Biography

Short Bio

Rosemary Stevens is the author of eleven novels: the Beau Brummell mystery series set in Regency England, the Murder-A-Go-Go retro mysteries set in New York City, and four Regency romances. Her short story, “Down by the River,” appeared in Virginia is for Mysteries Volume II. Stevens won the Agatha Award and the RT Reviewers Choice Award for her first mystery, Death on a Silver Tray.

Long Bio

Mystery author Rosemary Stevens once had a job selling cemetery plots, but her interest in plots extended far beyond that graveyard to romance, murder, and intrigue.

From Regency England to a woman’s-eye-view of Mad Men’s 1960s Manhattan, Rosemary has an insight and knack for the manners, mores, and the precise lingo of various times and places, which probably explains why in high school she took home the trophy for Vocabulary Student of the Year.

An anglophile since she was a child in Richmond, Virginia, Rosemary never dreamed that one day she would be compared to two of her favorite authors:

Cross Agatha Christie with Georgette Heyer and what do you get? Rosemary Stevens! --Jane Detinger, Mystery Guild.

Her love of Heyer's works inspired Rosemary to research and write about the English Regency period in 1994, resulting in her first novel, A Crime of Manners, publsihed by Fawcett, a division of Ballantine Books. The first in the Cats of Mayfair series, A Crime of Manners was a finalist for the HOLT Medallion. Miss Pymbroke's Rules, Lord & Master, and How the Rogue Stole Christmas completed the lighthearted Romance series.

Rosemary’s ongoing, extensive research led to her fascination with Regency celebrity, George Bryan “Beau” Brummell. While he made cameo appearances in each of Rosemary’s previous books, she decided that a gentleman of his intelligence and wit would surely solve crimes. That idea grew into the Beau Brummell Mystery series, published by Berkley Prime Crime. The first book, Death on a Silver Tray, appeared on the Independent Mystery Bookseller’s Association bestseller list multiple times, and won both the Agatha (Christie) Award for Best First Mystery and Romantic Times Award for Best First Mystery. Three more books in the series followed: The Tainted Snuff Box, The Bloodied Cravat, and Murder in the Pleasure Gardens. The Brummell books feature a mix of real historical personages and fictional characters.

Witty and stylish mysteries with good historical background. The writing is as elegant as Beau Brummell himself.
–M.C. Beaton aka Marion Chesney.

Switching gears to 1964 New York City, Rosemary authored a set of popular romantic mysteries featuring the adventures of small town secretary Elizabeth "Bebe" Bennett and her stewardess roommate Darlene and how they navigate the swingin' big city. Originally publsihed by Signet books under the name Rosemary Martin, the first book, It's A Mod, Mod, Mod, Mod Murder, was listed by the New York Post as Required Reading. Two other books, Twist and Shout Murder, and Secret Agent Girl, complete the series.

After five years in Los Angeles, Rosemary currently makes her home in the mountains of Virginia. All of her books are now available as ebooks.