Douglas Jerome Preston is an American journalist and author. Born on May 31, 1956, he is best known for his thrillers written in collaboration with Lincoln Child, including the Agent Pendergast series and Gideon Crew series. In addition to his collaborative works, Preston has written six solo novels, notably the Wyman Ford series and a novel titled Jennie, which was adapted into a movie by Disney. Furthermore, Preston has authored several nonfiction books on science and exploration and contributes to magazines such as The New Yorker and Smithsonian.