Ryan David Jahn (born 1979) is an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

Biography

Born in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, Jahn spent much of his youth moving between his father's apartment in

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, and his mother's various rentals in and around

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. At one point, while living near Los Angeles, he was one of six people sharing a one-bedroom apartment, and has said it was to avoid these cramped living quarters that he spent much of his time in public libraries. He finished high school at sixteen, and, after dropping out of college, joined the army, an experience he has described as "ludicrous." He now lives in Louisville,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, with his wife, Jessica, and two daughters, Francine and Matilda.

Work

Though his work has been described as

crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

, including by Jahn himself ("It revolved around a crime, so that seemed to be what it was"), he has cited writers as diverse as Raymond Carver,

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

, and

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

as influences. His first novel, ''Acts of Violence'', takes place over a period of three hours and revolves around the murder of Katrina Marino, a bar manager stabbed in the courtyard outside her apartment block. Her murder is witnessed by several people, none of whom call the police or try to help, as each denies responsibility, an example of the

bystander effect The bystander effect, or bystander apathy, is a social psychological theory that states that individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when there are other people present. First proposed in 1964, much research, mostly in the lab, has f ...

. Though inspired by the murder of Catherine Genovese, the case that first spurred research into the

diffusion of responsibility Diffusion of responsibility is a sociopsychological phenomenon whereby a person is less likely to take responsibility for action or inaction when other bystanders or witnesses are present. Considered a form of attribution, the individual assume ...

, Jahn has said he wasn't interested in writing a didactic work. "I didn't want to create symbols; I wanted the story to be inhabited by people." Upon release in 2009 it was both praised as "compassionate and authentic," and criticized for containing "relentless, near-pornographic brutality," though overall critical reception was positive, and it won a

Crime Writers' Association The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors’ organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its Dagger awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. T ...

John Creasey Dagger for best first novel. Jahn's second novel, ''Low Life'', was released on 2 July 2010. He has said in interview that "it's about a payroll accountant who lives a lonely, friendless life. One night while he's asleep in bed someone breaks into his apartment and tries to murder him. During the altercation he ends up killing his assailant, and rather than calling the police, he puts the body on ice in his bathtub and tries to find out who wanted him dead and why." His third novel, ''The Dispatcher'', was released in June 2011, and was listed as one of the ''Financial Times top ten crime novels of the year, as well as being long-listed for the

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., a ...

Steel Dagger. It was inspired, in part, by the

kidnapping of Jaycee Lee Dugard On June 10, 1991, Jaycee Lee Dugard, an eleven-year-old girl, was abducted from a street while walking to her school bus stop in Meyers, California, United States. Searches began immediately after Dugard's disappearance, but no reliable lea ...

, though the details of the novel bear no relation to the facts of the case, with characters, events and locations being entirely fictional. It concerns the kidnapping of a seven-year-old girl and her father's attempts to rescue her, when, seven years later, months after she has been declared dead, he learns that she is still alive. His fourth, ''The Last Tomorrow'', was released in July 2012. Set in 1952, it concerns political corruption, censorship, and drug addiction. The story revolves around a man falsely accused of murder attempting to clear his name. His fifth, ''The Gentle Assassin'', was released in September 2014.

Bibliography

#''Acts of Violence'' (2009) #''Low Life'' (2010) #''The Dispatcher'' (2011) #''The Last Tomorrow'' (2012) #''The Gentle Assassin'' (2014) #''Dark Hours'' (2015) #''The Breakout'' (2017) #''The Algebra of Blood'' (2017)

Awards and recognition

''Acts of Violence'' #Won. The

John Creasey New Blood Dagger (2010). ''The Dispatcher'' #Long-listed. The Crime Writers' Association

Steel Dagger (2012). #''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

''. Top Ten Crime Novel of the Year (2012). #''

The 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 ...

''. One of the Top Fifty Thrillers of the Last Five Years (2014).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jahn, Ryan David Living people 21st-century American novelists American male screenwriters Novelists from Arizona American male novelists 1979 births Writers from Louisville, Kentucky 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Kentucky Screenwriters from Arizona Screenwriters from Kentucky 21st-century American screenwriters