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Mary Lawrence

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Mary Lawrence

Goodreads Author


Born
in The United States
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Influences
Hilary Mantel, Dennis Lehane, Patricia Finney, Nanci Kincaid, David Li ...more

Member Since
March 2012


The Bianca Goddard Mysteries are set in Tudor London during the final years of King Henry VIII's reign. Bianca is the daughter of an infamous alchemist who uses her 'wits' and some alchemy to solve murders among the commoners. The series consists of THE ALCHEMIST'S DAUGHTER, DEATH OF AN ALCHEMIST, DEATH AT ST. VEDAST, THE ALCHEMIST OF LOST SOULS and THE LOST BOYS OF LONDON. All of the titles have reached the top 100 best-selling historical mysteries category on Amazon, with THE ALCHEMIST'S DAUGHTER reaching #1.

I grew up in Indiana and live and farm in Maine. For over 25 years I worked in hospitals and labs as a cytotechnologist. Writing helped me escape my boredom and I became interested in Tudor history. On the side, I wrote indexes for pu
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Popular Answered Questions

Mary Lawrence Hi Sheri,
Thanks for following the series! The finished manuscript is due on my editor's desk March 1. I'm hoping I can push them to get it out in 2018…more
Hi Sheri,
Thanks for following the series! The finished manuscript is due on my editor's desk March 1. I'm hoping I can push them to get it out in 2018. But the first draft is done and I'm cleaning it up now. No title has been decided yet. That's up to marketing and my editor. (less)
Mary Lawrence Hi Kathy,
So far, 5 are contracted. I haven't decided if that is going to be it or not; of course it depends on Kensington, too. I have an idea for a d…more
Hi Kathy,
So far, 5 are contracted. I haven't decided if that is going to be it or not; of course it depends on Kensington, too. I have an idea for a different story set in the same time period. I'm just playing it by ear right now. (less)
Average rating: 3.69 · 2,184 ratings · 508 reviews · 8 distinct worksSimilar authors
The Alchemist's Daughter (B...

3.47 avg rating — 1,343 ratings — published 2015 — 3 editions
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Death of an Alchemist (Bian...

3.88 avg rating — 316 ratings — published 2016 — 3 editions
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Death at St. Vedast (Bianca...

3.90 avg rating — 231 ratings — published 2016 — 2 editions
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The Alchemist of Lost Souls...

4.27 avg rating — 142 ratings — published 2019 — 2 editions
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The Lost Boys of London (Bi...

4.40 avg rating — 118 ratings — published 2020 — 5 editions
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Fool

4.32 avg rating — 34 ratings — published 2026 — 2 editions
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Fool: A Tudor Jester's reck...

0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
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Some insight into Fool

Curious about the book? My interview with IndieReader might answer some questions. IndieReader interview
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Published on April 23, 2026 10:41 Tags: fool, foolthebook, historicalfiction, indiebook, tudorfiction
The Alchemist's Daughter Death of an Alchemist Death at St. Vedast The Alchemist of Lost Souls The Lost Boys of London
(5 books)
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3.68 avg rating — 2,151 ratings

Mary’s Recent Updates

Fool by Mary Lawrence
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Mary Lawrence is now following
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Infidel by Nicola   Harris
"This is my novel. I wrote it. I should not be revewing it but I am because thats how the system works. I have seen lots of other authors doing this to get their work noticed. I hate doing it. It's spammy and a bit cringe but there we are."
Mary Lawrence and 1 other person liked Stanley McShane's review of Fool:
Fool by Mary Lawrence
"Read my full review on Rosepoint Publishing.

It’s the chaos of the brutally waning days of King Henry VIII, his court confronting conflict on all sides. It’s a book steeped in era atmospherics—with meticulous historical research, intricately interwov" Read more of this review »
The Alchemist of Lost Souls by Mary Lawrence
"This another wonderful Bianca Goddard mystery, set in Tudor London. I have read all of the series so far and been enthralled by all. As a retired research biochemist, I was drawn to the series because of science background and also because it was set" Read more of this review »
Mary Lawrence rated a book really liked it
The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino
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I had recently seen a recommendation of Higashino's second book, but I wanted to start with the first, having read the stellar reviews about the author's ability.
Higashino takes a novel approach by showing us the murderer in the inciting crime. His
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Raleigh by Tony Riches
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I've always been curious about Sir Walter Raleigh and I don't believe I could have found a more thorough retelling of his life story, than Tony Riches' Raleigh. Told in a first person narrative, we are immediately placed in the man's shoes as we expe ...more
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Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor
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The Famine Ships by Edward Laxton
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The Graves Are Walking by John     Kelly
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Quotes by Mary Lawrence  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“If only one man is left standing, a bribe cannot bite.”
Mary Lawrence, The Alchemist's Daughter
tags: deceit

“Writers have to be tenacious to the point of being pathological. Rejection and criticism is assured.”
Mary Lawrence, The Alchemist's Daughter

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
2026 Reading Chal...: Ilona's 2015 Reading Challenge 10 69 Jul 04, 2015 04:40AM  
Historical Myster...: This topic has been closed to new comments. New Releases in Historical Mysteries (2015) 56 107 Sep 18, 2015 06:35AM  
Cozy Mysteries : 2015 SUMMER Challenge 156 181 Sep 24, 2015 03:00PM  
2026 Reading Chal...: 3rd & 4th Quarter Challenge: Goodreads Choice Awards 229 529 Jan 02, 2016 03:46AM  
Cozy Mysteries : January 2016 15 114 Jan 15, 2016 10:00AM  
The Life of a Boo...: This topic has been closed to new comments. What to read in June 2016 44 187 May 08, 2016 07:44AM  
Cozy Mysteries : This topic has been closed to new comments. What Cozy Mystery are you currently reading? 6089 2190 May 23, 2016 02:06AM  
Cozy Mysteries : World Trip Challenge 156 426 Aug 11, 2016 06:12AM  
Historical Fictio...: This topic has been closed to new comments. December Nominations: HF Freebie! 77 244 Dec 27, 2016 04:47PM  
“If you can't annoy somebody, there is little point in writing.”
Kingsley Amis, Lucky Jim

“The first thing that distinguishes a writer is that he is most alive when alone.”
Martin Amis (Author)

“Writers are the most pathetic souls when it comes to expressing their personal feelings. Their personalities are as complex as the characters they have weaved. And in a curious way, without them really knowing it, writers are the sum total of the characters they created in their heads or in their writings. Yes, My Dear Tania; writers are capable of reflecting their characters, even though most of them are determined to be just like your ordinary guy next door.”
Janvier Chouteu-Chando

“If you get stuck, get away from your desk. Take a walk, take a bath, go to sleep, make a pie, draw, listen to ­music, meditate, exercise; whatever you do, don't just stick there scowling at the problem. But don't make telephone calls or go to a party; if you do, other people's words will pour in where your lost words should be. Open a gap for them, create a space. Be patient.”
Hilary Mantel

“They misunderestimated me.”
George W. Bush

220 Goodreads Librarians Group — 321546 members — last activity 3 minutes ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more
9749 Tudor History Lovers — 3129 members — last activity Apr 19, 2026 04:42PM
Anyone who enjoys historical fiction or history books about Tudor England will like this group. Whether you have been all the way to England just to t ...more
8102 Historical Mystery Lovers — 1589 members — last activity 3 hours, 32 min ago
""Come, Watson, come! The game is afoot." ~Sherlock Holmes (The Adventure of the Abbey Grange) This group is dedicated to the discussion and sharing ...more
22454 Historical Fictionistas — 16156 members — last activity 4 hours, 34 min ago
Welcome to Historical Fictionistas! We want to experience all different kinds of HF with all different kinds of people. The more diverse, the better. ...more
31471 THE Group for Authors! — 13015 members — last activity Apr 22, 2026 06:28PM
This is a group for authors to discuss their craft, as well as publishing and book marketing.
88212 A Good Thriller — 22369 members — last activity 41 minutes ago
We share a passion for action-packed, gripping, exciting, tense thrillers and mysteries, a genre rich with talented authors. We invite you to share yo ...more
50920 Beta Reader Group — 29874 members — last activity 8 hours, 41 min ago
A place to connect writers with beta readers. Sometimes writers get so involved in the plot they can't see the wood for the trees. Hang on a sec'--th ...more
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