Jill McGown (9 August 1947 in

Campbeltown Campbeltown (; gd, Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain or ) is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Campbeltown became an important centre for Scotch whisky, and a busy fishing ...

, Scotland – 6 April 2007 in

Kettering Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of Ket ...

, Northamptonshire) was a British writer of

mystery novels Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...

. She was best known for her mystery series featuring Inspector Lloyd and Judy Hill, one of which ('' A Shred of Evidence'') was made into a television drama in 2001 starring

Philip Glenister Philip Haywood Glenister (born 10 February 1963) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as DCI Gene Hunt in the BBC series ''Life on Mars'' (2006–2007) and its sequel '' Ashes to Ashes'' (2008–2010). He also played DCI William ...

and

Michelle Collins Michelle Danielle Collins (born 28 May 1962) is an English actress and TV presenter, best known for her roles in the British soap operas ''EastEnders'' and ''Coronation Street''. Collins played Cindy Beale in the BBC soap ''EastEnders'' from ...

. McGown wrote her first mystery novel after being laid off from the British Steel Corporation in 1980. She is sometimes credited as Elizabeth Chaplin.

Early life, education and career

McGown's family were from Campbeltown, where she was born in 1947. The family moved to

Corby Corby is a town in North Northamptonshire, England, located north-east of Northampton. From 1974 to 2021, the town served as the administrative headquarters of the Borough of Corby. At the 2011 Census, the built-up area had a population of 5 ...

in England when she was ten, as the

fishing industry in Scotland The fishing industry in Scotland comprises a significant proportion of the United Kingdom fishing industry. A recent inquiry by the Royal Society of Edinburgh found fishing to be of much greater social, economic and cultural importance to Scot ...

was declining. McGown attended

Corby Grammar School Corby is a town in North Northamptonshire, England, located north-east of Northampton. From 1974 to 2021, the town served as the administrative headquarters of the Borough of Corby. At the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 Census, the built-up ...

and Kettering Technical College. After leaving college, she worked as a secretary, but was made redundant from British Steel in 1980. She said

Val McDermid Valarie "Val" McDermid, (born 4 June 1955) is a Scottish crime writer, best known for a series of novels featuring clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill in a grim sub-genre that McDermid and others have identified as Tartan Noir. Biography M ...

wrote of her, "Her work was critically acclaimed, and many of her peers believe she never achieved the level of commercial success she deserved".

Bibliography

Lloyd & Hill

* ''A Perfect Match'' (1983) * ''Redemption'' (aka ''Murder at the Old Vicarage'') (1988) * ''Death of a Dancer'' (aka ''Gone to Her Death'') (1989) * ''The Murders of Mrs Austin And Mrs Beale'' (1991) * ''The Other Woman'' (1992) * ''Murder... Now And Then'' (1993) * ''A Shred of Evidence'' (1995) * ''Verdict Unsafe'' (1997) * ''Picture of Innocence'' (1998) * ''Plots And Errors'' (1999) * ''Scene of Crime'' (2001) * ''Births, Deaths and Marriages'' (aka ''Death in the Family'') (2002) * ''Unlucky for Some'' (2004)

Standalone novels

* ''Record of Sin'' (1985) * ''An Evil Hour'' (1986) * ''The Stalking Horse'' (1987) * ''Murder Movie'' (1990) * ''Hostage to Fortune'' (1992) (writing as Elizabeth Chaplin)

References

External links