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ⓘ About Emma Lathen
Emma Lathen is the pseudonym that was used by a couple of American authors named Martha Henissart and Mary Jane Latsis for writing mystery and thriller novels. The two were also businesswomen in their professional lives, one working as an economist analyst while the other as an attorney. Mary was born on July 12, 1927 and died on October 29, 1997; while Martha was born in the year 1929. She had received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the Mount Holyoke College in the year 1950, with the subject of physics. The two authors met each other at Harvard as graduate students. Under the pen name of Lathen, they have written a number of mystery books starring the main character of Putnam Thatcher. They have described him as a banker on Wall Street.
All Book Series by Emma Lathen
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Emma Lathen?
Emma Lathen is the pseudonym that was used by a couple of American authors named Martha Henissart and Mary Jane Latsis for writing mystery and thriller novels. The two were also businesswomen in their professional lives, one working as an economist analyst while the other as an attorney. Mary was born on July 12, 1927 and died on October 29, 1997; while Martha was born in the year 1929.
Which Emma Lathen series should I start with?
The best place to start is the John Putnam Thatcher series, the earliest of Emma Lathen's multi-book series: it opens with Banking on Death (1961) and runs to 24 books across 1961–1997, ending with A Shark Out of Water (1997). Emma Lathen's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Emma Lathen written?
Emma Lathen has 35 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1961 and 2016. 33 of them belong to 3 named series — the largest being the John Putnam Thatcher series with 24 books — and 2 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Emma Lathen's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Emma Lathen's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are John Putnam Thatcher (1961–1997, 24 books), Ben Safford (1968–1983, 7 books) and Elizabeth Thatcher (1999–2016, 2 books).
How are Emma Lathen's books organised into series?
This guide splits Emma Lathen's 35 books into 3 named series and 2 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: John Putnam Thatcher (24 books, 1961–1997); Ben Safford (7 books, 1968–1983); Elizabeth Thatcher (2 books, 1999–2016).