E.M. Powell

E. M. Powell is an Irish-born author of historical thrillers and medieval mysteries. Born and raised in County Cork, she comes from the wider family of Irish revolutionary leader Michael Collins and now lives in northwest England. Her novels are grounded in the political, religious and legal structures of twelfth-century England and Ireland, combining detailed historical research with murder, conspiracy and fast-moving suspense. Her work has appeared on the Amazon and German Bild bestseller lists.

Powell’s Fifth Knight trilogy follows Sir Benedict Palmer through the reign of Henry II, beginning with a conspiracy surrounding the murder of Thomas Becket and later moving into royal intrigue and the English invasion of Ireland. Her Stanton and Barling mysteries feature King’s clerk Aelred Barling and his assistant Hugo Stanton investigating crimes under Henry II’s developing system of royal justice. The series comprises The King’s Justice, The Monastery Murders and The Canterbury Murders, using village communities, monasteries and cathedral construction sites to explore medieval law, faith, social hierarchy and political authority.