Lyndsay Faye is an American novelist and Sherlockian. She is known for her works of period fiction, which draw variously on mystery, historical fiction, and classical literature. Her novel, The Gods of Gotham, published in 2012, was named "the year’s best mystery novel" by the American Library Association,[1] and was nominated for the Edgar Award[2] for Best Novel.

Lyndsay Faye
Born1980
Redwood City, California
OccupationAuthor
NationalityAmerican
GenreHistorical thrillers
Sherlockiana
Notable worksDust and Shadow (2009)
Jane Steele (2016)
SpouseNicholas Anderson
Website
https://www.lyndsayfaye.com/

Her Sherlockiana includes Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson,[3] and The Whole Art of Detection: Lost Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes.

Early life and education

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Having discovered Arthur Conan Doyle's creation Sherlock Holmes when she was 10,[4][5] her interest in the famous sleuth continues to be part of her life as a member of both The Baker Street Irregulars and Baker Street Babes.[4][6] Faye described the debt all mystery authors owe to Conan Doyle saying "You can’t escape Sherlock Holmes as a mystery writer. You simply cannot. It would be like trying to deal with astrophysics without Newton or modern art without Picasso."[7]

Faye attended R. A. Long High School.[2]

Novelist

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Faye's debut novel, Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson, was published in 2009. Caleb Carr said of this book: "At long last, an author of rare talent combines a thorough, enthusiastic knowledge of the Sherlock Holmes canon with truly rigorous research into, and respect for, what remains one of the greatest and most horrifying unsolved murder cases in modern history: the Jack the Ripper killings."[8]

Faye's Timothy Wilde series includes three books: The Gods of Gotham, Seven for a Secret, and The Fatal Flame. Set in New York City in the 1840s, the trilogy's protagonist, Timothy Wilde, is a 27-year-old former bartender who is a policeman in New York’s newly formed police force.[9]

2016's Jane Steele "reimagines Charlotte Brontë’s heroine as a killer".[10] The Paragon Hotel, published in 2019, is set in 1921 in Portland, Oregon. Publishers Weekly called The King of Infinite Space, published in 2021, an "enthralling riff on Hamlet, set in contemporary New York City".[11]

Journalist

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Faye has written book reviews for The New York Times.[12][13][14]

Philanthropy

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Faye served as a mentor with Girls Write Now.[15][16] She also chaired the annual Baker Street Babes auction to benefit the Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust.[17]

Bibliography

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Novels

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  • Faye, Lyndsay (2016). Jane Steele (hardcover 1st ed.). G. P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 978-0399169496.
  • Faye, Lyndsay (2019). The Paragon Hotel (hardcover 1st ed.). G. P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 978-0735210752.
  • Faye, Lyndsay (2021). The King of Infinite Space (hardcover 1st ed.). G. P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 978-0525535898.

Sherlock Holmes

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Timothy Wilde series

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References

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  1. ^ Slape, Leslie (January 28, 2013). "Lyndsay Faye's 'Gods of Gotham' wins Library Association award". Tor.com. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Slape, Leslie (May 3, 2013). "No prize, but Longview's Lyndsay Faye 'felt like a princess' at Edgar Awards". Tor.com. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  3. ^ Klingener, Nancy (January 6, 2014). "When Faced with Impossible Options: a conversation with Lyndsay Faye". The Key West Literary Seminar. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Claire, Nancy (September 15, 2013). "Sherlockian Girl Goes Wilde: An Interview with Lyndsay Faye". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  5. ^ "Interview with Lyndsay Faye". La gazette du 221 B (in French). 2019-07-09. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  6. ^ "Lyndsay « The Baker Street Babes". bakerstreetbabes.com. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  7. ^ Konnikova, Maria (June 28, 2012). "Room for magic: A conversation with Lyndsay Faye". Scientific American. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  8. ^ Dust and Shadow. 2009-12-01. ISBN 978-1-4165-8331-8.
  9. ^ "The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye". www.publishersweekly.com. January 16, 2012. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  10. ^ "Jane Steele: A Confession by Lyndsay Faye". www.publishersweekly.com. February 15, 2016. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  11. ^ "The King of Infinite Space by Lyndsay Faye". www.publishersweekly.com. February 26, 2021. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  12. ^ "A Literary Cocktail of Gun Molls, Rotgut Moonshine and Skittering Shadows (Published 2019)". 2019-05-31. Archived from the original on 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  13. ^ "Taxidermy, Velvet and Candlelight: A Lush Victorian Horror Story (Published 2019)". 2019-07-26. Archived from the original on 2022-12-05. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  14. ^ "8 Years After 'The Night Circus,' Erin Morgenstern Has a New Novel (Published 2019)". 2019-10-25. Archived from the original on 2024-02-24. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  15. ^ gwnteam (2014-07-01). "Penguin Random House Global Walk for Girls Write Now". Girls Write Now. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  16. ^ gwnteam (2013-09-10). "You Go Girl! Mentor and Mentee Accomplishments". Girls Write Now. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  17. ^ "Announcing: The Daintiest Thing Under a Palm Tree Beach Party! « The Baker Street Babes". bakerstreetbabes.com. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
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