Caroline Graham | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1931-07-17)17 July 1931 (age 94) Nuneaton,Warwickshire, England |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Education | MA, Writing for the Theatre[1] |
| Alma mater | University of Birmingham,Open University |
| Genre | Mystery |
| Notable works | Chief Inspector Barnaby series |
| Children | 1 |
Caroline Graham (born 17 July 1931) is an Englishplaywright,screenwriter andnovelist fromNuneaton,Warwickshire. HerChief Inspector Barnaby novel series was dramatised for television asMidsomer Murders.
Graham was born inNuneaton,Warwickshire to a working-class family,[2] and attendedNuneaton High School for Girls where her English teacher encouraged her to write.[2][3] Graham's mother died when she was six and her father remarried when she was 13.[3] At the age of 14, she left school and went to work inCourtaulds Mill as awefter.[2]
She served in theWomen's Royal Naval Service from 1953 to 1955 but eventually ran away because she hated it.[3][4][5] She met up with her airforce penpal, Graham Cameron, whom she later married.[2] The couple moved to France, living in amews house atVersailles where Cameron was stationed as part of his work for theSupreme Headquarters Allied Powers in Europe.[2] She had attended ballet school for three years during their stay in France.[3][4] After some time, they relocated toLincoln, England where Graham spent three days a week in London at drama school.[2][3] They later split up, with Graham moving to London.[2] There, she met a new partner and became pregnant with her son, David.[2]
She studied with theOpen University, and in 1991 received a master's degree intheatre studies from theUniversity of Birmingham at the age of 60.[3][5]
Her first published book wasFire Dance (1982), aromance novel. She is best known as the writer of theChief Inspector Barnaby series, dramatised for television asMidsomer Murders. The firstInspector Barnaby novel,The Killings at Badger's Drift, was published in 1987. The novel was well received by the mystery community and was named by theCrime Writers' Association as one of "The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time".[6] It also won the 1989Macavity Award for "Best First Novel" and was nominated for the same honour at the1989 Anthony Awards and the 1988Agatha Awards.[7][8][9]
AfterThe Killings at Badger's Drift, Graham wrote six more Inspector Barnaby novels; the last,A Ghost in the Machine, was published in 2004.[3] The first five Inspector Barnaby novels formed the basis of the first five episodes ofMidsomer Murders. She has also written for the soap operaCrossroads. She has appeared in a series on detective writers titledSuper Sleuths (2006),[10] appeared in one episode ofThe People's Detective (2010),[11] as well as appearing in episode 3 ofMidsomer Murders.
