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SD Sykes lives in Kent with her family and various animals. She has done everything from professional dog-walking to co-founding her own successful business. She is a graduate from Manchester University and has an MA in Writing from Sheffield Hallam. She attended the novel writing course at literary agents Curtis Brown where she was inspired to finish her first novel. She has also written for radio and has developed screenplays with Arts Council funding.
Comparisons to the master of historical crime, CJ Sansom, are inevitable and, in this case, justified. The Times The whodunnit aspect is neatly done, the family secrets and waspish relationships are intriguing, and humour and originality are abundant. Daily Mail Trouble, and its attendant duties, confront the reluctant young lord on nearly every page of this eventful, engrossing, informative mystery set in mid-14th-century Kent, England. Wall Street Journal Sykes establishes herself firmly as a major talent. Publishers Weekly Praise for PLAGUE LAND -- : There's a nice, cliche-free sharpness to Sykes' writing ... that suggests a medieval Raymond Chandler at work, and there are no phony celebrations of the peasantry or earth-mothers thrusting herbal concoctions down grateful throats. Plenty of action and interesting characters, without intervention of the libertarian modern conscience that so often wrecks the medieval historical novel. Independent The medieval CJ Sansom -- Jeffery Deaver PLAGUE LAND is a fascinating historical crime novel about a world turned upside down, inhabited by a rich cast of characters. A terrific debut and a wonderful start to a brand-new series. -- Antonia Hodgson, author of THE DEVIL IN THE MARSHALSEA Sykes has really reset the bar for medieval mysteries ... every clue brings with it unexpected twists and turns. When you think you know who the killer is, you're slapped with yet another surprise. Medievalists Sykes's debut provides everything a reader would want in a historical mystery: a gripping plot, vivid language, living and breathing characters, and an immersive depiction of the past. Publisher's Weekly Sykes offers an unusual perspective on this historical period ... She also deals realistically with the troubles of the era's women. New York Times
