Ariana Franklin was the pen name of British writer Diana Norman. She was born as Mary Diana Narracott on 25 August 1933 and passed away on 27 January 2011. Diana Norman was a former journalist and had written several critically acclaimed biographies and historical novels. She was best known for her historical crime fiction.

She lived in Hertfordshire, England, with her husband, the film critic Barry Norman. Notably, some of her works have different titles in the UK and the US. For instance, The Death Maze is published as The Serpent's Tale in the US, Relics of the Dead is published as Grave Goods, and The Assassin's Prayer is published as A Murderous Procession.