Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert (1906 1993), better known to readers as Victoria Holt, Philippa Carr, and Jean Plaidy, was one of the world s most beloved and enduring authors. Her career spanned five decades, and she was heralded as the Queen of Romantic Suspense. She continued to write historical fiction under the name of Jean Plaidy and romantic suspense as Victoria Holt until the time of her death.