Jeffery Deaver
A former lawyer turned master of the ticking-clock thriller, he crafts intricate plots that keep readers guessing until the final, shocking twist.
Born 1950 (age 76)·American mystery and crime writer·Birthday: May 6·Baby Boomers
Biography
Jeffery Deaver's path to becoming a bestselling author was anything but direct. After earning a journalism degree, he worked as a reporter before heading to law school and practicing corporate law. The analytical precision of those professions deeply informs his writing. He didn't publish his first novel until he was in his thirties, but once he committed, he did so with a methodical intensity, often outlining hundreds of pages before writing a word of prose. His breakthrough came with the creation of Lincoln Rhyme, a quadriplegic forensic detective whose brilliant, physicality-challenged mind became a fresh engine for suspense. Deaver's novels are architectural marvels of misdirection, built on relentless pacing and a deep understanding of forensics, making him a global name in the crime genre.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Jeffery was born in 1950, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jeffery Was Born
The biggest hits of 1950
#1 Movie
Cinderella
Best Picture
All About Eve
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Jeffery's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1950Born
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1955Started school
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1963Became a teenager
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Could drive
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1968Could vote
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Turned 21
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1980Turned 30
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 40
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 50
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 60
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 70
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 76 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Created the Lincoln Rhyme series, beginning with 'The Bone Collector', which was adapted into a major film starring Denzel Washington.
- Won the Crime Writers' Association's Steel Dagger award for his novel 'Garden of Beasts'.
- Received the Nero Award from The Wolfe Pack for literary excellence in the mystery genre.
- Served as president of the Mystery Writers of America in 2004.
Did You Know?
He is a skilled guitarist and once performed as a folk musician to help pay for college.
His novel 'The Blue Nowhere' delves into the world of hackers, a subject he researched by earning multiple certifications in computer security.
He wrote a James Bond novel, 'Carte Blanche', in 2011, which modernized the character.
Deaver is known for writing his extensive outlines on whiteboards, covering entire walls of his office.
“I want my readers to be so surprised by the twists that they have to go back and see how I fooled them.”
