Christopher Sherlock was born in Birmingham, England in 1955 and moved to Johannesburg, South Africa in 1970. He is an accident survivor. Returning from a weekend spent rock climbing he was involved in a car accident that killed his girlfriend and best friend. The top of his head sliced off, he was dragged from the car still conscious. He witnessed the death of his girlfriend and then his friend died next to him in the ambulance. He 'died' twice on the operating table, experienced neuro-surgery,and then the top of his head was stitched back with 176 stitches. Lying in a coma, he was pronounced a vegetable but his father refused to believe this. A month later he came out of the coma, a fully functioning but changed man. He recounts a near-death experience in which God beckoned him to the other side however he bargained that he wanted life. God said that he could have it but that it would be a nightmare experience. He battled on,completing his university studies, continuing to climb and then working first as a geophysical surveyor, journalist and then in advertising. Struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, he fought on, enjoying success as creative director of one of South Africa's leading advertising agencies. Haunted by death, his thrillers explore the lives of men faced by adversity and catastrophe.