Anthony Horowitz

**Anthony Craig Horowitz** (born 5 April 1956) is an English novel writer and screenwriter. He has written many children's novels, including _The Power of Five_, _Alex Rider_ and _The Diamond Brothers_ series. He has written over fifty books. He has also written many things for television. He has adapted many of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot novels for the ITV series. He is the creator and writer of the ITV series _Foyle's War_, _Midsomer Murders_ and _Collision_.

## Background and personal life

Anthony Horowitz was born in 1956 in Middlesex. His family were Jewish. When he was young, he lived an upper-class lifestyle. Horowitz was overweight and unhappy. He enjoyed reading books from his father's library. At the age of eight, Horowitz was sent to a boarding school. The school was called Orley Farm. It was in Harrow, Middlesex. There, he entertained others by telling them the stories he had read. Horowitz said that his time in the school was "a brutal experience". He said that he was often beaten by the headmaster John Ellis.

Horowitz's father was a "fixer" for prime minister Harold Wilson. Because he was nearly bankrupt, he moved his money into Swiss bank accounts.  He died from cancer when his son, Anthony, was 22. The family was never able to find the missing money, even though they had tried for years.  Horowitz loved his mother. She showed him _Frankenstein_ and _Dracula_. She also gave him a human skull for his 13th birthday. Horowitz said in an interview once that it reminds him to get to the end of each story because he will soon look like the skull. From the age of eight, Horowitz knew he wanted to be a writer, realising "the only time when I'm totally happy is when I'm writing". He graduated from the University of York with a BA in English literature in 1977.

In at least one interview, Horowitz said that believes H. P. Lovecraft based his fictional _Necronomicon_ on real writing, and to have read some of that writing.

Horowitz lives in North London with his wife Jill Green. He married her in Hong Kong on 15 April 1988. Green produces _Foyle's War_. Horowitz writes this series for ITV. They have two sons. They are Nicholas Mark Horowitz (born 1989) and Cassian James Horowitz (born 1991). The family have a dog named Lucky, that has been run over 3 times. Horowitz says that his family has a lot to do with his success in writing. This is because he says they help him with ideas and research. Horowitz is a patron of child protection charity Kidscape.

### Groosham Grange

- _Groosham Grange_ (1988)
- _The Unholy Grail_ (retitled to _Return To Groosham Grange_) (1990)

### Alex Rider

- _Stormbreaker_ (2000)
- _Point Blanc_ (U.S. title: _Point Blank_) (2001)
- _Skeleton Key_ (2002)
- _Eagle Strike_ (2003)
- _Scorpia_ (2004)
- _Ark Angel_ (2005)
- _Snakehead_ (2007)
- _Crocodile Tears_ (2009)
- _Scorpia Rising_ (2011)
- _Russian Roulette_ (2013)
- _Never Say Die_ (2017)
- _Alex Rider: Secret Weapon_ (2019)
- _Nightshade_ (2020)
- _Nightshade Revenge_ 2023

### The Diamond Brothers

- _The Falcon's Malteser_ (1986/96)
- _Public Enemy Number Two_ (1987)
- _South By South East_ (1991/2002)
- _The Blurred Man_ (2003)
- _The French Confection_ (2003)
- _I Know What You Did Last Wednesday_ (2003)
- _The Greek Who Stole Christmas_ (2008)
- _Where Seagulls Dare_ (2021)

### Pentagram

- _The Devil's Door-Bell_ (1983)
- _The Night of the Scorpion_ (1983)
- _The Silver Citadel_ (1986)
- _Day of the Dragon_ (1989)

### The Power of Five _(The Gatekeepers)_

- _Raven's Gate_ (1 August 2005)
- _Evil Star_ (2 April 2006)
- _Nightrise_ (3 April 2007)
- _Necropolis_ (30 October 2008)
- _Oblivion_ (November 2012)

### Other novels

- _Enter Frederick K Bower_ (1978)
- _The Sinister Secret of Frederick K Bower_ (1979)
- _Misha, the Magician and the Mysterious Amulet_ (1981)
- _Robin of Sherwood: The Hooded Man_ (1986) (with Richard Carpenter)
- _Adventurer_ (1987)
- _New Adventures of William Tell_ (1987)
- _Starting Out_ (1990)
- _Granny_ (1994)
- _The Switch_ (1996)
- _The Devil And His Boy_ (1998)
- _Half-Life_ (2001)

### Adult novels

- _William S._ (1999)
- _Mindgame_ (2001) (made into a play later)
- _The Killing Joke_ (2004)
- _The Magpie Murders_ (2006)
- _The House of Silk_ (Nov, 2011)

### Collections

- _Myths and Legends_ (1991)
- _Horowitz Horror_ (1999)
- _More Horowitz Horror_ (2001)
- _The Kingfisher Book of Myths and Legends_ (2003)
- _Three of Diamonds_ (2004)
- _More Bloody Horowitz_ (2009)

### Edge: Horowitz Graphic Horror

- _The Phone Goes Dead_ (2010)
- _Scared_ (2010)
- _Killer Camera_ (2010)
- _The Hitchhiker_ (2010)

### Graphic novels

- _The Power Of Five 1: Raven's Gate_ (2010)
- _Alex Rider : Stormbreaker_
- _Alex Rider : Point Blanc_
- _Alex Rider : Skeleton Key_

### Movies

- _Tintin 2_ (TBA)

## Other websites

- Official website
- Author profile
- Audio interview regarding Snakehead novel

## Infobox (writer)

- **name**: Anthony Horowitz
- **birth place**: Stanmore, Middlesex, England
- **occupation**: Novelist, screenwriter, children's writer
- **nationality**: British
- **genre**: Adventure, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Fantasy
- **notableworks**: _Alex Rider_, _The Power of Five_, _The Diamond Brothers_
- **spouse**: Jill Green (married 1988)
- **children**: Nicholas Mark, Cassian James