Spy thriller author Len Deighton dies at 97
Len Deighton, the prolific British author whose gritty spy thrillers redefined the espionage genre, has died aged 97.
His literary agent, Tim Bates, confirmed the writer died on Sunday. No cause of death was provided.
Deighton rose to prominence with his 1962 debut novel, The IPCRESS File. The book introduced a cynical, working-class secret agent who stood in stark contrast to the glamour of Ian Fleming's James Bond. The novel's 1965 film adaptation helped launch the career of Michael Caine, who starred as the protagonist, famously named Harry Palmer for the screen.
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Over a career spanning more than three decades, Deighton wrote over two dozen novels, including the Bernard Samson series and the alternate-history thriller SS-GB.
Beyond fiction, the London-born author was also a prominent food writer in the 1960s, publishing several innovative cookbooks aimed at men, alongside works of historical nonfiction.
