Carolyn Kirby’s debut The Conviction of Cora Burns is a thriller about the origins of psychology set in 19th century Birmingham. The Sunday Mirror called it  “a great historical novel with bite,” and the book was long-listed for the HWA 2019 Debut Crown Award. Her next novel, When We Fall, is a dark love story inspired by the Katyn massacres of 1940. The book was chosen by the Times as one of the ten best historical novels of 2020. Ravenglass, an 18th century adventure into identity, will be published in September 2025.

Carolyn read history at St Hilda’s College, Oxford and she is now on the programme committee for the Hilda’s Crime Fiction Weekend, a world-renowned literary event held each year in the college.