Tam May is an author of historical mysteries and women’s fiction, creating stories that center on spirited, thoughtful women who shape their own lives and seek justice in eras when women often had little influence. Her fiction ranges from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century and reflects her interest in women’s history, historical true crime, and classic literature, film, art, and music.

Her books include the Adele Gossling Mysteries, cozy crime stories about an independent stationery shop owner who helps police solve crimes in a small town, and the Grave Sisters Mysteries, set in the 1920s and following three sisters who run a funeral home and become involved in investigations. The Waxwood historical fiction series follows a debutante uncovering family secrets as she comes of age in the final decade of the 19th century. May has also written Lessons From My Mother’s Life, a short story collection about postwar women seeking lives beyond the era’s conventional domestic ideal.