Roderick Thorp

Roderick Mayne Thorp, Jr. (September 1, 1936 – April 28, 1999) was an American novelist specializing mainly in police procedural/crime novels. His 1966 novel The Detective was made into a 1968 film of the same name, starring Frank Sinatra as Detective Joe Leland. He is however better known for its sequel, the bestselling novel Nothing Lasts Forever, which is the basis for the film Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis. Two other Thorp novels, Rainbow Drive and Devlin, were adapted into TV movies.