Alex Michaelides

Alex Michaelides (born 1977 in Cyprus) is a British-Cypriot author and screenwriter best known for his debut psychological thriller The Silent Patient (2019). He studied English at Cambridge University and earned an MA in screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. Before becoming a novelist, he worked as a screenwriter for film and television. The Silent Patient (2019) became one of the most successful debut thrillers of its decade—a psychological suspense story about a famous painter who shoots her husband and then falls permanently silent, and the forensic psychotherapist determined to uncover her motive. The novel debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list and remained on it for over a year. It was published in more than 50 countries and won the Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller in 2019. His follow-up novels include The Maidens (2021) and The Fury (2023), both of which became bestsellers. Michaelides's work is characterized by literary allusions—particularly to Greek tragedy and classical literature—intricate plot construction, and shocking twists. He is credited with helping revive interest in psychological thriller fiction in the late 2010s and 2020s.