James Sallis (1944–2026) was an American author of crime novels, science fiction, biography, and poetry. He is best know for his novels featuring Lew Griffin, an African American amateur detective. He won the Bouchercon lifetime achieve award, the Hammett Award for literary excellence in crime writing, and the Grand Prix de Littérature policière for The Killer is Dying. The film version of his novel Drive won the Best Director Award at the Cannes International Film Festival.
