Mystery, History, and Strong Heroines: 8 Gripping Books by Heather Terrell (aka Marie Benedict)

Lawyer Mara Coyne is about to take on the biggest case of her career, a case that might just make her a partner. The prestigious Beazley auction house is selling an antique Dutch masterpiece belonging to Mara’s client.

However, Hilda Baum stands in the way. Hilda is the daughter of a Dutch Jewish art collector who was killed by the Nazis who claims that the painting belonged to her father before being taken away.

To further complicate the case, Beazley’s in-house lawyer is a man Mara used to long for. 

As she begins to fall in love, Mara becomes suspicious of the case and unsure of the man at her side. This thriller combines insights into the world of Art History, Nazi Germany, and fast-paced modern Manhattan as it spans centuries to solve the mystery of one painting. 

In this second novel featuring Mara Coyne, Mara has expanded her skills as an art sleuth, getting to the bottom of the rightful ownership of artifacts. She is hired to track down a storied Chinese map that has gone missing.

Mara tracks the adventurous history of the map, from its creation in Beijing during the Ming Dynasty to its reappearance on an expedition by Portuguese explorer Vasco De Gama.

As she begins to understand the true worth of the map, Mara becomes increasingly suspicious of the man who has hired her.

As Mara hunts for the map and its history, she learns that it holds secrets that could change everything.

Saint Brigid of Kildare was the first and only priest and bishop of Ireland. Heather Terrell places Brigid at the center of a multigenerational mystery and conspiracy in this novel.

The Catholic Church is suspicious of Brigid and her large following and unconventional ways, so they send Brother Decius to record proof of Brigid’s heresy. Decius is shocked to find a warm and welcoming environment in the Abbey of Kildare.

Brigid tasks him with writing a most important and influential manuscript that works against his mission from the church. Centuries later, medieval artifact appraiser Alexandra Patterson is asked to look at a box belonging to the saint.

Inside, she finds the manuscript which could have far-reaching effects on the church and all of Christianity.

In this newest of Marie Benedict’s novels, five legendary women crime writers join forces to prove their worth to their male colleagues.

Set in 1930s England, the five queens of crime—Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy—decide that in order to show their merit as crime writers they must solve a real murder

The case: a young British nurse has been murdered in France after being snatched from a busy train station. As the women get deeper into the dark twists of the crime they find that solving a murder is much different than writing one.

As unsavory players come to light, the safety of the queens themselves starts to be threatened. 

For this spy thriller, Benedict imagines the potential life of the real-life American spy known only as Agent 355. Agent 355 was the only known female member of George Washington’s Culper Ring spy network.

Benedict’s Agent 355 is a woman named Elizabeth Morris.

When Elizabeth is young, she notices that the British soldiers have no problem discussing important, and confidential, matters in front of women. She uses her unassuming position as a woman to her advantage by taking in all the information she can and conveying it back to the fighters for the American cause.

This book follows her dangerous and thrilling service as a spy in the early days of America. 

Marie Benedict once again fills in historical blanks regarding real people and events. In 1926, Agatha Christie, at the time a mystery star on the rise, went missing for 11 days.

When she returned, she claimed amnesia and did not give any hints as to her whereabouts. This book imagines what could have taken place during those mysterious 11 days.

Benedict imagines the details of Christie’s early life and marriage, expanding on known facts, and tracks the intense police investigation that occurred during her disappearance.

These lines cross each other as this book fictionalizes this gripping real-life mystery. 

The Mitford family was a prominent entity in mid-20th century England. The six daughters of the family were beautiful and intelligent figures in society. In this compelling and propulsive novel, Marie Benedict writes the tale of when their lives began to change.

Multiple of the sisters willingly get entangled with Nazi and fascist ideologies, with one leaving her husband to be with a fascist leader and one fully devoting herself to Hitler and his views.

The story is told through the point of view of Nancy Mitford, a novelist, and activist who is determined to do her part in opposing the Nazis while being torn between her family and her country, as the war closes in on Britain.

Actress Hedy Lamarr was one of the most prolific stars of 1940s and ‘50s Hollywood. Still today, she is known as a great actress and, notably, for her unmatched beauty.

Marie Benedict tackles the unique and often untold story of this sensational woman, too often remembered just for her appearance and not her accomplishments as a scientist and inventor.

Born in Europe, Lamarr overhears the strategic planning of Nazi officials in Berlin. Once she runs away to America, she has an idea for an invention that could be used against the Nazis and to improve communication worldwide.

This is the exhilarating and long overdue story of a woman’s fight to get her ideas heard in the face of world war and of a brilliant mind overlooked in favor of beauty.