Philip Kerr (born 22 February 1956) is a British author.Born in Edinburgh, in a Baptist family, Kerr was educated at Melville College and at a grammar school in Northampton. He studied at the University of Birmingham from 1974 to 1980, gaining a master's degree in law and philosophy. Kerr worked as an advertising copywriter for Saatchi and Saatchi before becoming a full-time writer in 1989.