畢業於電影學院，是好萊塢著名劇作傢和電影製作人。他製作的著名獲奬電影《夜晚之死》傢喻戶曉。他的小說《財産》被評為最暢銷小說，並被翻譯成26國文字。他的作品被介紹到中國的還有：《煉金術士》、《傭人》、《真相》和《抗拒》等。

他的所有小說都體現瞭他對醫學、高科技和所有超自然學科的廣泛知識，並以超想象力的驚悚懸疑情節著稱。最近幾年由他製作的電影，有阿爾帕西諾主演的《威尼斯商人》以及由羅伯特迪尼羅主演的《聖路易斯雷的大橋》等。

Michael Harrison had it all: good looks, charm, natural leadership, a wicked sense of humor, and now, Ashley, his fiancée. While out celebrating with a group of friends a few nights before the wedding, Michael suddenly and unexpectedly finds himself enclosed in a coffin equipped only with a flashlight, a dirty magazine, a walkie-talkie, and a tiny breathing tube. It's all in good fun — payback for the grief his mates suffered due to his own penchant for tomfoolery — that is until the four are killed in a drunk driving accident just moments after leaving Michael completely alone and buried alive.

Detective Superintendent Grace—himself dealing with the pain of losing his wife—is brought on to the case when Ashley reports Michael missing. Suspicions are raised when Michael's only friend not at the bachelor party refuses to cooperate, and Ashley's faithfulness—not to mention her increasingly mysterious past—are suddenly thrown in to question. As Superintendent Grace soon discovers, one man's disaster is another man's fortune.