William Heffernan (born August 22, 1940) is an American novelist born in New Haven, Connecticut. Before becoming a novelist, Heffernan was an investigative reporter for the New York Daily News. Heffernan left journalism in 1978 after receiving his first book contract for the novel Broderick. He won the Heywood Broun Award twice, received the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award and has received a number of other local, state and regional honors. William Heffernan has received the Edgar Award, is a member of the Authors Guild and the Mystery Writers of America, and was once President of the International Association of Crime Writers. The film rights for The Dinosaur Club were sold to Warner Bros. in 1997 for $1 million.