Edith Mary Pargeter OBE (28 September 1913 – 14 October 1995), better known by her pen name Ellis Peters, was an English mystery writer. (She also wrote historical fiction under her real name, Edith Pargeter.)
Most of her mystery novels are in one of two series:
Felse Investigates (13 novels, 1951-1978) — Contemporary setting, with policeman George Felse and his son Dominic sharing the limelight (which one gets how much of the limelight varies from novel to novel). Death and The Joyful Woman, the second novel in the series, won an Edgar Award and was adapted into an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, with Frank Overton as George Felse.
Brother Cadfael (20 novels & 3 short stories, 1977-1994) — Historical (12th century) setting, featuring Brother Cadfael, a former soldier who became a monk in later life and consequently has a more worldly experience and outlook than many of his colleagues. Inspired the 1990s TV series Cadfael, with Derek Jacobi in the title role.
Of standalone mystery novels, she wrote five as "Ellis Peters"; before adopting that pseudonym for the Felse novels, she wrote four as "Jolyon Carr" and one each as "John Redfern" and "Peter Benedict".
Works by Ellis Peters with their own trope pages include:
Ellis Peters' other mysteries provide examples of:
- Amateur Sleuth: The protagonist of Death Mask.
- Historical Fiction: In addition to to Cadfael novels, she also wrote the Brothers of Gwynedd Quartet, a series about the Welsh princes who tried to resist the English conquest of Wales in the 13th century. There's also the standalone novel A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury, which is a fictionalised retelling of the Real Life events leading up to the Battle of Shrewsbury (1403), and also the battle itself.
- Moustache de Plume: See above; she sometimes used a male pen-name.
- Pillow Pregnancy: In the short story "Golden Girl".
