Jerrold published her first book, a work of verse, at the age of fifteen. This was the start of a long and prolific writing career characterized by numerous stylistic shifts. In 1929 she published the first of two classic and influential whodunits. The Studio Crime gained her immediate acceptance into the recently-formed but highly prestigious Detection Club.
Ianthe Jerrold subsequently moved on from pure whodunnits to write novels ranging from romantic fiction to psychological thrillers. She continued writing and publishing her fiction into the 1970s.
