Elspeth Latimer

Shortlisted for the 2026 Crime Writers' Association ILP John Creasey First Novel Dagger. Elspeth Latimer lives with her family in the Brecks, at the heart of East Anglia. The haunting beauty of this landscape inspired her to write 'The Lost Detective', a murder mystery, which was also shortlisted for the international Bath Novel Award. A gripping story of loss and redemption, 'The Lost Detective' has been described as "A superb crime debut" (Lee Child), "Luminous, haunting, humane" (Ashley Hickson-Lovence), and "A sophisticated, multi-layered mystery" (Harriet Tyce). Elspeth is originally from Edinburgh, where she ran a successful architecture practice, before her passion for books prompted a career change. She has a Prose Fiction MA along with a PhD on crime series, from the University of East Anglia. As well as being an author, she is a creative writing tutor and researcher, and her guide to crime series, 'Writing the Detectives', is published by Cambridge University Press. Elspeth loves photographing and writing about Norfolk and Suffolk. Most weekends she can be found exploring forgotten paths, crumbling ruins, hushed forests, and waterlogged fens, in search of hidden stories. You can follow her on Instagram, Threads, Facebook & Buesky, where she shares photos and updates.