James Dover Grant, primarily known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British author born on October 29, 1954, in Coventry, England. He is renowned for his gripping thriller novels, particularly the Jack Reacher series.

Child's thrilling narratives revolve around the character Jack Reacher, a former American military policeman who travels across the United States. His debut novel, Killing Floor (1997), won both the Anthony Award and the 1998 Barry Award for Best First Novel.

Lee Child grew up in Birmingham and attended the same high school as J.R.R. Tolkien. He studied law in Sheffield and worked in television for eighteen years as a presentation director at Granada Television in Manchester. This career ended in 1995 due to corporate restructuring, and he then turned to writing, using his love for reading as inspiration.