Robert Crais is a noted screenwriter and novelist of the 20th and 21st century. He was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1954. In his mid-teens, he developed an affinity for crime fiction and Los Angeles, both of which were recurring themes in Crais' work, after reading a novel by Raymond Chandler. He grew up in a family of factory workers and policemen who would also influence his future writing.

After some years of writing short fiction, he decided to go to Hollywood and try to put his craft to work. He soon found himself in the television industry, writing screenplays for many of the crime drama series of the day. He wrote for Cagney & Lacey, Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice and LA Law. During this same period, he also wrote pilots for TV and a mini series. He received an Emmy nomination for his work on Hill Street Blues. After a decade of doing these screenplays, he grew tired of the restraints and resigned his contract to begin writing novels.

His first few attempts were disappointing, but with the creation of his character Elvis Cole in The Monkey’s Raincoat, he found an enduring subject. That novel would earn him critical acclaim and awards for Best First Novel. The Monkey's Raincoat would end up in the list of the Top 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century. He wrote six more Elvis Cole novels, and each one saw an increase in readership and success. It was with his next novel, LA Requiem, that he instituted the Cole character as the 1st person narrator. He utilized flashbacks and story lines to engage the readers.

In 2000, he began to publish works void of Cole's character. The second of these novels, Hostage, would eventually be made into a feature film starring Bruce Willis. Elvis Cole would return in 2003, in a book where Crais delved more into his relationship with his partner Joe Pike, who would go on to have a starring role in a following novel.

Crais' family background influenced much of his work. He brought to his characters the human element he saw and experienced throughout his lifetime. His novels are read worldwide, and have been published in 42 countries. In recent times, they are always best sellers.