Join BookBrowse today and get access to free books, our twice monthly digital magazine, and more.

Spencer Quinn biography

Author Biography  | Interview  | Books by this Author

Spencer Quinn
Photo: Diana Gray

Spencer Quinn

Spencer Quinn Biography

Spencer Quinn is the pen name for Peter Abrahams, the Edgar-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Chet and Bernie mystery series, as well as the #1 New York Times bestselling Bowser and Birdie series for middle-grade readers. He lives on Cape Cod with his wife Diana and dog Pearl.

Spencer Quinn's website

This bio was last updated on 02/28/2023. In a perfect world, we would like to keep all of BookBrowse's biographies up to date, but with many thousands of lives to keep track of it's simply impossible to do. So, if the date of this bio is not recent, you may wish to do an internet search for a more current source, such as the author's website or social media presence. If you are the author or publisher and would like us to update this biography, send the complete text and we will replace the old with the new.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Interview

Spencer Quinn shares some information about himself, on books, and on writing.

How would you describe your life in only 8 words?
I wake up happy every day, but why?

What is your motto or maxim?
Still time to figure that out. I'll have it posted on my tombstone.

How would you describe perfect happiness?
I'll know it when I get there. I hope.

What’s your greatest fear?
Not being able to help those I love.

If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be?
Right here - I love Cape Cod.

With whom in history do you most identify?
Neanderthals - who knows why?

Which living person do you most admire?
Prominent people are so worn down by overexposure I find it hard to really admire any of them. Instead these days I seem to be admiring nameless people I see who just keep doing what they have to, sometimes with humor and grace.

What are your most overused words or phrases?
None, I hope. Can't anything be just right?

What do you regret most?
No regrets.

If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?
That's easy - I'd love to be musical. I'd start on dobro, move on to trumpet, also take up drums. I'd writer lots of songs, sing on the street for money, make a happy fool of myself.

What is your ...

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Books by this Author

Books by Spencer Quinn at BookBrowse
Mrs. Plansky's Revenge jacket To Fetch a Thief jacket Thereby Hangs a Tail jacket Dog On It jacket
Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Support BookBrowse

Join our inner reading circle, go ad-free and get way more!

Find out more


Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: The Demon of Unrest
    The Demon of Unrest
    by Erik Larson
    In the aftermath of the 1860 presidential election, the divided United States began to collapse as ...
  • Book Jacket: Daughters of Shandong
    Daughters of Shandong
    by Eve J. Chung
    Daughters of Shandong is the debut novel of Eve J. Chung, a human rights lawyer living in New York. ...
  • Book Jacket: Anita de Monte Laughs Last
    Anita de Monte Laughs Last
    by Xochitl Gonzalez
    Brooklyn-based novelist Xochitl Gonzalez is an inspiring writer to follow. At forty, she decided to ...
  • Book Jacket: Icarus
    Icarus
    by K. Ancrum
    The titular protagonist of K. Ancrum's young adult novel Icarus lives a double life that mixes the ...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
Romantic Comedy
by Curtis Sittenfeld
A comedy writer's stance on love shifts when a pop star challenges her assumptions in this witty and touching novel.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    The Stolen Child
    by Ann Hood

    An unlikely duo ventures through France and Italy to solve the mystery of a child’s fate.

  • Book Jacket

    This Strange Eventful History
    by Claire Messud

    An immersive, masterful story of a family born on the wrong side of history.

Win This Book
Win Only the Brave

Only the Brave by Danielle Steel

A powerful, sweeping historical novel about a courageous woman in World War II Germany.

Enter

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

F T a T

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.