David Bell (b. 1969) is an American author of thrillers. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, he attended college at Indiana University, and after graduating, worked a string of odd jobs—from bartender to bookstore clerk to telemarketer—which took him all over the country. Interested in fiction from a young age, Bell enrolled in a creative writing MA program at Miami University in Ohio before completing his PhD at the University of Cincinnati. He sold his debut novel, the thriller The Condemned, in 2008. His 2012 thriller The Hiding Place, which begins with the murder of a four-year-old, was well received. His most recent book is Never Come Back (2013), a story of familial murder and deceit. Bell teaches at Western Kentucky University.