Colin Bowles grew up near Southend, England and arrived in Perth, Western Australia in 1974 as a professional soccer goalkeeper. He has worked as a taxi driver, a journalist and a freelance writer and has travelled widely in Europe and South-East Asia. He writes thrillers using the name Colin Falconer (Falconer is his wife's name) and he is also the author of humorous books on fatherhood and on golf. His screenwriting credits include five episodes for the TV soap Sons and Daughters).
Bowles, who has been a guest at numerous Writers' Festivals, lived in Dunsborough until 2003 at which time he moved to South Perth.