Rhys was born in England, although her mother's family comes from Wales. She got an early introduction to the country when she was taken by her aunt to spend summers in a little village very like Llanfair. She grew up in Bath, England, and went to school and college in England, Austria and Germany. After completing her degree she went to work with the BBC in London, finding her niche in the drama department. Working on so many fine plays inspired her to write her own. Dandelion Hours was her first published, or in this case broadcast work. It was followed by several other radio and TV plays before the urge for sunshine drove her to work in Australia.

Taking up an offer from Australian broadcasting, she went to work in Sydney, where she met her future husband, a fellow Englishman. He was on his way to San Francisco, where they settled in 1966 and have lived ever since.

Finding nothing like the BBC existed in her part of the States, she had to turn to other directions for her creative outlets. She started writing children’s picture books. The first book won several awards and established her in a new career. Children’s books, young adult books, adult historical romances and sagas followed until she decided it was finally time to write what she enjoyed reading most... and that was mysteries. The kind of mystery that gives the reader a great sense of time and place as well as a rattling good story.

Too many books had been written about San Francisco and it was only when she was recounting tales of her childhood summers spent with relatives in North Wales that she realized she had a great setting for a mystery series. The battling ministers, the postman who read the mail, the overwhelming landlady all existed in a village very like Llanfair.

For this new venture her agent and editor suggested that she use another name, as it is so different from her other writing. She chose her Welsh grandfather’s name, Rhys Bowen. She hopes he’ll look down favorably on her tales of his native land.