James Leasor (1923–2007) was one of Britain’s bestselling authors of the twentieth century. A prolific novelist, historian and journalist, he wrote more than fifty books, ranging from espionage thrillers and historical novels to military histories and biographies.
His multimillion-selling Dr Jason Love series, featuring a Somerset country doctor turned reluctant secret agent, was published in nineteen countries. The first novel, Passport to Oblivion, sold four million copies and was adapted into the 1965 film Where the Spies Are, starring David Niven.
His other notable successes included The One That Got Away, the extraordinary true story of a German prisoner of war who escaped from Allied captivity and returned to Germany, and Boarding Party, the account of a daring wartime operation. Both became major films, the latter as The Sea Wolves, starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven.
Educated at the City of London School, Leasor served in the British Army during the Second World War, spending three and a half years in Burma and India. After the war, he studied at Oriel College, Oxford, before joining the Daily Express, where he served as private secretary to its proprietor, Lord Beaverbrook, and later as a foreign correspondent.
In his later career, he enjoyed renewed bestseller success writing sweeping historical sagas under the pseudonym Andrew MacAllan.
Drawing on extensive research, his wartime experiences and a journalist’s instinct for a compelling story, Leasor wrote books that combined history, adventure, suspense and humour. His work reached millions of readers around the world and continues to entertain new generations.