Caroline Lawrence grew up in Bakersfield, California. She claims that some of her ancestors were pioneers, teamsters, newspapermen and Mormons.

Caroline was a schoolmarm for ten years in London, England. Then, in 2001, she started writing history mystery stories for kids. She wrote about 20 books in a series called The Roman Mysteries.

Recently she got it into her head to write another series of books about a 12-year-old detective, P.K. Pinkerton, Private Eye. Set in Virginia City, Nevada in 1862, these aren't your ordinary Dime Novels. These books do not have a square-jawed Cowboy and his Faithful Steed. Good does not always triumph and a Bullet does not kill instantly - or sometimes at all. These are stories of prospectors, miners, actresses, saloonkeepers, gamblers, hurdy-girls, desperados and - the worst of the lot - newspapermen.

Caroline claims she did not write these books at all. She says she found them in her great grandmother's attic. But as they are set in a world which gave us the world's finest Hoax Literature, who can believe her?

By the way, just like "Mark Twain", "Artemus Ward", "Dan de Quille", "Ben Bolt" and "W. Epaminondas Adrastus Blab", her real name is not "Caroline Lawrence".

P.S. This last statement has caused some concern to Caroline's husband Richard, who did most of the illustrations in this newspaper.