Phyllis Ayame Whitney (September 9, 1903 – February 8, 2008) was an American mystery writer of more than 70 novels. Born in Japan to American parents in 1903, she spent her early years in Asia. A rarity for her genre, she wrote mysteries for both the juvenile and the adult markets, many of which feature exotic settings. Although she was often described as a Gothic novelist, a review in The New York Times even dubbing her "The Queen of the American Gothics", Whitney claimed to hate this title. She preferred to say she wrote ”romantic novels of suspense".