Ryan Steck (pictured above wearing Ted Bell's yellow watch, the same watch Bell wore in his author photo for his last novel, SEA HAWKE) is an author, freelance editor, and founder of The Real Book Spy. His debut novel, Fields of Fire, the first book in his Matthew Redd thriller series, was released in 2021. His second book, Lethal Range,  came out earlier this year. His third novel, Out of Blood, is scheduled to hit bookstores on June 4th, 2024, and is currently available for pre-order wherever books are sold.

 

Readers who want to get to know Ryan’s work can start with any of his full-length novels. He also has a brand new novella that came out November 1, 2023, just in time for the 2023 Holiday season, called Redd Christmas.

As a novelist, Ryan's work has been endorsed by #1 New York Times bestselling authors such as Jack Carr, Nelson DeMille, C.J. Box, Mark Greaney, James Rollins, Kyle Mills, and more. As the Real Book Spy, an industry insider and literary critic, Steck—who was also named an "online influencer" by Amazon in 2018—has received praise from Lisa Scottoline, Brad Thor, Daniel Silva, Janet Evanovich, Steve Berry, Don Winslow, and many more.

But more importantly, and what Alex Hawke fans should know, is that for the last decade, Ryan has worked with Ted Bell behind the scenes in various roles. Moreover, Ted singled Steck out in the acknowledgments of his 2020 novel, DRAGONFIRE, writing:

"Ryan Steck. A Name known by any and all who labor in the vineyards of the thriller novel. Besides his encyclopedic knowledge of the genre, Ryan is a book doctor extraordinaire, an editor, and a huge promoter of us pencil pushers. More importantly, I will acknowledge his huge contribution to all of us. When I came of age in this thriller game, there was a pervasive air of competition between all of us writers. A given. But Ryan changed all that single-handedly. He took it upon himself to turn us into a community. A group of people who became friends, not competitors, people who support the work of their fellow authors, and cheered their success. This is no small thing. It has made our profession much more satisfying and rewarding."

 

                                                                                                                — Ted Bell, DRAGONFIRE