Karen Maitland is a British author renowned for her medieval thriller fiction. She was born in 1956 and holds an honours degree in Human Communication, along with a doctorate in Psycholinguistics.

Some of her notable works include The White Room published in 1996, Company of Liars published in 2008, and The Owl Killers published in 2009. She is also known for The Gallows' Curse, released in March 2011 by Penguin Books.

Karen has collaborated with several medieval crime writers like Bernard Knight, Ian Morson, Susanna Gregory, and Philip Gooden on the Medieval Murderers series. Additionally, she has edited various cross-cultural books like "Poems of Cultural Diversity" and "Cinders in the Wind".

Despite being dyslexic, Karen Maitland has made significant contributions to literature. She resides in the historic city of Lincoln, near Sherwood Forest, although she also spends time in Devon, close to Dartmoor.