Edith Mary Pargeter, BEM was a prolific author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translations of Czech classics; she is probably best known for her murder mysteries, both historical and modern. Born in the village of Horsehay , she had Welsh ancestry, and many of her short stories and books were set in Wales and its borderlands, and/or have Welsh protagonists.

During World War II, she worked in an administrative role in the Women's Royal Naval Service, and received the British Empire Medal - BEM.