Mary Stewart (novelist)

Mary Stewart
BornMary Florence Elinor Rainbow
(1916-09-17)17 September 1916
Sunderland, County Durham, England
Died9 May 2014(2014-05-09) (aged 97)
Lochawe, Scotland
Pen nameMary Stewart
OccupationNovelist
LanguageEnglish
NationalityBritish
Alma materDurham University
Period1954–1997
GenreRomantic mystery
Spouse
(m. 1945; died 2001)

Mary, Lady Stewart (born Mary Florence Elinor Rainbow; 17 September 1916 – 9 May 2014) was a British novelist who developed the romantic mystery genre, featuring smart, adventurous heroines who could hold their own in dangerous situations. She also wrote children's books and poetry, but may be best known for her Merlin series, which straddles the boundary between the historical novel and fantasy.