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Caroline Lawrence

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Caroline Lawrence
Born1954
GenreHistorical fiction, children's literature
Notable worksThe Roman Mysteries

Caroline Lawrence (born 1954) is an English American children's author, best known for The Roman Mysteries, a series of historical novels following four child detectives in Ancient Rome. The series has won numerous awards and has been published in many different languages worldwide.[1] Lawrence is also known for her historical mystery series called The Western Mysteries/P.K. Pinkerton Mysteries, set in Virginia City, Nevada Territory in the early 1860s.[2]

Biography

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Lawrence was born in London, England. Her American parents returned to the United States shortly afterwards and she grew up in Bakersfield, California with her younger brother and sister.[3] Her father was Jewish.[4] Her mother was an artist and her father taught French and Drama at a middle school.[3]

When she was twelve, Caroline's family moved to Stanford University in northern California so that her father could study Linguistics. She afterwards studied Classics at Berkeley, where she won a Marshall Scholarship to Cambridge.[5] There, at Newnham College, she studied Classical Art and Archaeology.[3]

After Cambridge, Caroline remained in England, and later took an MA in Hebrew and Jewish Studies at University College London.[6] She then taught Latin, French and art at a small London primary school.[4]

In 2000 she wrote The Thieves of Ostia, which was published in 2001, the first in a series of children's mystery-adventure stories set in Ancient Rome, called The Roman Mysteries. The 17 book series was sold over a million copies in the United Kingdom and was translated into 14 languages. The books were later adapted as a TV series by the BBC.[1] Lawrence went on to write several sequels, spin-offs and companion books.[5]

In 2009, Caroline won the Classical Association Prize of £5000 for "a significant contribution to the public understanding of Classics".[7] Lawrence has also worked on the University of Reading's educational website Romans Revealed, creating stories about Roman Britain closely based on archaeological finds.[8] In 2013, she was chosen to be President of JACT (The Joint Association of Classical Teachers) following in the footsteps of Boris Johnson, Bettany Hughes and Paul Cartledge.[1]

Caroline has a son Simon, from a previous marriage, and she now lives by the Thames in London with her husband Richard, a graphic designer.[9]

Bibliography

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The Roman Mysteries series

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  1. The Thieves of Ostia (2001)
  2. The Secrets of Vesuvius (2001)
  3. The Pirates of Pompeii (2002)
  4. The Assassins of Rome (2002)
  5. The Dolphins of Laurentum (2003)
  6. The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina (2003)
  7. The Enemies of Jupiter (2003)
  8. The Gladiators from Capua (2004)
  9. The Colossus of Rhodes (2005)
  10. The Fugitive from Corinth (2005)
  11. The Sirens of Surrentum (2006)
  12. The Charioteer of Delphi (2006)
  13. The Slave-girl from Jerusalem (2007)
  14. The Beggar of Volubilis (2007)
  15. The Scribes from Alexandria (2008)
  16. The Prophet from Ephesus (2009)
  17. The Man from Pomegranate Street (2009)

Roman Mystery Scrolls

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  1. The Sewer Demon (2012)
  2. The Poisoned Honey Cake (2012)
  3. The Thunder Omen (2013)
  4. The Two-Faced God (2013)

Roman Quests

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  1. Escape from Rome (2016)
  2. The Archers of Isca (2016)
  3. Death in the Arena (2017)
  4. Return to Rome (2018)
Short stories
  • The Code of Romulus (World Book day promotion) (2007)
  • Trimalchio's Feast and other mini-mysteries (2007)
  • The Legionary from Londinium and other mini-mysteries (2010)

Associated non-fiction books include:

  • The First Roman Mysteries Quiz Book (2007)
  • The Roman Mysteries Treasury (2007)
  • From Ostia to Alexandria with Flavia Gemina (2009)

Western Mysteries/P.K. Pinkerton Mysteries

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  1. The Case of the Deadly Desperados (2011)
  2. The Case of the Good-Looking Corpse (2012) (US title: P.K. Pinkerton and the Petrified Man)
  3. The Case of the Pistol-Packing Widows (2013)
  4. The Case of the Bogus Detective (2015)

The Time Travel Diaries

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  1. The Time Travel Diaries (2019)[1]
  2. Adventure in Athens (2020)[10]

Tales from Virgil's Aeneid

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  1. Night Raid (2014), republished as Nisus and Euryalus: The Night Raid (2025)[11]
  2. Queen of the Silver Arrow (2016), republished as Camilla: Queen of the Silver Arrow (2025)[11]

Standalone works

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  1. Mystery & Mayhem: Twelve Deliciously Intriguing Mysteries (2016) (contributor, short story anthology)
  2. How To Write a Great Story (2019) (non-fiction)
  3. Amarantus and his Neighbourhood (2021)[12] (illustrated by Laura Jenkinson-Brown)
  4. Aesop's Fables (2022)
  5. Pantheon: An Illustrated Handbook to the Greek Gods & Goddesses (2024) (illustrated by Flora Kirk)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Bentley, Diana (28 September 2019). "Mistress of time travel: an interview with Caroline Lawrence". Minerva Magazine. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  2. ^ "The P. K. Pinkerton Mysteries: The Case of the Deadly Desperados by Caroline Lawrence | Waterstones". www.waterstones.com. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Meet: Caroline Lawrence | The Hellenic Journal | Study of Greek language". Hellenic Society. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  4. ^ a b Baer, Jeremy (13 May 2008). "Interview with Caroline Lawrence". UNRV: Roman History. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Caroline Lawrence", Fantastic Fiction.com
  6. ^ "Interview with Caroline Lawrence". EA: The English Association. 2 May 2025. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  7. ^ Classical Association Archived 1 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Romans Revealed
  9. ^ "Caroline Lawrence". ReadingZone. 29 April 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  10. ^ Inman, Laurence (20 August 2020). "Adventure in Athens by Caroline Lawrence". School Reading List. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Tales from Virgil's Aeneid – Caroline Lawrence". Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  12. ^ "Amarantus – Caroline Lawrence". Retrieved 29 April 2025.
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