Mary Higgins Clark, born as Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins, was a renowned American author of suspense novels. Her career spanned decades with each of her 51 books becoming a bestseller in the United States and various European countries. As of 2015, all her novels remained in print, with her debut suspense novel, Where Are the Children?, reaching its 75th printing.

Clark began writing at an early age and had several careers before becoming a full-time writer. She worked as a secretary, copy editor, and spent a year as a stewardess for Pan-American Airlines. After the death of her husband in 1964, she wrote radio scripts before being encouraged to write novels. Her first novel, a fictionalized account of the life of George Washington, did not sell well. However, she soon found success in mystery/suspense novels, selling over 100 million copies in the U.S. alone.

Clark collaborated with bestselling author Alafair Burke on the Under Suspicion series and coauthored five suspense novels with her daughter, Carol Higgins Clark. Her family includes other writers, including her former daughter-in-law, Mary Jane Clark.