Batya Gur was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. She received a master's degree in comparative literature from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She taught literature in high schools and spent a number of years in the U.S.A. She also served as a literature critic and essayist for the newspaper Haaretz. She is the creator of 'Michael Ohayon', a policeman and later head of the National Division's Department for Investigation of Serious Crimes.