Linda Stratmann (born 1948 in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

, UK) is a British writer of historical true crime, biography and crime fiction.

Early life

She was born in the City of

in a family which belonged to the Orthodox Jewish community. Her parents were engaged in the tailoring trade. Her grandparents had immigrated from Poland in early 1920s and her parents were born in London but during World War II they moved to Leicester. Stratmann attended Wyggeston Girls Grammar School. She graduated from

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public university, public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is ...

with a degree in psychology in 1974.Linda Stratmann: A brief biography
Retrieved on 13 February 2018 After graduating she joined the

Civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

and trained to be an Inspector of Taxes. She moved to London in 1987 and left the Civil Service in 2001. In 2002 she published her first book, on the history of chloroform.

Creation work

Linda is the author of a crime fiction series based in Bayswater in the 1880s and featuring a lady sleuth, Frances Doughty. They are published by the Mystery Press, the fiction imprint of the History Press. The books in this series are: * ''The Poisonous Seed'' (2011) * ''The Daughters of Gentlemen'' (2012) * ''A Case of Doubtful Death'' (2013) * ''An Appetite for Murder'' (2014) * ''The Children of Silence'' (2015) * ''Death in Bayswater'' (2016) * ''A True and Faithful Brother'' (2017) * ''Murder at the Bayswater Bicycle Club'' (2018) A new series starting with ''Mr Scarletti's Ghost'', published in 2015, is set in Brighton in the 1870s and explores the world of Victorian spirit mediums. The second book, ''The Royal Ghost'' followed, and a third, ''An Unquiet Ghost'', was published in 2018. ''The Secret Poisoner'', a history of criminal poisoning in the nineteenth century, was published by Yale University Press in 2016. She has appeared in the Channel 5 television documentary, ''Scream'', about the history of

anaesthesia Anesthesia is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical or veterinary purposes. It may include some or all of analgesia (relief from or prevention of pain), paralysis (muscle relaxation), am ...

, ''

Hypnosurgery Hypnosurgery is surgery where the patient is sedated using hypnotherapy rather than traditional anaesthetics. It is claimed that hypnosis for anaesthesia has been used since the 1840s where it was pioneered by the surgeon James Braid. There are ...

Live'' on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

, ''Medical Mavericks'' on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

Michael J. Mosley Michael Mosley (born 22 March 1957) is a British television journalist, producer, presenter, and former doctor who has worked for the BBC since 1985. He is probably best known as a presenter of television programmes on biology and medicine and ...

and an episode of "Fred Dinenage: Murder Casebook". Stratmann has had a lifelong interest in true crime. She is a trained chemists' dispenser, has a Bachelor of Science with first class honours in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

, and is a black belt in

aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a modern Japanese martial art that is split into many different styles, including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practiced in around 1 ...

since 2000. She lives 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 ...

with her second husband. Stratmann suffers from both

hyperacusis Hyperacusis is the increased sensitivity to sound and a low tolerance for environmental noise. Definitions of hyperacusis can vary significantly; it can refer to normal noises being perceived as: loud, annoying, painful, fear-inducing, or a combina ...

and

tinnitus Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no corresponding external sound is present. Nearly everyone experiences a faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely quiet room; but it is of concern only if it is bothersome, interferes with normal hearin ...

Selected books

Fiction

* ''Mr Scarletti's Ghost (Mina Scarletti Mystery)'' (2018). Publisher: Sapere Books. * ''The Royal Ghost (Mina Scarletti Mystery)'' (2018). Publisher: Sapere Books. * ''Murder at the Bayswater Bicycle Club: A Frances Doughty Mystery (The Frances Doughty Mysteries)'' (2018). The History Press (1 March 2018). * ''An Unquiet Ghost (Mina Scarletti Mystery Book 3)'' (2018). Sapere Books (1 March 2018). * ''A True and Faithful Brother: A Frances Doughty Mystery (The Frances Doughty Mysteries) (2017). The Mystery Press (1 March 2017). * ''A Case of Doubtful Death: A Frances Doughty Mystery (The Frances Doughty Mysteries Book 3) (2013). The History Press (1 April 2013) * ''Greater London Murders: 33 Stories of Revenge, Jealousy, Greed & Lust (Sutton True Crime History)'' (2012).The History Press (29 February 2012) * ''Essex Murders (Sutton True Crime History)'' (2012). The History Press; UK ed. edition (29 February 2012). * ''Middlesex Murder'' (2012). The History Press (29 February 2012). * ''Kent Murders (Sutton True Crime History)'' (2009). The History Press (1 January 2009).

Non-fiction

* ''Chloroform: the Quest for Oblivion'', (2003, Sutton Publishing). A history of the discovery, use and misuse of

chloroform Chloroform, or trichloromethane, is an organic compound with chemical formula, formula Carbon, CHydrogen, HChlorine, Cl3 and a common organic solvent. It is a colorless, strong-smelling, dense liquid produced on a large scale as a precursor to ...

.''Daily Telegraph'' review
/ref> * ''Essex Murders'' (2004, Sutton Publishing) * ''Whiteley’s Folly'' (2004, Sutton Publishing). The story of

William Whiteley William Whiteley (29 September 183124 January 1907) was an English entrepreneur of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was the founder of the William Whiteley Limited retail company whose eponymous department store became the Whiteleys ...

, the founder of the

Bayswater Bayswater is an area within the City of Westminster in West London. It is a built-up district with a population density of 17,500 per square kilometre, and is located between Kensington Gardens to the south, Paddington to the north-east, and ...

store, and his murder in 1907 * ''Gloucestershire Murders'' (2005, Sutton Publishing) * ''The Crooks Who Conned Millions'' (2006 Sutton Publishing) Ten stories of nineteenth century frauds. * ''Notorious Blasted Rascal: Colonel Charteris and the Servant Girl's Revenge'' The story of Francis Charteris, the most hated man in Britain, and his trial for rape in 1730. (2008 The History Press) * ''Kent Murders'' (2009 The History Press) * ''Greater London Murders'' (2010 The History Press) * ''Middlesex Murders'' (2010 The History Press) * ''Fraudsters and Charlatans'' is the paperback version of ''Crooks Who Conned Millions'' (2010 The History Press) * ''Cruel Deeds and Dreadful Calamities: the Illustrated Police News 1864-1938'' an illustrated history of the notorious newspaper, (British Library, March 2011) * ''More Essex Murders'' (2011 The History Press)

References

External links

Personal site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stratmann, Linda 1948 births Living people English non-fiction crime writers English biographers People from Leicester 21st-century English women writers