Matthew John Reilly (born 2 July 1974) is an internationally bestselling Australian action thriller writer. Reilly was born on 2 July 1974 in Sydney, Australia, the second son of Ray (an employee at the Department of Corrective Services) and Denise, a mathematics teacher. He grew up with his brother Stephen in Willoughby, an affluent suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.