Historical Crime Novelist Ariana Franklin Has Died

The BBC is reporting that Diana Norman, who wrote a series of historical mysteries under the pen name Ariana Franklin, has died. She was 77.

Her first mystery, Mistress of the Art of Death, introduced Adelia Aguilar, a medieval coroner in 12th century England. It was recognized with the Crime Writers' Association Ellis Peters Historical Award in 2007. She was also honored last year with the CWA Dagger in the Library, an annual award given to "the author of crime fiction whose work is currently giving the greatest enjoyment to library users."

She went on to write three additional books in the series. She also wrote other books under her own name.