Get ready for double the trouble and twice the action because thriller authors Simon Gervais and Ryan Steck are teaming up for a new series set to launch in 2025 with The Second Son.
Announced first on Publisher’s Marketplace, news broke Friday morning that Gervais (best known for his Clayton white series, which is currently being adapted for television by CBS Studios with Jerry Bruckheimer producing) and Steck, The Real Book Spy himself (and author of the Matthew Redd books and the upcoming Ted Bell’s Monarch), are set to co-author a new series for Thomas & Mercer, an imprint of Amazon Publishing, that will come out next fall. Their first book together, The Second Son, will follow “a former soldier turned Master Sommelier” who “joins forces with the FBI to investigate the attempted murder of a charismatic yet mysterious newly elected congresswoman with whom he is secretly in love.” While other details are being kept under wraps, more information is expected soon.
I’ve been a longtime fan of Simon Gervais and his books,” said Steck. “Having covered everything he’s ever written, I—like his other readers—have watched as Simon’s career has taken off in a big way these last few years. His Clayton White series is as good as anything else out there, but his best book is his newest one, The Elias Network, which reads like Mr. and Mrs. Smith on steroids. Moreover, I’ve become friends with Simon, and it’s been nothing but a thrill to partner with him on this new series, which certainly has shades of us both sewn into the fabric of our main character and supporting cast. I can’t wait for our readers to see what we’ve cooked up with The Second Son next fall.”
With the announcement of their co-written project, 2025 will be a two-book year for Gervais, who will also publish the second entry in his new Caspian Anderson franchise next summer, a book that will follow the pulse-pounding action found in The Elias Network.
In addition to The Second Son, next year, Steck will also release his first Alex Hawke novel, Ted Bell’s Monarch, on March 25, 2025, as well as his fourth Matthew Redd thriller, Gone Dark, which is currently slated to hit bookstores in late June.
SIMON GERVAIS is a former RCMP officer specialized in protective operations and counterterrorism. He is the #1 international bestselling author of twelve books, including Hunt Them Down, his breakthrough novel, which is being adapted for television by Sobini Films, and The Last Protector, the first book in the Clayton White series. Both were published by Thomas and Mercer. Simon’s books have received more than 65,000 reviews on Amazon.
In 2022, Simon had the honor to be chosen by G.P. Putnam’s Sons and the estate of literary icon Robert Ludlum to write a book within the illustrious Jason Bourne universe. Robert Ludlum’s The Blackbriar Genesis was published in October 2022 with Publishers Weekly saying the book was an action-packed thriller worthy of the Ludlum legacy. Simon’s next book, The Elias Network, the first in a new series, will be published by Thomas and Mercer on October 1, 2024.
Simon lives with his wife and two children in Ottawa. He’s an avid skier, SCUBA diver, yachtsman, and wine enthusiast.
RYAN STECK is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Real Book Spy and author of Fields Of Fire, Lethal Range, Redd Christmas, Out For Blood, and the forthcoming Alex Hawke thriller Ted Bell’s Monarch, which comes out on March 25, 2025. Named an “Online Influencer” by Amazon, Steck has been praised as “One of the hardest working and fairest reviewers out there” by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, on his way to “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). His books have been endorsed by major #1 New York Times bestselling authors Brad Thor, C.J. Box, Jack Carr, Mark Greaney, Nelson DeMille, James Rollins, Brad Meltzer, Kyle Mills, as well as Don Winslow, T.J. Newman, Brad Taylor, Gregg Hurwitz, and Steve Berry.
As The Real Book Spy, Steck has spent the last decade building a large audience, accumulating over 22 million page views since launching in 2015. In addition to being a literary critic, Steck has worked as an industry insider, often breaking exclusive news specific to the thriller and mystery genres. An avid Detroit Lions fan and voracious reader of Vince Flynn, C.J. Box, and Agatha Christie, Steck lives in Michigan with his wife and five of their six children.
Obviously, we’ll have plenty of coverage for The Second Son as more details come out. In the meantime, check out everything else from Simon Gervais here, and click here for more information on thrillers from Ryan Steck.