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.

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. Her father was Jewish. There, at Newnham College, she studied Classical Art and Archaeology. She then taught Latin, French and Art at a small London primary school.

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. Lawrence has also worked on the University of Reading's educational website Romans Revealed, creating stories about Roman Britain closely based on archaeological finds. 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.

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.

Bibliography

The Roman Mysteries

  1. The Thieves of Ostia (2001)
  2. The Secrets of Vesuvius (2001)
  3. The Pirates of Pompeii (2002)
  4. The Assassins of Rome (2002)
  5. The Dolphins of Laurentum (2003)
  6. The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina (2003)
  7. The Enemies of Jupiter (2003)
  8. The Gladiators from Capua (2004)
  9. The Colossus of Rhodes (2005)
  10. The Fugitive from Corinth (2005)
  11. The Sirens of Surrentum (2006)
  12. The Charioteer of Delphi (2006)
  13. The Slave-girl from Jerusalem (2007)
  14. The Beggar of Volubilis (2007)
  15. The Scribes from Alexandria (2008)
  16. The Prophet from Ephesus (2009)
  17. The Man from Pomegranate Street (2009)

The Roman Mystery Scrolls

  1. The Sewer Demon (2012)
  2. The Poisoned Honey Cake (2012)
  3. The Thunder Omen (2013)
  4. The Two-Faced God (2013)

The Roman Quests

  1. Escape from Rome (2016)
  2. The Archers of Isca (2016)
  3. Death in the Arena (2017)
  4. Return to Rome (2018)

;Short stories

:* The Code of Romulus (World Book day promotion) (2007)

:* Trimalchio's Feast and other mini-mysteries (2007)

:* The Legionary from Londinium and other mini-mysteries (2010)

Associated non-fiction books include:

:* The First Roman Mysteries Quiz Book (2007)

:* The Roman Mysteries Treasury (2007)

:* From Ostia to Alexandria with Flavia Gemina (2009)

The P.K. Pinkerton Mysteries/The Western Mysteries

  1. The Case of the Deadly Desperados (2011)
  2. The Case of the Good-Looking Corpse (2012) (US title: P.K. Pinkerton and the Petrified Man)
  3. The Case of the Pistol-Packing Widows (2013)
  4. The Case of the Bogus Detective (2015)

The Time Travel Diaries

  1. The Time Travel Diaries (2019)

Tales from Virgil's Aeneid

  1. Night Raid (2014), republished as Nisus and Euryalus: The Night Raid (2025)
  2. Queen of the Silver Arrow (2016), republished as Camilla: Queen of the Silver Arrow (2025) (illustrated by Laura Jenkinson-Brown)
  3. Aesop's Fables (2022)
  4. Pantheon: An Illustrated Handbook to the Greek Gods & Goddesses (2024) (illustrated by Flora Kirk)

References

  • The Roman Mysteries homepage
  • Interview with Caroline Lawrence on the Coffee & Circuses podcast