Caroline Lawrence (born 1954) is an English–American children's author, best known for The Roman Mysteries, a series of historical novels following four child detectives in Ancient Rome. The series has won numerous awards and has been published in many different languages worldwide.[1] Lawrence is also known for her historical mystery series called The P.K. Pinkerton Mysteries (or The Western Mysteries), set in Virginia City, Nevada Territory, in the early 1860s.[2]
Biography
Lawrence was born in London, England. Her American parents returned to the United States shortly afterwards and she grew up in Bakersfield, California with her younger brother and sister.[3] Her father was Jewish.[4] Her mother was an artist and her father taught French and Drama at a middle school.[3]
In 2000, she wrote The Thieves of Ostia, which was published in 2001, the first in a series of children's mystery-adventure stories set in Ancient Rome, called The Roman Mysteries. The 17 book series has sold over a million copies in the United Kingdom and has been translated into 14 languages. The books were adapted as a TV series by the BBC from 2007–2008.[1] Lawrence went on to write several sequels, spin-offs and companion books.[5]
In 2009, Lawrence won the Classical Association Prize of £5000 (equivalent to £8,000in 2025) for "a significant contribution to the public understanding of Classics".[7] Lawrence has also worked on the University of Reading's educational website Romans Revealed, creating stories about Roman Britain closely based on archaeological finds.[8] In 2013, she was chosen to be President of JACT (The Joint Association of Classical Teachers) following in the footsteps of Boris Johnson, Bettany Hughes and Paul Cartledge.[1]
Lawrence has a son, Simon, from a previous marriage, and she now lives by the Thames in London with her husband Richard, a graphic designer.[9]
