Harriet Evans lives in Bath and writes historical murder mysteries under the pen name Harriet F. Townson. She worked in publishing before becoming a full-time writer.
The latest Harriet F. Townson title Murder on the Royal Crescent, a historical murder mystery, will be published on the 29th of October 2026.
Describe your latest book in one sentence.
It’s December, 1936 and Dora Wildwood, part-time detective and librarian, is called to Bath to help an old friend but ends up finding a body on the world famous Royal Crescent in exactly the same place as another body twenty years earlier...
What soundtrack do you suggest readers should listen to while they read your latest book?
Murder on the Royal Crescent is set at Christmas, so ideally A Holly Jolly Christmas by the late great Dolly Parton.
What's next?
As Harriet Evans, my real name, I’m working on the Sevenstones trilogy, about a house and a family over 50 years. The first, The Treasures, came out in July in paperback. The second, The Threads, is out in hardback next year.
And I’ve nearly finished the third Dora Wildwood mystery, which is set in Hampstead and the Lake District and involves spies, missing papers, and a dreadful tragedy the night before a wedding. It’s Gosford Park meets Miss Marple.
What was the first book you remember reading?
The Trip to Panama by Janosch. A little bear and a little tiger decide to go to Panama, but they end up walking in a circle and reaching their old house they’ve abandoned and they realise they were happy all along. It’s adorable and I still have the copy I had as a child.
Please list your top five all-time favourite books (any genre)
Too hard. But:
- Gaudy Night - Dorothy L. Sayers
- I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith
- Commonwealth - Ann Patchett
- Lolly Willowes - Sylvia Townsend Warner
- Journey to the River Sea - Eva Ibbotson
What is the most underrated crime novel, and why does it deserve more attention?
Total Eclipse by Elizabeth Rigbey. When I was an editor at Penguin my boss bought her next novel, Summertime (also an incredible novel). Total Eclipse is about a woman whose husband and stepdaughter have been murdered and everyone believes she did it. Her attorney advises her to plead guilty. But that is the first of so many layers before you get to the truth of what happened. It’s honestly one of the best books I read in my time in publishing and because she is such a fine writer and took a long time to write her books I don’t think has had the exposure she deserved.
The Gumshoe Dude sneaks into your latest story while you’re not looking. What is he doing there?
He’s welcome to stay if he can only help me work out what happens in that tricky bit when half the investigation’s still to come and I need to bring it home. Suggestions please.
And now for the quick questions:
Top book on your TBR (to-be-read)
The Moving Finger – can’t beat an autumn Agatha Christie read.
Poirot or Rebus?
Poirot please
Keyboard or pen?
Keyboard
Audio or E-book?
Audio
If you turn on the radio now, what station is playing?
BBC Radio 2 but my partner immediately turns it back to Radio 4. And repeat for the rest of the day.
And finally, your writing beverage of choice?
Coffee.
Questions ©Bonnie Burke-Patel and Anneli Meeder; Responses ©Harriet Evans, author photo ©Philippa Gedge
