Marius Gabriel (born 13 November 1954 in Mafikeng, South Africa) is an international romance and mystery writer, and artist. Under the pseudonym Madeleine Ker, he is a popular writer of over 30 romance novels since 1983. As Marius Gabriel he has written four mystery best-sellers and two historical novels. He has also written and illustrated children's books, including Smartypig, the tale of a genetically modified piglet.He has lived in Cairo, Egypt and in London.