Alex Berenson was born in New York in 1973 and grew up in Englewood, N.J. After graduating from Yale University in 1994 with degrees in history and economics, he joined the Denver Post as a reporter. In 1996, he became one of the first employees at TheStreet.com, the groundbreaking financial news Website. In 1999, he joined The New York Times. At the Times, he covered everything from the drug industry to Hurricane Katrina; in 2003 and 2004, he served two stints as a correspondent in Iraq, an experience that led him to write The Faithful Spy, his debut novel, which won the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best First Novel. He has now written eleven John Wells novels and one work of non-fiction, The Number. He left the Times in 2010 to devote himself to writing fiction, though he still contributes occasionally to the Times. Alex lives in Garrison, N.Y. with his wife, Dr. Jacqueline Berenson, their children Lucy and Ezra, their badly behaved dog Maggie, and Maggie’s dog Teddy.