Ryan Steck
Author Interview - Ryan Steck
Author of The Second Son
A pulse-pounding yet soulful espionage thriller for fans of Brad Thor, Jack Carr, and Mark Greaney, delivering plot twists so explosive, it took two top suspense writers to pull it off.
Soldier-turned-sommelier Chase Burke may have traded his rifle for bottles of wine, but violence and conspiracy aren’t through with him yet. First, his intelligence analyst brother is killed in a covert op gone wrong and branded a traitor. Then a brutal ambush at the restaurant where Chase works leaves the woman he is romantically involved with―a congresswoman―clinging to life.
Scrambling to clear the family name and protect his secret love, Chase teams up with NYPD Detective Alice Doyle, a single mother fighting battles of her own. Together they uncover a powerful criminal syndicate whose unscrupulous influence sweeps the globe―and strikes painfully close to home.
As elite mercenaries close in, Chase is dragged back into the dangerous world he thought he’d escaped. Facing a mother losing her memory and a past that never forgets, he fights to win a zero-sum game where trust can be lethal. But when all seems lost, an unlikely ally could help turn the tide…
Author Interview - Ryan Steck
Author I draw inspiration from:
C.J. Box. I love all of his Joe Pickett books!
Author Interview - Ryan Steck | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
Somewhere warm! Either by a fire or on a beach.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
My own hero, Matthew Redd, because he's big enough to get me OUT of that elevator. Ha!
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I think I've always dreamed of telling stories for a living, to be honest.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I really love the trade paperback for its portability.
The last book I read:
The Crossway by C.J. Box.
Author Interview - Ryan Steck | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Both! I love good fountain pens and a nice keyboard.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp, because he's the coolest character ever created.
Author Interview - Ryan Steck | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I'd probably work in ministry or something along those lines.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
I'm pretty happy with fashion in 2025. I'm able to wear nice sweats or joggers and look perfectly normal out and about.
Place I’d most like to travel:
Israel. I've always wanted to see the holy land.
My signature drink:
Coke Zero.
Favorite artist:
Brandon Lake.
Number one on my bucket list:
Oh, man. That's a hard one! I've always wanted to see my beloved Detroit Lions win a Superbowl, so that might be top of my list.
Find more from the author:
I'm on all socials @TheRealBookSpy and @RyanSteckAuthor
About Ryan Steck:
Ryan Steck
Ryan Steck is the author of Fields of Fire, Lethal Range, Redd Christmas, Out for Blood, and Ted Bell’s Monarch, an Alex Hawke thriller. He’s also the founder and editor in chief of The Real Book Spy website and an official Amazon Influencer. Praised as “one of the hardest-working and fairest reviewers out there” (author Lisa Scottoline), Steck is considered by some as “the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (author A. J. Tata). Steck’s fourth Matthew Redd novel, Gone Dark, is due out in 2025.
