John Gardner (British writer)

John Gardner
John Gardner, c. 1984
Born	(1926-11-20)20 November 1926 Seaton Delaval, Northumberland, England
Died	3 August 2007(2007-08-03) (aged 80) Basingstoke, Hampshire, England
Occupation	Author
Nationality	British
Alma mater	St John's College, Cambridge
Period	1964–2007
Genre	Spy fiction, crime fiction
Notable works	Boysie Oakes novels; continuation James Bond novels
Spouse	Margaret Mercer (1952–1997, her death)

John Edmund Gardner (20 November 1926 – 3 August 2007) was an English spy and thriller novelist, best known for his James Bond continuation novels, but also for his series of Boysie Oakes books and three continuation novels containing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional villain, Professor Moriarty.

Gardner, an ex-Royal Marine commando, was for a period an Anglican priest, but he lost his faith and left the church after a short time. After recovering from alcohol addiction he wrote his first book, the autobiographical Spin the Bottle published in 1964.

Gardner wrote over fifty works of fiction, including fourteen original James Bond novels, and the novel versions of two Bond films. He died from suspected heart failure on 3 August 2007.