Peter Lerangis Peter Lerangis is the author of The Sword Thief and The Viper's Nest, Books 3 and 7 in the bestselling multi-media adventure series The 39 Clues. He has written more than 150 books for young readers in many different genres. He's also a Broadway musical theater actor/singer, a marathon runner, and a father of two sons. He currently lives in New York City.