He started school in northern Scotland, and continued in various parts of England, before entering Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, to study medical sciences.
He works part-time as a Consultant in Liaison Psychiatry in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, mainly in the emergency department and kidney, liver and pancreas transplant services.
Described as “good, old-fashioned tales of courage and adventure” (Observer, 2001) they pit child protagonists against the dangers of the ocean and the polar ice, as well as malevolent adults.
His most recent book, Abigail’s Gift, tells intertwined stories of a Highland lass at the time of the Clearances, and a modern schoolgirl troubled by bullying and an overactive imagination.
Children’s Prose 1999 Hunting Gumnor Nominated for the Carnegie Medal 2000 Runner-up for the Branford Boase award 2000 Republished in 2004 2001 Compass Murphy Shortlisted, Askews Children's Book Award 2002 Japanese translation published by Kyuryu-do 2005 Republished in 2004 2004 The Ship Thief 2006 Abigail's Gift 2000 Tommy Trouble Nominated for the Carnegie Medal 2001 2008 Into the Storm 2009 Operation Hope 1999 On the Bench (in Family Tree, ed.