Sir Michael Caine achieves career first aged 90 as he writes debut thriller Deadly Game

Michael Caine has achieved a career first by writing his first thriller at the age of 90.

The actor has written his first novel called Deadly Game about a Metropolitan Police detective who discovers a high-level criminal enterprise.

The book, published by Hodder & Stoughton in November, introduced DCI Harry Taylor who leads a small team of Met officers.

Michael is said to have always wanted to write a novel but only got around to it during the Covid lockdowns.

The actor came up with the idea for the book when he read a news story about two rubbish collectors who discovered uranium at a dump in east London.

Author: Michael Caine has achieved a career first by writing his first thriller at the age of 90

Fiction: The actor has written his first novel called Deadly Game about a Metropolitan Police detective who discovers a high-level criminal enterprise

According to the synopsis, seen by The Times, DCI Taylor is ‘called in when just such a package is found, mysteriously abandoned in Stepney and stolen before the police can reclaim it.

‘As security agencies around the world go to red alert, it is former SAS man Harry and his small team from the Met who must race against time to find who has the nuclear material and what they plan to do with it.’

Michael said: ‘It’s been my ambition for years to write a thriller. It’s the genre I most love to read, and I’ve really got a buzz out of working on Deadly Game and teaming up with Hodder once again to publish it. I hope readers enjoy getting to know Harry Taylor as much as I did.’

Although Deadly Game is Michael’s first novel, he’s no stranger to writing and has previously published three memoirs.

The film star first revealed he was working on the novel back in 2021, telling The Guardian: ‘I only read thrillers. I’m an adventure man, I’m not a literature person, so I’m not trying to replace Shakespeare here.

‘But it’s based on something I once read about two dustmen, two rubbish collectors in the East End . . . and they find uranium in the rubbish.’

Nick Sayers, the publisher, said: ‘When I met Sir Michael last year, I discovered that he is not only a lifelong reader of thrillers, but also an author bursting with ideas for fiction of his own. Deadly Game is a cracking thriller with a real voice and a super twist.’

In October 2021, Michael announced that he would likely retire from acting as he described his movie Best Sellers co-starring Aubrey Plaza as ‘my last part, really’.

Career move: Michael is said to have always wanted to write a novel but only got around to it during the Covid lockdowns (pictured in 2021)

Inspiration: The actor came up with the idea for the book when he read a news story about two rubbish collectors who discovered uranium at a dump in east London (pictured in 2015)

He noted that he has limited mobility and added: ‘There’s not exactly scripts pouring in for a leading man that’s 88, you know?’

But it seems that the actor is yet to star in other projects, as he is set to take part in Czech action historical drama film Medieval, while it is believed he will reprise his role as Arthur Tressler in Now You See Me 3.

Sir Michael, who began acting in 1953 when he took a job at a repertory company in West Sussex, said: ‘I haven’t worked for two years and I have a spine problem which affects my legs so I can’t walk very well’.

Further he pointed to the memoirs he has been publishing over the past several years – The Elephant In Hollywood in 2010 and Blowing The Bloody Doors Off in 2018.

‘And I also wrote a book, a couple of books which were published and were successful so I’m now not an actor – I’m a writer,’ he said.