Elizabeth Eyre is a pseudonym used by the authors Jill Staynes (1927–2013) and Margaret Storey (born c. 1927) for their ''Sigismondo'' series of novels.

Biography

From the dust jacket of ''Bravo for the Bride'' (1994):

Writing style

The Eyre novels are marked by colourful characters and an atmospheric treatment of its

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...

setting.Lynda G. Adamson, ''World Historical Fiction: An Annotated Guide to Novels for Adults and Young Adults''. Greenwood Publishing Group (p.43) While some characters are clearly intended as comic relief, the humour is dry and unobtrusive. The stories themselves are carefully plotted and well thought out. The work should not be confused with that of Margaret Storey - the author of books for children and young adults who wrote the magic realism series of "Tim and Melinda" books.

Critical response

The ''Sigismondo'' series received a positive response from many reviewers when it was released, with good reviews appearing in the

Sunday Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

(London) and the Weekend Telegraph (London), some of which were reprinted on the dust jackets of the later volumes in the series.

Influence on popular culture

The books contributed to the

historical mystery The historical mystery or historical whodunit is a subgenre of two literary genres, historical fiction and mystery fiction. These works are set in a time period considered historical from the author's perspective, and the central plot involves t ...

subgenre that arose in the 1990s with the success of

Ellis Peters Edith Mary Pargeter (28 September 1913 – 14 October 1995), also known by her ''nom de plume'' Ellis Peters, was an English author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translat ...

and the

Cadfael Brother Cadfael is the main fictional character in a series of historical murder mysteries written between 1977 and 1994 by the linguist-scholar Edith Pargeter under the name "Ellis Peters". The character of Cadfael himself is a Welsh Benedic ...

series and

Lindsey Davis Lindsey Davis (born 1949) is an English historical novelist, best known as the author of the Falco series of historical crime stories set in ancient Rome and its empire. She is a recipient of the Cartier Diamond Dagger award. Life and career ...

and the

Marcus Didius Falco Lindsey Davis (born 1949) is an English historical novelist, best known as the author of the Falco series of historical crime stories set in ancient Rome and its empire. She is a recipient of the Cartier Diamond Dagger award. Life and caree ...

series. Although well received at the time of their release, the books now appear to be out of print, though many are still available through libraries and second-hand book traders.

Bibliography

*''Death of the Duchess'' 1991 *''Curtains for the Cardinal'' 1992 *''Poison for the Prince'' 1993 *''Bravo for the Bride'' 1994 *''Axe for an Abbot'' 1995 *''Dirge for a Doge'' 1996

References

External links

Elizabeth Eyre Bio on ItalianMysteries.com
British mystery writers Writers of historical mysteries Women mystery writers Women historical novelists Collective pseudonyms Pseudonymous women writers 20th-century British women writers 20th-century British novelists British historical fiction writers British women novelists Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period 20th-century pseudonymous writers {{UK-writer-stub