Anthony McGowan was born in Manchester in 1965. He went to school in Leeds. He has an M.Phil in philosophy and a PhD on the history of the concept of beauty He has worked as a nightclub bouncer, civil servant, and Open University tutor in philosophy. He now lives in London. He is married to the fashion designer and novelist Rebecca Campbell. They have two young children. He is the author of two adult thrillers, Stag Hunt and Mortal Coil, published by Hodder & Stoughton, and three young adult novels Hellbent, Henry Tumour and The Knife That Killed Me, published by Random House. He has also written The Bare Bum Gang series for 7-11 year olds, again published by Random House.