James Twining
Encyclopedia
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...
thriller writer.
Life
Although born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Twining spent most of his childhood in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
after his family moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
when he was four. On his return to the UK
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...
when aged eleven, he went to Merchant Taylors' School
Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
Merchant Taylors' School is a British independent day school for boys, originally located in the City of London. Since 1933 it has been located at Sandy Lodge in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire ....
, eventually winning a place to Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
where he read French Literature and Linguistics and graduated with a First Class degree in 1995.
Twining's early career was spent in the business world. His first job was in the Corporate Finance Department of SBC Warburg (now known as UBS), where he worked mainly on hostile bids and defences and leveraged buyouts.
Then in 1999 he set up an e-procurement business (GroupTrade) with a friend. The business was eventually sold to another entrepreneur in August 2002. Twining and his co-founder were both named as one of the eight "Best of Young British" entrepreneurs in The New Statesman.
Twining began writing thrillers in 2003. He now lives in North London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with his wife, two daughters and a son and is a lifelong Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
fan.
Work
Twining wrote his first book The Double Eagle in 2003 and was signed up by agency Curtis Brown. It was published by Harper Collins in the UKUnited 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...
and USA in 2005.
Three sequels, The Black Sun
The Black Sun (James Twining)
The Black Sun is a 2005 historical novel by British author James Twining dealing with Nazism and occultism, Die Glocke and stolen Jewish art....
, The Gilded Seal and The Geneva Deception were published in 2006, 2008 and 2009 respectively.
All four books feature art thief Tom Kirk and are set in the art world and underworld. In each case, Twining builds a modern day thriller involving art theft
Art theft
Art theft is usually for the purpose of resale or for ransom . Stolen art is sometimes used by criminals to secure loans.. One must realize that only a small percentage of stolen art is recovered. Estimates range from 5 to 10%. This means that little is known about the scope and characteristics of...
around a series of historical events and/or artifacts.