Richard Van Anderson is a former heart surgeon who now writes full time. He has a medical degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine; performed his general surgery residency at Louisiana State University in Shreveport; attended a two-year research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland; and trained in cardiothoracic surgery at New York University. Following his training, he served as a surgical attending at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, and held a joint appointment as Chief of Cardiac Surgery, Seattle Veterans Administration Hospital. His writing instruction includes an MFA degree in creative writing from Pine Manor College in Boston, where he was mentored by a distinguished faculty, including New York Times bestselling author Dennis Lehane.

During his career, Dr. Anderson encountered nearly every surgical malady known to medicine; spent countless hours standing across the operating table from egomaniacal surgical attendings; and personally witnessed high-achieving members of a noble profession become corrupted by the quest for notoriety and wealth. This vast experience, combined with a deep understanding of story and character, resulted in The Organ Takers, the first crime thriller of the McBride trilogy.

Richard Van Anderson lives with his wife and two sons in Bellevue, Washington.