Robert Ryan also known as Tom Neale, is an English author, journalist and screenwriter. Born in Liverpool

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

, he moved to London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 to study natural sciences at university and began his writing career in the late 1980s for The Face, Arena

Arena

An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...

 and the US edition of GQ, and then Sunday Times.

Ryan published his first novel, Underdogs in 1999 and collaborated with jazz trumpeter Guy Barker

Guy Barker

Guy Barker is an English jazz trumpeter and composer. 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 had joined the National Youth Jazz Orchestra...

 on an extended version of a piece called Underdogs, based on the novel. As of 2010 he has published eleven more novels and is currently working on a novel due for release in 2011.His most successful and acclaimed novels are Death on the Ice, which was praised and recommended by the Antarctic Heritage Trust

Antarctic Heritage Trust

Currently the Antarctic Heritage Trust consists of two partners, the Antarctic Heritage Trust which was formed in 1987 and the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, founded in 1993...

 and Empire of Sand, inspired by David Lean

David Lean

Sir David Lean CBE was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor best remembered for big-screen epics such as The Bridge on the River Kwai , Lawrence of Arabia ,...

’s Lawrence of Arabia, to end the book at 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).Most of his novels are set in historical wars, such as World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

Novels

• Underdogs (1999)
• Nine Mil (2000)
• Trans Am (2001)
• Steel Rain
• Copper Kiss
• Early One Morning (2002)
• Blue Noon (2003)
• Night Crossing (2004)
• After Midnight (2005)
• The Last Sunrise (2006)
• Dying Day (2007)
• Empire of Sand (2008)
• Death on the Ice (2009)
• Signal Red (2010)