ecclesall, Greystones, Millhouses, and Ringinglow—is one of the 28 electoral wards in Sheffield, City of Sheffield, England. I ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

, to John Carter and Winifred (née Naylor). Her father worked in his Sheffield-based family firm of manufacturing chemists, Carter and Sons Ltd. She came from a literary family: her mother,

Winifred Carter :''not to be confused with Winifred S Carter, an American celebrity chef and cookery author also active from the 1920s–40s''. Winifred Carter (c. 1883–1949) was an English author and playwright, who was particularly active from the 1920s– ...

, was a prolific author, as was her uncle, John L. Carter, and her aunt, Edith Carter, penned several plays. Initial success came with '' A Girl Must Live'', which was first serialized in ''Leisure'' magazine and later published as a novel in 1936. It was also adapted as a 1939 film of the same name, starring

Margaret Lockwood Margaret Mary Day Lockwood, Order of the British Empire, CBE (15 September 1916 – 15 July 1990), was an English actress. One of Britain's most popular film stars of the 1930s and 1940s, her film appearances included ''The Lady Vanishes (1938 ...

. She married John Hubert Arthur Coulson (John Bonett), at Westminster Registry Office, London on 21 January 1939. They had one son, Nicholas (Nick) John Coulson, born 2 January 1947, at Queen Charlotte’s Hospital, Hammersmith, London. She lived in Spain with her husband during her later years. John planned the books and Emery did most of the actual writing: the partnership is described by the self-penned blurb in the Penguin edition of ''No Grave for a Lady'':

"John and Emery Bonett met at a Spanish language class. Instead of learning Spanish they became engaged. Emery had been a repertory actress, a scene-painter, a showgirl at the Prince of Wales, the back legs of a horse, and finally a writer. She was working as an ‘extra’ in a film studio when she heard that her first novel, ''A Girl Must Live'', had been accepted for publication. The next time she set foot in the same studio was to see the film version of the story being made.
John had been in various disreputable professions: banker, company secretary, Civil Servant, journalist, sales promotion executive. Emery found he had imagination and plot-sense as well as grammar and a distorted sense of humour, not to mention a magnificent grasp of facts – which always eluded Emery. So she brought him into the writing business... Jointly and separately they have written for radio and television, short stories, song lyrics, and film scripts."

Combined works of John and Emery Bonett

Novels (with first UK/US publishing date) Credited to Emery Bonett: *''A Girl Must Live'' 1936/— *''Never Go Dark'' 1940/— *''Make Do With Spring'' 1941/— *''High Pavement'' (US title: ''Old Mrs Camelot'') 1944/1944 Credited to John and Emery Bonett: *''Dead Lion'' 1949/1949 *''A Banner for Pegasus'' (US title: ''Not in the Script'') 1951/1951 *''No Grave for a Lady'' 1960/1959 *''Better Dead'' (US title: ''Better Off Dead'') 1964/1964 *''The Private Face of Murder'' 1966/1966 *''This Side Murder?'' (US title: ''Murder On the Costa Brava'') 1967/1967 *''The Sound of Murder'' 1970/1971 *''No Time to Kill'' 1972/1972 Credited to John Bonett: *''Perish the Thought'' 1984/—

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

plays (with first broadcast date) *''One Fine Day'' 27.10.44

Home Service Home Service is a British folk rock group, formed in late 1980 from a nucleus of musicians who had been playing in Ashley Hutchings' Albion Band. Their career is generally agreed to have peaked with the album ''Alright Jack'', and has had an ...

– included in ''Radio Theatre: Plays Specially Written for Broadcasting'', edited and introduced by

Val Gielgud Val Henry Gielgud (28 April 1900 – 30 November 1981) was an English actor, writer, director and broadcaster. He was a pioneer of radio drama for the BBC, and also directed the first ever drama to be produced in the newer medium of televisi ...

; published: MacDonald & Co, London, 1946 *''Mr Beverly Plays God'' 15.7.46 Home Service *''The Puppet Master'' 29.1.48 Home Service – included in ''Five Radio Plays'', edited and introduced by Val Gielgud; published: Vox Mundi, London, 1948 *''Divorce From Reality'' 16.11.52 Light Programme *''Deadly Nightingale'' 15.8.62 Home Service *''Manalive'' 31.10.62 Home Service – recording now lost *''The Gossamer Syndrome'' 7.4.75 Radio 4 Television (with first broadcast date) *''One Fine Day'' UK 14.8.47 *''Face to Face'' UK 11.8.51 *'' Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Presents: Blue Murder'' US/UK 24.8.55 *''The Puppet Master'' US 24.1.56 Films *'' A Girl Has to Live'' (US title: ''A Girl Must Live'') UK 1939 – based on eponymous novel *'' One Exciting Night'' aka ''You Can’t Do Without Love'' UK 1944 – wrote additional dialogue *'' My Sister and I'' UK 1948 – based on novel: ''High Pavement'' *'' The Glass Mountain'' (Italian title: ''Montagna di cristallo'') Italy/UK 1949 – cowrote screenplay; also wrote lyrics to ''Take the Sun'', a

Nino Rota Giovanni Rota Rinaldi (; 3 December 1911 – 10 April 1979), better known as Nino Rota (), was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor and academic who is best known for his film scores, notably for the films of Federico Fellini and Luchino Visco ...

song featured in the film *''

Children Galore ''Children Galore'' is a 1955 comedy film directed by Terence Fisher. It stars Eddie Byrne and June Thorburn. A village squire offers to give away a cottage to a deserving family with the most grandchildren. Cast * Eddie Byrne as Zacky Jones * ...

'' UK 1955 – cowrote screenplay

References

External links

*
Bonett Manuscripts
Collection of published and unpublished manuscripts, novels, etc. at

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonett, Emery 1906 births 1995 deaths People from Ecclesall English crime fiction writers English mystery writers English women novelists British women screenwriters Women mystery writers 20th-century English women writers 20th-century English novelists Writers from Sheffield 20th-century English screenwriters