Robert Ryan (c.1951 -), also known as Tom Neale, is an English author, journalist and screenwriter. Born in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, he moved to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
to study natural sciences at university and began his writing career in the late 1980s for ''
The Face
The face is a part of the body, the front of the head.
Face may also refer to:
Film
* ''The Magician'' (1958 film) or ''The Face''
* ''The Face'' (1996 film), an American television film
* ''Face'' (1997 film), a British crime drama by Antonia ...
'', ''
Arena
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
'' and the US edition of ''
GQ'', and then ''
Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
''.
Ryan published his first novel, ''Underdogs'', in 1999 and collaborated with jazz trumpeter
Guy Barker
Guy Jeffrey Barker, (born 26 December 1957) is an English jazz trumpeter and composer.
Early life
Barker was born in Chiswick, London, the son of an actress and a stuntman. He started playing the trumpet at the age of twelve, and within a year ...
on an extended version of a piece called ''Underdogs'', based on the novel. As of 2010, he published eleven more novels and was working on a novel due for release in 2011. His most successful and acclaimed novels as of 2010 are ''Death on the Ice'', which was praised and recommended by the
Antarctic Heritage Trust, and ''Empire of Sand'', inspired by
David Lean
Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...
’s ''
Lawrence of Arabia
Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...
'', to end the book where the film begins. He is also known for his Morning, Noon and Night series of books, ''Early One Morning'' (2002), ''The Blue Noon'' (2003), ''Night Crossing'' (2004), and ''After Midnight'' (2005), and for the Vince Piper series he wrote under the pseudonym Tom Neale: ''Steel Rain'' (2005) and ''Copper Kiss'' (2006). Most of his novels are set in historical wars, such as
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Using the pseudonym R. J. Bailey, Robert Ryan and his wife Deborah Ryan collaboratively write the Sam Wylde series of mysteries.
Novels
*''Underdogs (1999)
*''Nine Mil'' (2000)
*''Trans Am'' (2001)
*''The Last Sunrise'' (2006)
*''Dying Day'' (2007)
*''Empire of Sand'' (2008)
*''Death on the Ice'' (2009)
*''Sunset Road'' (2010)
*''Signal Red'' (2010)
Noon and Night series
*''Early One Morning'' (2002), Book 1 in the Morning, Noon and Night series
*''Blue Noon'' (2003), Book 2 in the Morning, Noon and Night series
*''Night Crossing'' (2004), Book 3 in the Morning, Noon and Night series
*''After Midnight'' (2005), Book 4 in the Morning, Noon and Night series
Vince Piper series
*''Steel Rain'' (2005), Book 1 in the Vince Piper series, by Tom Neale
*''Copper Kiss'' (2006), Book 2 in the Vince Piper series, by Tom Neale
Dr. Watson
John H. Watson, known as Dr. Watson, is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). The last work by Doyle fe ...
series
*''Dead Man's Land'' (2012), Book 1 in the Dr. Watson series
*''The Dead Can Wait'' (2014), Book 2 in the Dr. Watson series
*''A Study in Murder'' (2015), Book 3 in the Dr. Watson series
*''The Sign of Fear'' (2016), Book 4 in the Dr. Watson series
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Robert
21st-century English novelists
English male journalists
Novelists from Liverpool
Living people
1960s births
English male novelists
21st-century English male writers