Peter King is an English author of mystery fiction, born in 1922, who has led an extraordinarily diverse life before turning to writing. He is a Cordon Bleu-trained chef and a retired metallurgist, having worked in a variety of industries that took him across the globe. King has operated a tungsten mine, overseen the establishment of South America’s first steel processing plant, and prospected for minerals around the world. His career work had seen him travel from continent to continent before he finally settled in Florida.
In Florida, King worked as a team leader for the design group for the rocket's engines that took the Apollo spacemen to the moon, contributing significantly to the space industry. Even during his busy career, King found time to pursue his passion for writing, creating one-act plays and short mystery stories in his spare time. Upon retirement in 1991, he began writing full-time, publishing his first novel, The Gourmet Detective, a cozy mystery about a chef turned sleuth who solves mysteries in the kitchen. This novel marked the beginning of a successful series featuring the same protagonist. King's personal experiences as a chef have undoubtedly contributed to the authenticity and richness of his writing.
King has written a total of eight books in the Gourmet Detective series, including Dying on the Vine (1998) and Roux the Day (2002). In 2001, he began a new historical mystery series starring Jack London, with the first book being Jewel of the North. King's writing is highly regarded in the mystery genre, and he continues to reside in Sarasota, Florida, where he continues to write mysteries, no doubt drawing on his extensive life experiences to inform his work.