John Frederick Burke was born in Rye, Sussex and educated at Holt High School in Liverpool. During World War II, he served in the Royal Air Force, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, and the Royal Marines. After the war, he worked for Museum Press and then for Books for Pleasure, then as a public relations executive for Shell Oil, then as a story editor for Twentieth Century-Fox. In 1966 he became a full-time writer. He wrote suspense, psychological thrillers, horror, and science fiction. He also novelised stage plays and film and television scripts. He non-fiction travel books.