Len Deighton Len Deighton Leonard Cyril Deighton (; born 18 February 1929), known as Len Deighton, is a British author. Deighton is considered one of the top three spy novelists of his time (along with Ian Fleming and John le Carré). In addition he is a highly acclaimed military historian, cookery writer, and graphic artist. "The IPCRESS File" (1962), his first novel, was an instant bestseller and broke the mould of thriller writing. "The Sunday Times" called him "the poet of the spy story". Deighton’s first protagonist – a nameless spy christened Harry Palmer in the films – was made famous worldwide
The IPCRESS File headings have a "feature". In "The IPCRESS File" these take the form of each chapter being headed with a quote from a horoscope, which relates to the action in the chapter, though vaguely, as in most horoscopes. The front cover, by Deighton's friend Raymond Hawkey, has been described as "the template for the covers of all subsequent airport novels". A film adaptation starring Michael Caine was released in 1965 and produced by the James Bond co-producer Harry Saltzman, assisted by several prominent members of the Bond production family. The film medium made it difficult to maintain the anonymity of Deighton's