Kate Charles, a past Chairman of the Crime Writers' Association and the Barbara Pym Society, is American by birth but has lived in England for many years. A former parish administrator, she sets her books against the colourful backdrop of the Church of England.
She has been co-organiser of the annual St. Hilda's Crime and Mystery Conference in Oxford since its beginnings in 1994 and was awarded the George N. Dove Award for her 'outstanding contribution to the serious study of mystery and crime fiction'. She lives on the English side of the Welsh borders with her husband and their Border Terrier.