Gwendoline Butler, née Williams (19 August 1922 – 5 January 2013), was a British writer known for her mystery fiction and romance novels. She began her writing career in 1956 and also wrote under the pseudonym Jennie Melville. Credited with inventing the "woman's police procedural," Butler gained recognition for her works, especially the Inspector John Coffin series penned under her own name, and the Charmian Daniels series published under the Jennie Melville pseudonym.

Biography

Gwendoline Williams was born on 19 August 1922 in South London, England, the daughter of Alice (Lee) and Alfred Edward Williams. She pursued her education at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, where she studied History and later became a lecturer. On 16 October 1949, she married Lionel Harry Butler (1923–1981), a professor of medieval history at the University of St Andrews, and a historian who held fellowships at All Souls and was principal of Royal Holloway College. They had one daughter. In 1956, she began publishing her John Coffin series of novels under her married name, Gwendoline Butler. Later, in 1962, she adopted her grandmother's name, Jennie Melville, as a pseudonym for her Charmian Daniels novels. Besides her mystery series, she also authored romantic novels. Notably, in 1981, her book "The Red Staircase" earned her the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Romantic Novelists' Association. Gwendoline Butler is regarded as one of the most versatile female crime novelists. Her works encompass a wide range of genres, including modern detective stories, Victorian mysteries, Gothic tales, and romantic novels. In 1973, the Crime Writers' Association (CWA) honored her with the Silver Dagger for her novel "A Coffin for Pandora." A former member of the CWA's Committee and a member of the Detection Club, her background in historical research ensured the utmost accuracy in every book she wrote. She died on 5 January 2013.

As Gwendoline Butler

John Coffin Series

Source: The series originally featured Inspector Winter as the main detective in the first three stories. He also appeared in the fourth story, "The Dull Dead" (1958). However, the young John Coffin, described as "mercurial," made his debut, becoming the ongoing protagonist in Gwendoline Butler's subsequent works. In 1989, there was a significant shift for John Coffin. The book "Coffin in the Black Museum" marked a change as his creator relocated him from South London to East London, specifically an imaginary district with similarities to Docklands. The books in the series include:

Major Mearns and Sergeant Denny Series

Single novels

As Jennie Melville

Charmian Daniels Series

Source:

Single novels