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Roderick Thorp

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Roderick Thorp
BornRoderick Mayne Thorp, Jr.
September 1, 1936
Bronx, New York City, United States
DiedApril 28, 1999(1999-04-28) (aged 62)
Oxnard, California, United States
OccupationNovelist, writer
GenreCrime

Roderick Mayne Thorp, Jr. (September 1, 1936 – April 28, 1999) was an American novelist specializing mainly in police procedural/ crime novels.

His 1966 novel The Detective was made into a 1968 film of the same name, starring Frank Sinatra as Detective Joe Leland. He is however better known for its sequel, the bestselling novel Nothing Lasts Forever, which is the basis for the film Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis.

The Los Angeles Times called Nothing Lasts Forever, "A ferocious, bloody, raging book so single-mindedly brilliant in concept and execution it should be read at a single sitting."[1]

Two other Thorp novels, Rainbow Drive and Devlin, were adapted into TV movies.

Thorp died of a heart attack in Oxnard, California.[2][3][4]

Early life

Thorp was born in Bronx, New York City.[4] As a young college graduate, Thorp worked at a detective agency owned by his father. He would later teach literature and lecture on creative writing at schools and universities in New Jersey and California, and also wrote articles for newspapers and magazines.

Novels

  • Into the Forest (1961)
  • The Detective (1966)
  • Dionysus (1969)
  • The Music of Their Laughter: An American Album (1970)
  • Wives: An Investigation (1971)
  • Slaves (1973)
  • The Circle of Love (1974)
  • Westfield (1977)
  • Nothing Lasts Forever (1979) (reissued as Die Hard)
  • Jenny and Barnum: A Novel of Love (1981)
  • Rainbow Drive (1986)
  • Devlin (1988)
  • River: A Novel of the Green River Killings (1995)

Filmography

References

  1. ^ Scriptsecrets.net
  2. ^ Jack Adrian Obituaries: Roderick Thorp. The Independent, May 22, 1999
  3. ^ Jon Thurber: Roderick Thorp; Writer of ‘Die Hard,’ ‘The Detective’. Los Angeles Times, 2. May 1999, S. B–5.
  4. ^ a b Nick Ravo Roderick Thorp, 62, a Detective Turned Popular Crime Novelist. The New York Times, 4. May 1999.
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