Faith Martin has been writing for almost thirty years, in four genres and under four different pen names. She was born in Oxford and sets most of her crime novels within sight of the city of dreaming spires. She trained as a secretary, and worked at Somerville College of Oxford University for six years. After her parents were involved in a serious car accident, Faith left her job to care for them at home. As a lifelong reader, she decided to use this time to try her hand at writing her own novel. Her first book was a romance, written under the pen name Maxine Barry, and it was a few years later that she turned to crime.
Faith is now the bestselling author of the Ryder and Loveday mystery novels and the DI Hillary Greene series, as well as numerous romantic thrillers. She has sold over two million books to readers around the world. Set in the city of Oxford in the 1960s, the Ryder and Loveday series features crime fiction’s most unlikely pairing: WPC Trudy Loveday and coroner Clement Ryder, who are thrown together to crack one tricky case after another. The first book in the series is A Fatal Obsession.
Faith loves hearing from readers, and it makes her day when she receives letters telling her how much they have enjoyed her books. She is also a true nature lover and having lived all her life in the countryside, descriptions of wildlife and native flora often find their way into her stories. When she isn’t writing, Faith can often be found outdoors, walking her dog or watching local wildlife.
Faith has just published the first book in a brand new series, the Val and Arbie Mysteries, Murder by Candlelight. Set in the 1920s, it sees the unlikely pairing of Arbuthnot ‘Arbie’ Swift and his best friend Val, the vicar’s daughter, as they try to uncover the truth about a suspicious death in their village. Will you be able to solve this locked room mystery?