Facts: - death place: frederick , maryland - period: 1964 -- 2013 - birth name: barbara mertz - death date: 8 august 2013 - genre: suspense , mystery , thriller - pseudonym: barbara michaels , elizabeth peters - birth date: 29 september 1927 - name: barbara mertz - nationality: american - birth place: canton , illinois - occupation: author Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of barbara mertz .
barbara mertz -lrb- september 29 , 1927 -- august 8 , 2013 -rrb- was an american author who wrote under her own name as well as under the pseudonyms elizabeth peters and barbara michaels .in 1952 she received a phd in egyptology from the university of chicago .while she was best known for her mystery and suspense novels , in the 1960s she authored two books on ancient egypt , both of which have remained in print ever since .