Rick Yancey is an author best known for suspense, fantasy, and science fiction books. Yancey began writing when he was young and published his first book, A Burning in Homeland, in 2003. He is the author of the award-winning Alfred Kropp books (The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, The Seal of Solomon, and The Thirteenth Skull) and the Highly Effective Detective comedy-mystery book series for adults. His best known books for teens are The Monstrumologist and The 5th Wave series, the latter of which was adapted into a movie. The 5th Wave was followed by The Infinite Sea and concluded in May 2016 with The Last Star. Before he was a full-time writer, Yancey worked for the IRS; he wrote about his experiences in his memoir, Confessions of a Tax Collector.