Colin Forbes (writer)

Colin Forbes (* 1923 in Hampstead near London ; † 23 August 2006 ) was the best-known writer pseudonym of the English bestselling author Raymond Harold Sawkins . Sawkins also published books under the names Richard Raine , Harold English and Jay Bernard , but only wanted to be asked about his publications under "Colin Forbes".

Life

After school, Sawkins got a job with a publishing company. He served in North Africa and the Middle East during World War II . Before leaving military service, he was an officer in Rome for a newspaper unit. From 1946 Forbes worked as an advertising specialist, editor, editor and screenwriter. His first book, Snow on High Ground , he published in 1966 under his own name "Raymond Harold Sawkins". With the main hero John Snow , a superintendent of Scotland Yard , he published two other novels, Snow in Paradise , 1967 and Snow Along the Border , 1968. In 1969 he published the first book Tramp in Armor under the pseudonym "Colin Forbes".

For the film, Avalanche Express ( Avalanche Express , 1979) with Lee Marvin , Maximilian Schell , Horst Buchholz and Robert Shaw Forbes wrote the original novel.

After various other crime thrillers, Forbes created his most successful hero group in 1982 around the deputy director of the British secret service SIS , Tweed (a man with no first name). In the novels Forbes processed extensive journeys through Asia, Africa, the USA and many European countries and can thus enrich the adventures of his heroes with typical local color (up to landscapes or restaurants in Northern Germany and Bavaria). The political thrillers are now translated into more than twenty languages.

Forbes was married to the Canadian Jane Robertson, who died in 1993 without first letting him know of her fatal illness. In her honor he dedicated the thriller Kalte Wut ( Fury , 1995), in which he let much of his grief flow.

In one of his last books, Das Netz ( The Cell , 2002), published a few months after the 9/11 attacks in America, Forbes discusses an attack on London by al-Qaeda terrorists .

Colin Forbes lived in Woking in the English county of Surrey . He has a daughter named Janet.

Works

Novels from the Tweed series

1. Final spurt ( Double Jeopardy , 1982), Weltbild - ISBN 3-89897-221-6
2. Fangjagd ( Terminal , 1984), Benziger - ISBN 3-545-36402-X
3. Der Überläufer ( Cover story , 1985), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-87867-1
4. Der Janus-Mann ( The Janus Man , 1987), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-03644-1
5. Cossack ( Deadlock , 1988), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-02630-6
6. The Jupiter Factor ( The Greek Key , 1989), Hoffmann & Campe - ISBN 3-453-77018-8
7. Schockwelle ( Shockwave , 1990), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-05294-3
8. Incubus ( Whirlpool , 1991), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-06403-8
9. The invisible fleet ( By Stealth , 1992), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-08911-1
10. Feuerkreuz ( Cross of Fire , 1992), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-86797-1
11. Death track ( The Power , 1994), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-12515-0
12. Kalte Wut ( Fury , 1995), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-87465-X
13. Abyss ( Precipice , 1995), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-77099-4
14. Hexenkessel ( The Cauldron , 1996), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-18083-6
15. The Black Order ( The Sisterhood , 1998), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-18663-X
16. Kaltgestellt ( This United State , 1999), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-18601-X
17. Teufelsflut ( Sinister Tide , 1999), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-86966-4
18. Das Inferno ( Rhinoceros , 2000), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-87762-4
19. Die Klinge ( The Vorpal Blade , 2001), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-43097-2
20. Das Netz ( The Cell , 2002), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-01209-7
21. Skeleton ( No Mercy , 2003), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-26539-4
22. Blueprint ( Blood Storm , 2004), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-43369-6
23. Death Chain ( The Main Chance , 2005), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-01092-2
24. The Gorge ( The Savage Gorge , 2006), Heyne - ISBN 3-453-26614-5

Other books

• Rushed ( Tramp in armor , 1969 - Heyne)
• The heights of Zervos ( The Heights of Zervos , 1970 - Heyne)
• Ambush ( The Palermo ambush , 1972 - Heyne)
• Target 5 ( Target 5 , 1973 - Heyne)
• Tafak ( Year of the golden ape , 1974 - Schröder)
• No Deco ( The stone leopard , 1975 - Heyne)
• Avalanche Express ( Avalanche Express , 1977 - Heyne ISBN 3-453-01076-0 ) - filmed
• Focus ( The Stockholm syndicate , 1981 - Schröder)
• Das Double ( The leader and the damned , 1983 - Heyne)
• In the Last Minute ( The Heavens Above Us , 2002 - Heyne)
  • The peculiarity of this work is that it was already written in 1979 under the pseudonym Harold English with the title The Heavens Above Us . However, it was never published in the English-speaking world. The only publication worldwide is the German edition, which was then released under the name "Colin Forbes".

Web links

• Literature by and about Colin Forbes in the catalog of the German National Library
• Avalanche Express in the Internet Movie Database (English)