Simon Gervais is a former federal agent specializing in protective operations and counterterrorism. He spent nearly twenty years in the military and in law enforcement. His assignments took him all over Europe and the Middle East. He’s the New York Times and #1 Amazon bestselling author of 15 exciting thrillers, one of these titles—Robert Ludlum’s The Blackbriar Genesis—was written for the Robert Ludlum estate. Simon’s Clayton White series is presently being adapted for TV by CBS Studios with Jerry Bruckheimer TV attached to produce, and his Pierce Hunt series is being adapted for TV by Sobini Films.

Ryan Steck is the author of FIELDS OF FIRE, LETHAL RANGE, REDD CHRISTMAS, OUT FOR BLOOD, GONE DARK, TED BELL’S MONARCH, the forthcoming Alex Hawke thriller TED BELL’S WARMONGER (available for pre-order everywhere books are sold), and is the co-author of THE SECOND SON with Simon Gervais. He is also a freelance editor, the founder and editor-in-chief of The Real Book Spy, and was named an “Online Influencer” by Amazon. Praised as “One of the hardest working and fairest reviewers out there” by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata).

Q: Can you tell us what The Second Son is about in two to three sentences?

RYAN: After his brother’s death exposes a dark conspiracy, Chase Burke, a soldier-turned-sommelier, partners with a street-smart NYPD detective to uncover the truth—before a shadowy network of mercenaries silences them both. Expect lots of action and jaw-dropping twists and turns! 

SIMON: Ryan nailed the description. As for the tone, I’d say The Second Son is a thriller that blends action, emotion, and family drama. Like Ryan said, Chase’s life falls apart when his brother—an intelligence analyst—is killed during a covert op and branded a traitor. Then, when the congresswoman he’s secretly in love is nearly killed in an ambush, Chase realizes the two events are connected.

Q: What was the inspiration for The Second Son?

RYAN: The idea came from a conversation we had around the time of one of Simon’s book releases. I was actually interviewing him to promote his book on The Real Book Spy, and after the interview, while we were catching up, I mentioned a story concept I had been thinking about for a while. Simon ran with that idea and made it so much better and bigger than anything I had come up with. That gave me a few ideas, and I pitched them to him. Ultimately, that collaborative process continued for some time, until we both fell in love with the characters – especially Chase Burke – and the story idea, and decided we needed to partner to write Chase’s story. 

SIMON: That’s exactly how it happened! Ryan had a fantastic seed of an idea, and right away I could see its potential. We started tossing ideas back and forth, and before long, we had a concept we were both super excited about. We both wanted to do something a little different from what we usually write. I think we succeeded. 

Q: How did you two meet and when was it decided that you would write a book together?

RYAN: Oh, man. It’s crazy to think, but we actually met just prior to the publication of Simon’s first book. We both were on Twitter (at the time) and big fans of Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp series. We first connected over our mutual love and appreciation for Flynn, the thriller genre, and so on. But I can confidently say that neither of us ever imagined writing a book together way back then. It all just sort of… happened… as mentioned above, very organically. We just kept fleshing out story ideas until we both felt we had to tell this story, and it was all a blast from there.  

SIMON: The real crazy thing is that even though Ryan and I have known each other for over a decade, we’ve never actually met in person! 

Q: Speaking of co-writing, what was the process like? Did you alternate writing chapters or did you each focus on an individual character? How did it work for you?

RYAN: I don’t know how other co-authors do it, but for us, the entire process is a shared effort. Honestly, by the time we’re done, there’s no sentence that hasn’t been touched by both of us, and because of that, The Second Son doesn’t sound or read like a Simon Gervais book or a Ryan Steck book. It’s taken on a third voice, which has been really cool to see. I think our readers are going to love it. 

SIMON: What Ryan said! 

Q: Were there any unexpected surprises or challenges writing a book in a singular voice?

RYAN: The only real surprises were how easy we worked together, and then some of the twists we came up with that we then executed in the book. Truly, we’ve never had a single issue working together. Not even a disagreement. We’ve always seen eye-to-eye, and there’s a lot of trust between us. Because of that, we were able to push the envelope and keep coming up with more innovative ideas and twists. Again, I think our readers will love The Second Son, which is unlike anything either of us has ever written. 

SIMON: I completely agree with Ryan. The biggest surprise for me was how naturally everything came together.

Q: How would you describe Chase as a character – from soldier to sommelier is a unique shift. What inspired this line of work?

RYAN: Well, making him a sommelier was totally Simon’s idea. That is his world, not mine! But I did think it was a brilliant choice for the character, and I think we’re able to utilize Chase’s love for wine in a really cool way throughout the story. As for how I would describe him? Well, Chase is sort of a loner who’s lived in his big brother’s shadow all his life. Michael Burke was always the golden boy, excelling at everything he did. Chase, meanwhile, was more… average, in a sense. His mother always favored Michael, as did others, and he learned to accept that, though deep down, he’s always wanted to matter. Now he’s in the spotlight, for better or worse (and trust me, it’s definitely worse sometimes), and this is his story. 

SIMON: That’s true that making Chase a sommelier came directly from my love of wine. My wife and I decided to do our sommelier certification a couple years ago through WSET, and the more I learned about the craft, the more I realized how much some parts of it mirror the mindset of a police officer—my former job. It’s all about discipline and paying attention to subtle details most people will overlook. Making Chase a sommelier felt like a way of showing a different side of someone who’s lived through violence and wants to find meaning in something quieter. But of course, trouble has a way of finding Chase…

Q: Simon, how did your experiences in the military and as a federal agent influence the writing of The Second Son and the creation of Chase Burke. What parts of you are reflected in Chase?

My background definitely shaped how I approached The Second Son and Chase Burke. Having served as an infantry officer and later as a federal agent with the RCMP, I’ve seen firsthand how duty and loyalty can come into conflict with personal values. I’ve been in situations where split-second decisions can have huge consequences and I use this experience to keep my writing—especially my action scenes—realistic. And like Chase, I understand what it’s like to operate in high-stress situations, to rely on instinct and training, and to live with the consequences of decisions made in the heat of the moment. 

Q: Ryan, you are #therealbookspy. Can you tell us a little more about your background and fascination with espionage?

My love for thrillers actually started when I was a young father. I had a son with special needs, who required near 24/7 care, and oftentimes, I would take the night shift to help keep an eye on him and assist in whatever was needed. To stay awake, I would read. Eventually, that led to me transitioning from sports writing to publishing, where I bounced around writing reviews for other outlets before launching The Real Book Spy in 2014, and it’s been a blur ever since. I’m very thankful to all the Book Spy readers out there, and it’s been so much fun covering the genre I love. That said… there’s nothing quite like being able to write stories of my own, and I literally still pinch myself every single day that I get to tell stories for a living.

Q: What can readers expect next from you? As a team, and individually?

RYAN: Well, my next Alex Hawke thriller, written for the Ted Bell estate, is called Ted Bell’s Warmonger, and that comes out on March 31, 2026 (I just signed a new book deal, too, with a new publisher, to continue that series, so expect a big announcement soon!). Then, sometime next summer, my fifth Matthew Redd book, Target Down, will hit bookstores, too. After that, Chase Burke is back in the sequel to The Second Son, which will be released sometime next fall. So, lots of new stories on the way. 

SIMON: My next Caspian Anderson thriller The Elias Conspiracy will be published next July. The Marked Son—the sequel to The Second Son—comes out next November, and I’m presently working on a stand-alone that will hit the shelves in summer 2027.