About Gwendoline Butler

Gwendoline Butler, née Williams (19 August 1922 – 5 January 2013) was a British writer of mystery fiction and romance novels since 1956, she also used the pseudonym Jennie Melville. Credited for inventing the "woman's police procedural", is well known for her series of Inspector John Coffin novels as Gwendoline Butler, and by female detective Charmian Daniels as Jennie Melville.

Born Gwendoline Williams on 19 August 1922 in South London, England, daughter of Alice (Lee) and Alfred Edward Williams.,her younger twin brothers are also authors. She was educated at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, where she read History, and later lectured there.

On 16 October 1949, she married Dr Lionel Harry Butler[2] (1923–1981), a professor of medieval history at University of St. Andrews and historian, Fellow of All Souls and Principal of Royal Holloway College. The marriage had a daughter, Lucilla Butler.