Brian McDonald was born in the Bronx and grew up in Rockland County, New York. He is a graduate of Fordham University and the Columbia School of Journalism, contributes frequently to New York City newspapers, including The New York Times, and teaches writing and journalism at several schools, including Fordham University. He is the author of the nonfiction works My Father's Gun, Indian Summer, Safe Harbor: A Murder In Nantucket, and Last Call at Elaine's. He also co-wrote, with Malachy McCourt, Death Need Not Be Fatal, and has ghostwritten four political books, three of which were New York Times bestsellers, with one topping the list for five weeks.