Roderick Thorp was born on September 1, 1963. He specialized in crime novels. Thorp worked in a detective agency with his father. He taught literature and creative writing at universities in New Jersey and California. He wrote many articles in newspapers and magazines. Many of his novels were adapted into films and television series. He died of a heart attack in Oxnard, California, on April 28, 1999. His notable work includes Die Hard (1988), Live Free or Die Hard (2007), and A Good Day to Die Hard (2013).