Larry Beinhart (b. 1947) is an award-winning author of mysteries, nonfiction and political essays, best known for his novel American Hero, which inspired the blockbuster film Wag the Dog. His first novel, No One Rides for Free (1986), introduced Tony Cassella, a thoroughly modern private investigator who also appeared in You Get What You Pay For (1988) and Foreign Exchange (1991). Beinhart’s next novel, American Hero (1993), told the story of an unpopular president who engineers a war to win re-election. Beinhart has also won an Emmy and a Dagger Award. He lives and writes in Woodstock, New York.