Horler Author

Sydney Horler was a very prolific British writer of thrillers, especially spy adventures. He was born in Essex and educated at Redcliffe School and Colston School, in Bristol. He worked as a journalist for several years at different locations, ending up in London, before deciding to write books for a living.
His first job was with Western Daily Press and Allied Newspapers in Bristol, starting in 1905. This lasted until 1911 when he left to become a special writer on the staff of Edward Hulton and Co., in Manchester. He moved to London to work on the Daily Mail and Daily Citizen, in Fleet Street, although he also worked in the propaganda section of Air Intelligence towards the end of the First World War. When it ended he joined the editorial staff of George Newnes Ltd, as a sub editor of the John O’London’s Weekly. He didn’t see eye to eye with the editor and after a big row, in 1919, his employment was terminated.
He then decided to become a full-time writer. He became a popular author with the publication, in 1925, of his first crime novel, The Mystery of No.1, and with novels such as Checkmate (1930). Horler’s work was influenced by other popular thriller writers such as Edgar Wallace and “Sapper”. His main hero was “Tiger” Standish, a character similar to Sapper’s Bulldog Drummond. Horler’s work began to be commercially successful after being serialized in the News of the World. By the 1930s, Horler’s books had sold an estimated two million copies.