Andrew Paul Britton (January 6, 1981 – March 18, 2008) was a British-born
spy novelist who immigrated to the United States with his family at age seven. He published his first novel at age 23, his books were translated for international sales, and have been posted on the extended
''The New York Times'' bestseller list.
Early life
Britton was born in
Peterborough
Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...
(
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
UK), in 1981. During his early childhood, he lived between Peterborough and
Camlough
Camlough ( ; ) is a village five kilometres west of Newry in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The village is named after a lake, known as Cam Lough, in the parish, which is about 90 acres in extent. South of the village is Camlough Mountain (Sli ...
(
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
,
UK). Camlough is the birthplace of Britton's mother to whom he dedicated his 1st book "The American." The family emigrated to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in 1988. Britton spent years in both
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...
, and
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...
. After graduating from
Leesville Road High School
Leesville Road High School (also known locally as Leesville High School, abbreviated as LRHS), is a comprehensive public high school located in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is a part of the Wake County Public School System. Established in 1993, it ...
in Raleigh in 1999, Britton joined the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
as a combat engineer. He stayed in the Army for three years and served in
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
. After his military service, Britton attended the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
, where he studied economics and psychology.
[Famous Spy Novelist Dies Suddenly](_blank)
''The Raleigh Telegram'', accessed 3 Jul 2008
Writing career
Britton made a publishing deal for his first book ''The American'' when he was 22. He followed this with his novel ''The Assassin'', which was an immediate hit and was added to ''The New York Times'' best sellers list. In early 2007 Britton returned to Camlough, Northern Ireland to complete the third novel of the Ryan Kealey espionage series, ''The Invisible'', and dedicated it to his "Camlough" maternal grandmother Eunice Britton. Britton's books appeared on ''The New York Times'' bestseller list and were translated into several languages becoming bestsellers worldwide. Britton died suddenly in March 2008. An avid researcher and writer, he left behind many manuscripts and his work will continue to be published.
* ''The American'' (2007)
* ''The Assassin'' (2008)
* ''The Invisible'' (2009)
* ''The Exile'' (2010)
* ''The Operative'' (2012)
* ''The Courier'' (2013)
* ''Threatcon Delta'' (2014)
Death
On March 18, 2008, Britton died at the age of 27 of an undiagnosed heart condition in
Durham, North Carolina
Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...
. He was survived by his mother Annie (Britton) Nice, his stepfather Graham Nice, and his two siblings Christopher E. Britton and sister Roxanne S. Nice.
On June 14, 2010, after a two-year battle with grief and depression at the loss of his brother Andrew, Christopher, age 26 years old, took his own life.
Young Man Hangs Himself After Being Released from Wake ATC Center
, ''The Raleigh Telegram'', accessed 30 September 2010 Half of Christopher's ashes were placed alongside Andrew in Memorial Gardens, US Army Section, Raleigh NC.
The remainder of both boys' ashes were brought back to the village of Camlough, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Britton's mother could not part with them and has since brought the ashes of both boys back to her home in Raleigh, North Carolina. The boys' names have been added to the headstone of their paternal grandparents in St Malachy's graveyard in Carrickcruppen, Ireland.
Andrew and his brother Christopher Britton are interred in the veterans' section of Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Raleigh, North Carolina. An Irish Christmas Ceili is held in their Memory on the second Sunday of December every year at Tir na nOg Irish Pub in Raleigh. Toys and clothes are donated to local children in need as part of the event.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Britton, Andrew
1981 births
2008 deaths
American thriller writers
American male novelists
21st-century American novelists
People from Peterborough
English emigrants to the United States
Writers from Raleigh, North Carolina
Leesville Road High School alumni
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni
21st-century American male writers
Novelists from North Carolina