Spoiler : Born in London, England 6/28/1909; died 10/22/1998 at his London, England apartment. Married and divorced to Louise Crombie (1939-1958); television producer Joan Harrison (1958-1994 her death). Majored in engineering at the University of London, but left without a degree. Served in the Royal Artillery during WWII, discharged as a lieutenant colonel. English novelist-playwrighter. First novel was The Dark Frontier (1936). Received the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Allan Poe Award for his novel, The Light of Day in 1964. Queen Elizabeth II honored him as an officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1981. Creator of the CBS-TV series Checkmate (1960-1962).