Mary Elizabeth Braddon Mary Elizabeth Brandon was one of the most popular novelists of the Victorian era, born on 4 October 1835, in London. Her mother Fanny White was an Irish lady and father Henry Brandon was a Cornish solicitor. She got education at home as her mother ws living in separation from her father. In her early life, she adopted acting as a career. Her first novel The Trail of the Serpent was published in 1861. In 1862, she created a sensation by writing world-famous murder mystery, The Lady Audley's Secret and earned name and fame in the literary world. She wrote more than 70 novels and a number of plays. She died on 4 February 1915. Her notable works - The Christmas Hirelings, The Doctor's Wife, The Trail of the Serpent, Lady Audley's Secret, Aurora Floyd, The Cold Embrace, The Golden Calf, The Lawyer's Secret, Run to Earth etc. Read More Read Less