Anderson, James

British journalist and ad-man, born in Swindon, Wiltshire, in England. His parents were from Wales, and when he was eight years old the family moved there. For the rest of his life, James Anderson lived in or near the Welsh city of Cardiff, with the exception of a few years when he studied at the University of Reading in Berkshire where he graduated with a degree in History. After working for a while as a salesman, he began a career in advertising and then in journalism. He did freelance work for a large number of newspapers and magazines, and also wrote a total of 14 crime novels, ranging from out-and-out thrillers to jolly tales of crimes and pastiches.