He was most famous[clarification needed] for his long-running series of thriller novels in which the principal character is Tweed, Deputy Director of the Secret Intelligence Service.
On his return to civilian life he joined a publishing and printing company, commuting to London for 20 years, until he became successful enough to be a full-time novelist.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) received £3.5 million as the sole beneficiary of Sawkins' estate following his death.
Over the next few years Sawkins experimented with books under three pseudonyms: Richard Raine, Colin Forbes, and Jay Bernard (though the latter is not to be confused with the UK poet).
[2] Just one of Forbes's novels was made into a film: Avalanche Express, directed by Mark Robson and starring Lee Marvin and Robert Shaw, which was released in 1979 to generally poor reviews.