author
Lawrence L. Lynch
A prolific early mystery writer, this American novelist published under a male pen name and helped popularize detective fiction in the late 19th century. Her stories are packed with suspense, disguises, and clever investigators.
6 Audiobooks
The Diamond Coterie
by Lawrence L. Lynch
The Last Stroke: A Detective Story
by Lawrence L. Lynch
Against Odds: A Detective Story
by Lawrence L. Lynch
Out of a Labyrinth
by Lawrence L. Lynch
Madeline Payne, the Detective's Daughter
by Lawrence L. Lynch
Dangerous Ground; or, The Rival Detectives
by Lawrence L. Lynch
About the author
Writing as Lawrence L. Lynch, Emily Medora Murdock Van Deventer was an American mystery novelist born in 1853 and active during the great boom of popular detective fiction. She used the pen name of her first husband, a choice often linked to the publishing climate of the time, when crime and sensation fiction by women could face extra barriers.
She produced a long run of detective and adventure novels, including The Last Stroke, Dangerous Ground, and The Diamond Coterie. Her books were known for fast-moving plots, hidden identities, and dramatic twists, making her one of the more energetic voices in early American mystery writing.
Although she is less widely remembered than some of her contemporaries, her work still survives through reprints and public-domain editions, and readers interested in the roots of detective fiction continue to rediscover her today.