I was born in Liverpool during World War II, where I had the fascinating experience of being a schoolmate of John Lennon. He and I went in very different directions, however, and after graduating in medicine, I sailed to Australia to study for my PhD. This was the start of a career in medical science in five countries, during which I discovered the link between 'good' cholesterol and protection against heart disease, and was involved in the development of the world's first approved gene therapy. Throughout my medical career, I had a secret longing to turn my hand to mystery thrillers, confident that medical science would provide fertile ground for original plots. The challenge of integrating science into mystery in a way that was both plausible and at the same time entertaining to the general reader also appealed to me. I started writing my debut novel, The Achilles Gene, when a visiting fellow in Magdalen College. Finding the creative process enormously enjoyable, it became the first of three books, The Waynflete Trilogy. I now wish I had become a novelist much earlier in life!
