Lindsey spent his childhood in the Texas Rio Grande Valley and in West Texas, near San Angelo. He graduated from North Texas State University with a degree in English literature and moved to Austin, Texas in 1970, where he has lived ever since.
During the 1970s, Lindsey worked as a book editor at a number of small publishing houses in Austin. At one point he operated his own publishing firm, Heidelberg Publishers.
During his years in publishing, Lindsey had an interest in writing, but felt it would be fiscally "irresponsible". Finally, in 1980 his wife urged him to "go for it". Lindsey decided to write mystery fiction because of its general marketability. His first two novels appeared in 1983: Black Gold, Red Death and A Cold Mind. The latter work introduced Houston homicide detective Stuart Haydon, a cultured, independently wealthy protagonist who would appear in four subsequent novels.
By 1994 Lindsey had over two million books in print. By 2004, his novels had been translated into 20 languages. His 1990 novel Mercy was adapted into a movie of the same name in 2000.
