Marie Belloc Lowndes was an English novelist, the only daughter of French barrister Louis Belloc, and sister of Hilaire Belloc. She established her reputation as a teller of stories combining exciting incident with psychological interest.

In 1913 she published the highly successful novel, The Lodger. The fictionalized story about Jack the Ripper sold more than a million copies and was made into a film three or four times, the most famous being the 1927 silent film by Alfred Hitchcock.