Rosemary Aitken was born in Cornwall but spent much of her early life in New Zealand. Her professional career was spent teaching English Language and she has written a number of textbooks on this subject. Her first historical novel, The Girl from Penvarris, was published in 1995, the first in a series set in a fictional Cornish village.

Under the name Rosemary Rowe she has written a series of mysteries, set in and around the Roman town of Glevum, (modern-day Gloucester). The detective in the stories, named Libertus, is a pavement-maker, whose expertise in mosaic patterns parallels his skill in resolving puzzling crimes.

Cornish Sagas

• The Girl from Penvarris (1995)
• The Tinner's Daughter (1996)
• Cornish Harvest (1998)
• Stormy Waters (2000)
• The Silent Shore (2001)
• The Granite Cliffs (2002)

Roman Mysteries

• The Germanicus Mosaic (1999)
• A Pattern of Blood (2000)
• Murder in the Forum (2001)
• The Chariots of Calyx (2002)
• The Legatus Mystery (2003)
• The Ghosts of Glevum (2004)
• Enemies of the Empire (2005)
• A Roman Ransom (2006)
• A Coin for the Ferryman (2007)
• Death at Pompeia's Wedding (2008)

Novels

• Against the Tide (2004)
• The Tregenza Girls (2006)
• From Penvarris with Love (2008)

Text books

• Make up Your Mind (1982)
• Teaching Tenses (2002)
• Writing a Novel: A Practical Guide (2003)