Maureen Jennings | |
---|---|
Born | [1] Birmingham, United Kingdom [1] | April 23, 1939
Occupation | Writer |
Nationality | British Canadian [2] |
Notable works | Murdoch Mysteries series |
Maureen Ann Jennings OC (born 23 April 1939) is a British Canadian writer best known for the Detective Murdoch series, which formed the basis for the television show Murdoch Mysteries . [2] She is credited as a creative consultant and occasionally writer for the show.
Maureen Jennings was born and grew up in Birmingham, England. [1] [3] [4] She attended Saltley Grammar School. [2] Jennings grew up knowing little of her father, who was killed in action during World War II. Jennings emigrated to Canada with her mother when she was seventeen. [1] [2] [3] [4] She earned a BA in psychology and philosophy at Assumption University in Windsor and an MA in English literature at the University of Toronto. [1] [3] [5] Jennings initially taught in the English department at Ryerson Polytechnic Institute and later practiced as a psychotherapist. [1] [2] [5] Her first successful writing was stage plays. [6]
Jennings is best known as the author of the Detective Murdoch Series, which has been turned into a television series. [1] As of 2019, her most recent novel, Heat Wave, introduces Murdoch's son as a police detective in 1936. [7]
The television drama Bomb Girls was based on a concept Jennings developed. [8]
In 2011, Jennings received the Grant Allen Award for her ongoing contributions to Canadian crime fiction. [9] In 2024, she was given the Grand Master Award by the Crime Writers of Canada, which is given "to recognize a Canadian crime writer with a substantial body of work who has garnered national and international recognition." [10]
Jennings was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2024, with the rank of Officer. [11]
John Wilson Murray, who was appointed as Ontario's first government detective in 1875, "was an important inspiration" for Jennings and led to the development of the character William Murdoch. [12]
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