Lana Hutton Bowen-Judd was a British mystery writer, better known under her pseudonym Sara Woods, but using also the pen names of Anne Burton, Mary Challis, and Margaret Leek.

Biography

Born at Bradford

Bradford

Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...

, Yorkshire

Yorkshire

Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, she was educated at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Filey

Filey

Filey is a small town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the borough of Scarborough and is located between Scarborough and Bridlington on the North Sea coast. Although it started out as a fishing village, it has a large beach and is a popular tourist resort...

, Yorkshire.

During World War II, she worked in a bank and as a solicitor's clerk in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, where she gained much of the information later used in her novels. She married Anthony George Bowen-Judd on 25 April 1946, and ran with her husband a pig breeding farm between 1948 and 1954. In 1957 they moved to Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. There she worked as a registrar for St. Mary's University

Saint Mary's University (Halifax)

Saint Mary's University is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada. The school is best known for having nationally lead programs in Business, Astronomy and International Development Studies as well, one of the best football and Men's hockey programs in Canada .The campus is situated in Halifax's...

 until 1964. In 1961 she wrote her first novel, Bloody Instructions, introducing the hero of forty-nine of her mysteries, Anthony Maitland, an English barrister.

Lana Bowen-Judd was a member of the Society of Authors

Society of Authors

The Society of Authors is a trade union for professional writers that was founded in 1884 to protect the rights of writers and fight to retain those rights .It has counted amongst its members and presidents numerous notable writers and poets including Tennyson The Society of Authors (UK) is a...

 in England, the Authors League of America, the Mystery Writers of America

Mystery Writers of America

Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....

, and the English Crime Writers' Association

Crime Writers' Association

The Crime Writers Association is a writers' association in the United Kingdom. Founded by John Creasey in 1953, it is currently chaired by Peter James and claims 450+ members....

. She was also instrumental in forming the Crime Writers of Canada

Crime Writers of Canada

Crime Writers of Canada is a national organization for Canadian crime writers, founded by Howard Engel.-Arthur Ellis Awards:Its annual awards are the Arthur Ellis Awards. The award statue itself is wooden model of a hanging man. The arms and legs move when the statue's string is pulled.The award is...

, serving on its first executive committee.

Her last years she lived with her husband at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

Niagara-on-the-Lake is a Canadian town located in Southern Ontario where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region of the southern part of the province of Ontario. It is located across the Niagara river from Youngstown, New York, USA...

. She died in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, in 1985.

Books

• writing as Sara Woods, featuring Anthony Maitland, barrister
  • Bloody Instructions (1961)
  • Malice Domestic (1962)
  • Error of the Moon (1963)
  • The Taste of Fears (also published as The Third Encounter) (1963)
  • The Little Measure (1964)
  • Trusted Like the Fox (1964)
  • Let's Choose Executors (1965)
  • Though I Know She Lies (1965)
  • The Windy Side of the Law (1965)
  • Enter Certain Murderers (1966)
  • And Shame the Devil (1967)
  • The Case Is Altered (1967)
  • Knives Have Edges (1968)
  • Past Praying For (1968)
  • Tarry and Be Hanged (1969)
  • An Improbable Fiction (1970)
  • The Knavish Crows (1971)
  • Serpent's Tooth (1971)
  • They Love Not Poison (1972)
  • Enter the Corpse (1973)
  • Yet She Must Die (1973)
  • Done to Death (1974)
  • A Show of Violence (1975)
  • My Life Is Done (1976)
  • The Law's Delay (1977)
  • A Thief or Two (1977)
  • Exit Murderer (1978)
  • Proceed to Judgement (1979)
  • This Fatal Writ (1979)
  • They Stay for Death (1980)
  • Weep for Her (1980)
  • Cry Guilty (1981)
  • Dearest Enemy (1981)
  • Enter a Gentlewoman (1982)
  • Most Grievous Murder (1982)
  • Villains by Necessity (1982)
  • Call Back Yesterday (1983)
  • The Lie Direct (1983)
  • Where Should He Die? (1983)
  • The Bloody Book of Law (1984)
  • Defy the Devil (1984)
  • Murder's out of Tune (1984)
  • Away with Them to Prison (1985)
  • An Obscure Grave (1985)
  • Put Out the Light (1985)
  • Most Deadly Hate (1986)
  • Nor Live So Long (1986)
  • Naked Villainy (1987)

• writing as Mary Challis, featuring Jeremy Locke
  • Burden of Proof (1980)
  • Crimes Past (1980)
  • The Ghost of an Idea (1981)
  • A Very Good Hater (1981)

• writing as Anne Burton, featuring Richard Trenton
  • The Dear Departed (1980)
  • Where There's a Will (1980)
  • Worse Than a Crime (1981)

• writing as Margaret Leek, featuring Anne Marryat (assisted by her husband, Stephen)
  • The Healthy Grave (1980)
  • We Must Have a Trial (1980)
  • Voice of the Past (1981)