Erik Larson (born January 3, 1954) is an American journalist and author of mostly nonfiction books. He has written a number of bestsellers,^[1] including The Devil in the White City (2003), about the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and a series of murders by H. H. Holmes that were committed in the city around the time of the Fair.^[2] The Devil in the White City won the 2004 Edgar Award in the Best Fact Crime category, among other awards. Larson released his first novel in audiobook format only, titled No One Goes Alone, on September 28, 2021.

Larson was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Freeport, Long Island, New York.^[3] He studied Russian history at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated summa cum laude in 1976. After a year off, he attended the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, graduating in 1978.^[3][4] He was inspired to go into journalism after seeing the movie All the President's Men.^[5]

Larson's first newspaper job was with the Bucks County Courier Times in Levittown, Pennsylvania, where he wrote about murder, witches, environmental poisons, and other "equally pleasant" things. He later became a features writer for The Wall Street Journal and Time, where he is still a contributing writer. His magazine stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, and other publications.^[5]

Larson has lived in Philadelphia; Bristol, Pennsylvania; San Francisco; and Baltimore.^{[citation needed]} He and his wife, Dr. Christine Gleason,^[7] have three daughters. They reside in New York City and maintain a home in Seattle, Washington.^[4]