John Edmund Gardner (20 November 1926 – 3 August 2007) was an English spy and thriller novelist, best known for his James Bond continuation novels, but also for his series of Boysie Oakes books and three continuation novels containing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional villain, Professor Moriarty. Gardner, an ex-Royal Marine commando, was for a period an Anglican priest, but he lost his faith and left the church after a short time. After recovering from alcohol addiction, he wrote his first book, the autobiographical Spin the Bottle published in 1964. Gardner wrote over 50 works of fiction, including 14 original James Bond novels, and the novel versions of two Bond films. He died from suspected heart failure on 3 August 2007. Source: Wikipedia (en)