Doris Margaret Wetherby Williams (2 May 1901 – 9 July 1984), who wrote under the pseudonym Margaret Erskine, was a British writer of mysteries. Her more than 20 novels featured the same leading character, Inspector Septimus Finch. Williams was a member of PEN International and the Crime Writers' Association.
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Personal life
Born in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Williams grew up in Devon, England. Her parents were Thomas and Elizabeth (Erskine) Williams. She was privately educated. She died in 1984.
Critical reception
Mary Helen Becker, writing in Twentieth Century Crime and Mystery Writers, says that the Septimus Finch novels often feature large eccentric families, old houses, secret rooms, psychic phenomena, and "familiar puzzles". She rates the novels as "not really in the first rank" but "nevertheless better than many... Horrible things happen, but they are packaged for polite society."