John Gardner (British writer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Gardner
John Gardner, circa 1984
Born	(1926-11-20)20 November 1926 Seaton Delaval, Northumberland, England
Died	3 August 2007(2007-08-03) (aged 80) Basingstoke, Hampshire, England
Occupation	Author
Nationality	British
Alma mater	St John's College, Cambridge
Period	1964–2007
Genre	Spy fiction, crime fiction
Notable works	Boysie Oakes novels; continuation James Bond novels
Spouse	Margaret Mercer (1952–1997, her death)

John Edmund Gardner (born 20 November 1926 – died 3 August 2007) was an English writer. He was famous for his spy and thriller novels. Many people know him for writing new James Bond stories. He also created the Boysie Oakes book series. Plus, he wrote three novels about Professor Moriarty, a famous villain from the Sherlock Holmes stories.

Gardner wrote more than 50 fiction books. These included 14 original James Bond novels. He also wrote the book versions of two Bond films. He passed away on 3 August 2007, likely from heart failure.

John Gardner's Early Life

John Edmund Gardner was born on 20 November 1926. This was in Seaton Delaval, a village in Northumberland, England. His father, Cyril Gardner, was a priest. His mother was Lena Henderson.

In 1933, his family moved to Wantage. John went to King Alfred's School there. During World War II, he joined the Home Guard. He was only 13 at the time.

Later, Gardner served in the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. He then joined the Royal Marines 42 Commando. He served in the Middle and Far East.

After the war, he studied at St John's College, Cambridge. He became a priest in 1953. However, he soon realized this was not the right path for him. In 1958, he left the church. He then became a drama critic for the Stratford-upon-Avon Herald newspaper. His first book, Spin the Bottle, was published in 1964.

John Gardner's Writing Career

In 1964, John Gardner started writing novels. His first book was The Liquidator. In this book, he created a character named Boysie Oakes. Boysie is a spy who is actually quite cowardly. He is afraid of violence and heights. This book was very popular. It was even made into a film called The Liquidator. Gardner wrote seven more novels and four short stories about Boysie Oakes.

After the Boysie Oakes books, Gardner created other characters. These included Derek Torry, a police inspector. He also created Herbie Kruger, who appeared in several novels. In the mid-1970s, Gardner wrote three novels about Professor Moriarty. This character is a famous villain from the Sherlock Holmes stories.

Writing James Bond Novels

In 1979, the company that owned the Ian Fleming's James Bond stories asked Gardner to write new novels. From 1981 to 1996, Gardner wrote 14 James Bond books. He also wrote the book versions of two Bond films.

Gardner wanted to make James Bond fit into the 1980s. He kept the characters' ages similar to how Ian Fleming had left them. But he did make Bond's hair a bit grey to show time had passed.

Gardner's Bond novels were very popular. Many of them appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list. This brought him great success.

Gardner had mixed feelings about being the Bond author. He once said he was grateful to keep Bond alive. But he also wished to be remembered more for his own original work. In the mid-1990s, Gardner stopped writing Bond novels. This was after he became ill. Raymond Benson then took over writing the James Bond books.

After a break from writing, Gardner returned in 2000. He wrote a new novel called Day of Absolution. He also started a new series of books. These featured a detective from the 1930s named Suzie Mountford.

John Gardner's books were recognized for their quality. Several of his novels were nominated for the Gold Dagger award. This award is given by the Crime Writers' Association.

John Gardner's Personal Life

In 1952, John Gardner married Margaret Mercer. They had two children, Simon and Alexis. Gardner also had another daughter, Miranda.

In 1989, Gardner and his family moved to the United States. While there, he was diagnosed with cancer. He returned to the UK in November 1996. Shortly after, in February 1997, his wife Margaret passed away.

When Gardner started writing again, he introduced a new character, Detective Sergeant Suzie Mountford. He named her after Patricia Mountford, an old friend. Patricia read the book and contacted Gardner. They later became engaged.

John Gardner's Death

John Gardner died on Friday, 3 August 2007. He collapsed while shopping in Basingstoke. He was taken to the hospital, where he passed away. The cause was thought to be heart failure.

John Gardner's Works

Autobiography

• Spin the Bottle (1964)

Boysie Oakes Novels

• The Liquidator (1964)
• Understrike (1965)
• Amber Nine (1966)
• Madrigal (1967)
• Founder Member (1969)
• Traitor's Exit (1970)
• The Airline Pirates (1970) - also known as Air Apparent in the US
• A Killer for a Song (1975)

Two Boysie Oakes short stories are in Hideaway (1968). Two Boysie Oakes short stories are in The Assassination File (1974).

Derek Torry Novels

• A Complete State of Death (1969) - also known as The Stone Killer in the US
• The Corner Men (1974)

Professor Moriarty Novels

• The Return of Moriarty (1974)
• The Revenge of Moriarty (1975)
• Moriarty (2008)

Herbie Kruger Novels

• The Nostradamus Traitor (1979)
• The Garden of Weapons (1980)
• The Quiet Dogs (1982)
• Maestro (1993)
• Confessor (1995)

Herbie Kruger also appears in The Secret Houses and The Secret Families.

The Railton Family Novels

• The Secret Generations (1985)
• The Secret Houses (1988)
• The Secret Families (1989)

James Bond Novels

• Licence Renewed (1981)
• For Special Services (1982)
• Icebreaker (1983)
• Role of Honour (1984)
• Nobody Lives for Ever (1986)
• No Deals, Mr. Bond (1987)
• Scorpius (1988)
• Win, Lose or Die (1989)
• Licence to Kill (1989) – based on the film script
• Brokenclaw (1990)
• The Man from Barbarossa (1991)
• Death is Forever (1992)
• Never Send Flowers (1993)
• SeaFire (1994)
• GoldenEye (1995) – based on the film script
• Cold (1996) – also known as Cold Fall in the US

Detective Sergeant Suzie Mountford Novels

• Bottled Spider (2002)
• The Streets of Town (2003)
• Angels Dining at the Ritz (2004)
• Troubled Midnight (2005)
• No Human Enemy (2007)

Other Novels

• The Censor (1970)
• Every Night's a Bullfight (1971)
• To Run a Little Faster (1976)
• The Werewolf Trace (1977)
• The Dancing Dodo (1978)
• Golgotha (1980) - also known as The Last Trump in the US
• The Director (1982)
• Flamingo (1983)
• Blood of the Fathers (1992)
• Day of Absolution (2001)

Short Story Collections

• Hideaway (1968)
• The Assassination File (1974)

Images for kids

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  John Gardner, circa 1984

See also

In Spanish: John Gardner (escritor británico) para niños