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Kathy Lynn Emerson writes in several different genres and under several different names,

including Kaitlyn Dunnett and Kate Emerson. As Kathy Lynn Emerson she is best known for historical mysteries, including the Face Down Mystery Series featuring sixteenth-century gentlewoman,
herbalist, and sleuth, Susanna, Lady Appleton, the Diana Spaulding 1888 Quartet,

and her Agatha-award-winning nonfiction, How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries.

She has also written children's books and romance novels

NEW

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e-book: ISBN 978-1-393-33251-0

$5.99

trade paperback: ISBN 978-1-393-71534-4

$12.99

From the cover copy: In this unique compilation of 115 essays written between 2011 and 2021, Kathy Lynn Emerson, author of over sixty traditionally-published books in a variety of genres and under several names, writes about everything from how to conquer the sagging middle of a work-in-progress to the adoption of her current cat-in-residence. Other topics highlight eccentricities—her own, a few from her family tree, and those to be found in the rural Western Maine mountains where she lives. Best known for her cozy mysteries, written as Kaitlyn Dunnett, and for historical mysteries written under her own name, Kathy Lynn Emerson has also been published in non-fiction, including the award-winning How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries.

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In Stores Now

The Finder of Lost Things

a standalone mystery set in Elizabethan England

"The mystery is multilayered, and unexpected obstacles keep readers guessing until the end. . . . Overall, an enjoyable period mystery packed with religious tension and danger lurking at every turn."

Historical Novel Society Review

Level Best Books

978-1-947915-82-4 (trade paperback) $16.95

978-1-947915-83-1 (e-book) $5.99

"The Finder of Lost Things" is the name Blanche Wainfleet's three sisters bestowed on her when they were young, not only for her ability to locate missing handkerchiefs and runaway pets, but also because she was so good at finding solutions to all manner of puzzles. Now, in the winter of 1590-1, twenty-eight-year-old Blanche, a London merchant's wife whose husband is traveling abroad, is faced with a much more serious mystery, one she is desperate to solve.

Late Elizabethan England is an era rife with treason and conflicting political and religious loyalties. Priest-catchers target Catholic households in the hope of being able to arrest and execute priests. The householders themselves have to pay ruinous fines if they do not attend Anglican services. And yet leaders of both faiths agree that a bewitched person can be cured by exorcism.

When Blanche's youngest sister, Alison, fell in love with a Catholic gentleman, she converted to Catholicism and went to live at Otley Manor as Lady Otley’s companion. Arrested for illegally hearing Mass, she died under mysterious circumstances while imprisoned in Colchester Castle. Some say she was bewitched to death.

To discover the truth about how Alison died, Blanche contrives to have herself confined with Lady Otley and other members of the Otley household in Colchester's dungeon. She tells no one of her connection to Alison, but does pretend that she, like her sister, wishes to convert. Still without answers when a royal pardon sets all women prisoners free, Blanche accepts Lady Otley's invitation to join her household and take instruction in the Catholic faith. She's just begun to make progress when a second murder puts her in mortal danger from powerful figures on both sides of the religious divide.

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In Other News

"A Who's Who of Tudor Women"

Kathy Lynn Emerson's

mini-biographies of over 2300 women who lived between 1485 and 1603

is now an e-book

click here TudorWomen.com for more information

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In short story news, "Mistress Threadneedle's Quest" in the anthology Silver Bullets was singled out in the review in Publishers Weekly, praising it for finding a "plausible way of using lighting to commit a murder." This story previously appeared in Malice Domestic 12:Mystery Most Historical.

Kathy has had two collections of her short stories

published. The most recent is available in trade paperback and e-book formats.

These thirteen short stories range in setting from medieval England to present day Maine.

Some have previously been published while others are in print here for the first time.

Included are two Lady Appleton stories and the tale

in which Rosamond and Rob, from the Mistress Jaffrey Mysteries, elope.

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still available in print and e-book editions

THE MISTRESS JAFFREY MYSTERIES

set in England in the 1580s

a spin-off from the Face Down Mysteries

Murder in the Queen's Wardrobe

available in hardcover, trade paperback, large print, and e-book

first in a new series featuring Mistress Rosamond Jaffrey, Elizabethan sleuth and spy

Murder in the Merchant's Hall

available in hardcover, trade paperback, large print and e-book

Murder in the a Cornish Alehouse

available in hardcover, trade paperback, large print, and e-book

Mistress Jaffrey is Rosamond Appleton, illegitimate daughter of Lady Appleton's late, unlamented husband, Sir Robert. Now she's all grown up, married, and ready to solve crimes on her own. She was raised by Susanna Appleton, but she inherited some of the worst traits of both her parents. At sixteen, she made an impulsive runaway marriage, wedding her childhood playmate, Rob Jaffrey, once known as "Mole" and the son of Lady Appleton's steward and housekeeper, Mark and Jennet Jaffrey. Rosamond got what she wanted, control of her fortune, but now she's wed to Rob for life. There is no divorce in Elizabeth Tudor's England.

In Murder in the Queen's Wardrobe, Rosamond is shocked to learn her husband, from whom she has been estranged for some time, may be in danger. To help keep him safe, she is willing to go undercover as an intelligence gatherer for the Crown. Why not, when both her father and her stepfather did their share of spying when they were young? But when another agent is murdered, Rosamond must add crime-solving to her other responsibilities. With action that moves from the English court of Queen Elizabeth the First to the Russia of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, Mistress Jaffrey's first outing is a unique combination of spy thriller and cozy historical mystery.

Murder in the Merchant's Hall continues Rosamond and Rob's story and adds a murder mystery involving Rosamond's old friend Godlina Walkenden.

Murder in a Cornish Alehouse takes place in 1584, when Rosamond and Rob travel to Cornwall following the death of her stepfather in suspicious circumstances. There they once again encounter a treasonous plot, as well as a murder or two, but this time there are pirates.

For the real story behind the fictional one in Murder in the Queen's Wardrobe, click here

For a bibliography of sources used in writing all the books in the series, click here

Here's what the reviewers have to say about Murder in the Queen's Wardrobe:

Kirkus Reviews calls this "a diverting series . . . with lots of twists and turns and Tudor tidbits."

Publisher's Weekly describes Rosamond as "high-spirited, educated, and independent" and praises the way I draw on my "solid knowledge of the period to evoke vividly daily life in late 16^th-century England."

Booklist praises "first-rate storytelling, eye-opening details of the politics and customs of the time, a taut and riveting plot, unexpected humor, and a charming and admirable heroine."

Library Journal calls Rosamond "a feisty, fiercely independent, and very likeable protagonist."

Historical Novels Review says Rosamond is "brave yet vulnerable" and "portrayed as a genuine woman of the era."

About Murder in the Merchant's Hall:

Booklist says "This fine new addition to Emerson's popular historical series offers a genuinely gripping mystery, an appealing protagonist, and an eye-opening look at London life during the Renaissance."

Publisher's Weekly says "evocative period detail and the warmth of Rosamond's byplay with Rob make for a satisfying read."

Historical Novels Review says "The mystery surrounding Hugo's death is intricate, well-plotted, and full of twists."

About Murder in a Cornish Alehouse:

Booklist says "This meticulously researched, cleverly plotted story has plenty of twists and wonderfully colorful characters and will appeal to all historical-mystery fans."

Publisher's Weekly says readers will find "a lot to like."

Kirkus says Rosamond "has an almighty difficult puzzle to untangle" and also finds the novel "enjoyable for its historical insights and detailed descriptions of everyday life in Tudor England."