World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Carolyn Hart

キャロリン・ハート

Carolyn Hart

Aliases: Carolyn G. Hart / Carolyn Gimpel

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (birthplace and long-term residence) → Broward's Rock, South Carolina (fictional setting used in works)

Career

Occupations
novelist, mystery writer, journalist
Active Years
1965-
Affiliations
Sisters in Crime (past president), Mystery Writers of America (member)
Memberships
Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America

Education

University of Oklahoma
Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication / Journalism
Degree: 学士
Period: 1954–1958
Year of Graduation: 1958
Country: United States
Phi Beta Kappa member

Awards

Mystery Writers of America Grand Master
2014
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: 受賞
Malice Domestic Lifetime Achievement Award
2007
Organization: Malice Domestic
Result: 受賞
Malice Domestic Guest of Honor
1997
Organization: Malice Domestic
Result: 受賞
Oklahoma Center for the Book award for fiction
2001
Organization: Oklahoma Center for the Book
Result: 受賞
Oklahoma Center for the Book Lifetime Achievement Award
2004
Organization: Oklahoma Center for the Book
Result: 受賞
Agatha Award (multiple nominations and wins)
Organization: Malice Domestic / Agatha Award organizers
Result: 複数受賞・複数ノミネート
Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original (multiple nominations and wins)
Category: Best Paperback Original
Organization: Bouchercon (Anthony Award)
Result: 複数受賞・複数ノミネート
Macavity Award for Best Paperback Original
Category: Best Paperback Original
Organization: Mystery Readers International
Result: 受賞（複数回）
Distinguished Alumnus (Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication)
Organization: Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication
Result: 受賞
Library of Congress National Book Festival (featured author)
2003
Organization: Library of Congress
Result: 招待/フィーチャー
Library of Congress National Book Festival (featured author)
2007
Organization: Library of Congress
Result: 招待/フィーチャー
Ridley Pearson Award for significant contribution to the mystery field
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Death on Demand

1987 cozy mystery / detective fiction

The first in a long-running series featuring Annie Laurance, proprietor of the Death on Demand bookstore on the fictional island community of Broward's Rock; a cozy, character-driven mystery series.

small island communitylove of books and bookstoresfemale protagonistsfriendship and community

Letter from Home

2003 historical novel / World War II

A standalone World War II novel that explores human relationships and experiences during the war; nominated for recognition by local literary organizations.

wartime relationshipsfamilymemory and loss

Dead Man's Island

1993 mystery (Henrie O series)

A Henrie O mystery featuring 70-something retired newswoman Henrie O'Dwyer Collins; adapted as a TV movie in 1996.

age and experienceindependent elderly female protagonisttravel and sleuthing
Adaptations
  • [TV movie] Dead Man's Island (TV movie) (1996)

Ghost at Work

2008 ghost mystery / whimsical mystery (Bailey Ruth Raeburn series)

First in the Bailey Ruth Raeburn series: the ghost of a woman killed at sea returns to help her fictional hometown and solves mysteries while adapting to earthly existence.

afterlife interacting with the livinglocal communityhumor and light supernatural elements

Bibliography

  • Death on Demand series (1987– )
  • Henrie O series (1993–2007)
  • Bailey Ruth Raeburn series (2008– )
  • Numerous standalone and young adult books (1965–1972 etc.)

Adaptations

  • Dead Man's Island (TV movie, 1996)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
cozy, character-driven prosewarmth and gentle humor in narrationdetailed evocations of bookstores and small-town life
Recurring Motifs
books and bookstorescommunity tiesolder female protagonistssecrets from the past

Legacy

Carolyn Hart is known for decades of work in mystery fiction, especially cozy mysteries and strong portrayals of female protagonists. She has received numerous awards and nominations in the mystery field; being named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 2014 is considered a pinnacle honor.

Academic Societies

  • Mystery Writers of America
  • Sisters in Crime

Quotes

  • At age eleven I decided I wanted to be a newspaper reporter.
    Source: Sooner Magazine (interview summary) (2007)

Trivia

  • Born Carolyn Gimpel; also published as Carolyn G. Hart.
  • Commercial breakthrough in adult mystery fiction came with Death on Demand (1987).
  • Author of approximately 63 books (as reported in source material).