Marie Belloc Lowndes

Marie Belloc Lowndes (1854–1947) was an English novelist and journalist, born in London to a French father and English mother. She began her career writing for periodicals and published over 40 novels, many blending suspense with social observation. Her most famous work, "The Lodger" (1913), was inspired by the Jack the Ripper murders and became a landmark in crime fiction, later adapted into a classic silent film by Alfred Hitchcock. Lowndes also wrote "The Story of Ivy" (1927), a psychological drama of marital manipulation. Her literary legacy lies in her pioneering use of domestic settings to explore criminal psychology, influencing the development of the psychological thriller. She was the sister of the writer Hilaire Belloc and remained active in literary circles until her death in 1947.