Ed McBain is the only American to receive the Diamond Dagger, the British Crime Writers Associations highest award. He also holds the Mystery Writers of Americas coveted Grand Master Award. His books have sold over one hundred million copies, ranging from his most recent, The Last Dance, to the bestselling The Blackboard Jungle, the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcocks The Birds & the bestselling Privileged Conversation, written under his own name, Evan Hunter. He lives in Connecticut.