Dennis Lehane is an American author and screenwriter, born on August 4, 1965. He has published more than a dozen novels, with the first few being a series of mysteries featuring recurring characters, including A Drink Before the War. Four of his novels have been adapted into films: Clint Eastwood's Mystic River (2003), Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island (2010), and Gone Baby Gone (2007) and Live by Night (2016), both directed by Ben Affleck. His short story "Animal Rescue" was adapted into the film The Drop, notably the final film role for actor James Gandolfini.

Lehane was a staff writer on the acclaimed HBO series The Wire, and also worked as a writer-producer on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and the Netflix series, Bloodline. He contributed to television adaptations of Stephen King novels and wrote and produced the acclaimed limited series Black Bird for Apple TV+. Currently, he is developing his next series for Apple.

He grew up in Boston, and his novels are known for their settings in urban Boston, often highlighting immigrant and marginalized communities. Lehane's work is widely translated and has become internationally bestselling.