Stephanie Merritt

Stephanie Jane Merritt (born 1974 in Surrey, England) is an English literary critic, journalist, and novelist. She served as Deputy Literary Editor of The Observer from 1998 to 2005 and has contributed to publications including The Guardian, The Times, and New Statesman; under the pseudonym S.J. Parris, she writes the bestselling Giordano Bruno historical thriller series, starting with Heresy (2010), and has published novels like Gaveston (2002, Betty Trask Award winner) and the memoir The Devil Within (2008).