Sharon Kay Penman | |
|---|---|
 Sharon Kay Penman in 2005 | |
| Born | August 13, 1945 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | January 22, 2021 (aged 75) |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of Texas at Austin Rutgers Law School (JD) |
| Website | |
| www | |
Sharon Kay Penman (August 13, 1945 – January 22, 2021) was an American historical novelist, published in the UK as Sharon Penman. She was best known for the Welsh Princes Trilogy and the Plantagenet series. In addition, she wrote four medieval mysteries, the first of which, The Queen's Man, was a finalist in 1996 for the Best First Mystery Edgar Award.[1]
Her novels and mysteries are set in England, France, and Wales, and are about English and Welsh royalty during the Middle Ages. The Sunne in Splendour, her first book, is a stand-alone novel about King Richard III of England and the Wars of the Roses. When the manuscript was stolen she started again and rewrote the book.
Her work was generally well received, with the more recent novels reaching the New York Times Bestseller List. Critics have praised her meticulous research of settings and events presented in her fiction, as well as the characterizations.[2]
Penman died from pneumonia on January 22, 2021, at the age of 75.[3]
- ^ "The Edgar Awards Database". Mystery Writers of America. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
- ^ Johnson, George (February 2, 1990). "New and Noteworthy: The Sunne in Splendour". The New York Times. Retrieved July 18, 2009.
- ^ Risen, Clay (January 29, 2021). "Sharon Kay Penman, Whose Novels Plumbed Britain's Past, Dies at 75". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 30, 2021.