Fiona Veitch Smith

Fiona Veitch Smith writes Golden Age mysteries and historical fiction. Her latest series, The Miss Clara Vale Mysteries, is about a lady forensic scientist who inherits a detective agency, set in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1929. The Miss Clara Vale Mysteries are published by Embla Books (Bonnier UK). The Picture House Murders (which reached #1 on Amazon’s historical mystery bestseller chart )and The Pantomime Murders were released in 2023 and The Pyramid Murders will come out in May 2024.

Fiona made her mark in the historical crime fiction world with her Poppy Denby Investigates books (Lion Fiction), set in the Roaring Twenties, which immerse readers in the culture of the time, while weaving intricate mysteries packed with whodunits and red herrings. Book 1, The Jazz Files, was shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger, while subsequent books have been shortlisted for the Foreword Review Mystery Novel of the Year and the People’s Book Prize.

The Poppy Denby books are being re-released with new titles and covers by Embla Books. The first in the series is A Front-Page Murder (previously The Jazz Files).

Fiona has also written for the children’s picture book market, with 14 books published by SPCK.

When not writing, Fiona mentors other novelists and was formerly the Communications Manager for the Crime Writers’ Association. Prior to that she worked as a journalist (in South Africa and the UK) and lectured in journalism at Newcastle University. She also spent seven years lecturing in creative and dramatic writing at Northumbria University and has previously managed a travelling theatre company. She now lives in Newcastle upon Tyne with her husband and teenage daughter. She loves her dogs and has a passion for cheesecake, Pilates and playing the clarinet – preferably not at the same time!

She is represented by Sara Keane of Keane Kataria Literary Agency

CWA Awards

CWA Historical Dagger - Shortlisted

Other Awards

Shortlisted for The People’s Book Prize, mystery category, winter 2018/19, for The Cairo Brief.
Finalist in the Forword Indie Prize, mystery category 2017 for The Kill Fee.
Winner of the People’s Play Award for black comedy murder mystery, Pig Stew, 2010.