Anthony Horowitz

Anthony Horowitz, OBE (born 5 April 1955) is a novelist and screenwriter specialising in mystery and suspense. His work for young adult readers includes The Diamond Brothers series, the Alex Rider series, and The Power of Five series (aka The Gatekeepers). His work for adults includes the novel and play Mindgame (2001), and two Sherlock Holmes novels The House of Silk (2011) and Moriarty (2014). He is the most recent author chosen to write a James Bond novel by the Ian Fleming estate, titled Trigger Mortis. He has also written for television, contributing scripts to ITV's Agatha Christie's Poirot and Midsomer Murders. He was the creator and writer of the ITV series Foyle's War, Collision and Injustice.

Background and personal life

Horowitz was born in Paddington, London, into a wealthy Jewish family, and in his early years lived an upper-middle class lifestyle. As an overweight and unhappy child, Horowitz enjoyed reading books from his father's library. At the age of 8, Horowitz was sent to Orley Farm, a boarding preparatory school in Harrow, Middlesex. There, he entertained his peers by telling them the stories he had read. Horowitz described his time in the school as "a brutal experience", recalling that he was often beaten by the headmaster. At age 13 he went on to Rugby School, a public school in Rugby, Warwickshire, and discovered a love for writing.