Andrew Paul Vine-Britton (January 6, 1981 – March 18, 2008) was a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

-born spy novelist

Spy fiction

Spy fiction, literature concerning the forms of espionage, was a sub-genre derived from the novel during the nineteenth century, which then evolved into a discrete genre before the First World War , when governments established modern intelligence agencies in the early twentieth century...

 who immigrated to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 with his family at age seven. He published his first novel at age 23, his books were translated for international sales, and have been posted on the extended New York Times bestseller list.

Early life

Britton was born in Peterborough, England, in 1981. During his early childhood, he lived between England and Camlough

Camlough

Camlough or Camloch is a small village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is near Bessbrook and the slopes of the Ring of Gullion. It had a population of 910 people in the 2001 Census.- 1920s :...

, County Armagh

County Armagh

-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

, until the family emigrated to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in 1988.

Britton spent years in both Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...

, and Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...

. After graduating from Leesville Road High School

Leesville Road High School

Leesville Road High School , which opened its doors in 1993, is a comprehensive public high school in Wake County located at 8409 Leesville Road, Raleigh, North Carolina. It has 2,425 enrolled students...

 in Raleigh in 1999, Britton joined the U.S. Army as a combat engineer. He stayed in the Army for three years and served in Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

.

After his military service, Britton attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...

, where he studied economics and psychology.

Writing career

Britton wrote three published novels. He made a publishing deal for his first book The American when he was 23. He followed this with his novel The Assassin. In early 2007 Britton returned to Camlough, Northern Ireland to complete the third novel of the Ryan Kealy espionage series The Invisible which was released only three weeks before his early death. Britton's books appeared on the New York Times bestseller list and were translated into several languages becoming bestsellers worldwide. Britton, an avid researcher and writer, left behind many manuscripts and his work will continue to be published.

• The American (2007)
• The Assassin (2008)
• The Invisible (2009)
• The Exile (July 1, 2010)

Death

On March 18, 2008, Britton died at the age of 27 of an undiagnosed heart condition in Durham, North Carolina

Durham, North Carolina

Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...

. He was survived by his mother Annie (Britton) Nice, stepfather Graham Nice, and his two siblings Christopher Vine-Britton and Roxanne Nice.

Christopher, who according to his mother was despondent over Andrew's death, committed suicide on June 14th 2010. : Half of Christhoper's ashes where placed alongside Andrew in Memorial Gardens US Army Section Raleigh NC.

The remainder of both boy's ashes were brought back to the village of Camlough, County Armagh, Northern Ireland.

Andrew Vine-Britton is interred in the Veteran's section of Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Raleigh, North Carolina.