Tessa Arlen

Tessa Arlen is an award-winning English author from Chiltern Hills, England best known for the writing of historical mystery series of novels. Arlen is the daughter of a British diplomat and while she was for the most part brought up in England, she spent a lot of time visiting her parents on their postings in continental Europe, India, and Asia. Her Lady Montfort Mystery series are set in the airy beech woods, rolling hills, and flint stone villages, which epitomize the pastoral beauty of the England. While her works has been compared to that of Downton Abey, she asserts that her biggest influences have been the likes of Richard Adams and Kenneth Grahame, who have written works with some of the most detailed and vivid descriptions of England. Her inspiration for her wickedly funny and eccentric characters is an influence from the likes of Nancy Mitford and E.F. Benson. She published the first novel in the Lady Montfort mystery series “Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman” in 2015. The novel was nominated for a Best First Novel of 2016 at the Agatha Awards. The series is still ongoing with a title published every year since 2015. Her historical mystery series are set in the early years of the 20th century, and feature the Countess of Montfort, Clementine Talbot, who resolves a range of mysteries with the help of Mrs. Edith Jackson her redoubtable housekeeper.