Martha Kay Renfroe () was an American writer of mystery and science fiction. Renfroe, who published her works under the pseudonym M.K. Wren, was best known for her mystery series featuring the character Conan Flagg.

Early life

Renfroe was born in Texas.

Career

Using the ''nom de plume'' M. K. Wren, her works included the ''Conan Flagg Mystery'' series, the ''Phoenix Legacy'', a

space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soci ...

trilogy, and ''

A Gift Upon the Shore ''A Gift Upon the Shore'' is a post-apocalyptic fiction novel by American author M. K. Wren and published by Ballantine Books in 1990. The story follows two women, an artist and a writer, who survive pandemic, the collapse of civilization, and a ...

'' (1990), a post-apocalyptic novel. '' Publishers Weekly'' in its review of ''A Gift Upon the Shore'' described Wren's descriptions of "the subsistence-level daily life – the triumphs, the losses and the desperation" – as "compelling depictions." A '' Los Angeles Times'' review called Wren’s writing of the same book as "clear and concise for the most part, though bordering on the mystic when it comes to her descriptions of the woods, and especially the ocean in its many moods." '' The New York Times'' included it in its overview of recently released crime/suspense novels in its "Criminal At Large" column, describing Wren's ''A Multitude of Sins'' as "an artificial and pretentious formula mystery about an heiress who is a pianistic genius." The ''Conan Flagg'' mysteries were translated into German and released by München Goldmann publisher in the late 1970s in Germany.

Personal life

Renfroe was a longtime resident of Lincoln City, Oregon. She was also an artist whose artwork showed in galleries and at juried and invitational shows.

Bibliography

''A Conan Flagg Mystery'' (1973–1994)

''Phoenix Legacy'' (1981)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wren, M. K. 20th-century American novelists American mystery writers American science fiction writers American women novelists Pseudonymous women writers Novelists from Oregon Novelists from Texas 1938 births 2016 deaths Women science fiction and fantasy writers Women mystery writers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century American women