Suspense, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Sep 23: New Thrills in Target Down – A Matthew Redd Thriller

Aaron Decker needs to collect on a 20-year-old debt, and Matthew Redd races to the challenge.

Target Down – A Matthew Redd Thriller with Ryan Steck

Ryan Steck returns to discuss Target Down, the craft of writing, and what a decade-plus of storytelling has taught him.

Aaron Decker faked his own death twenty years ago to protect his family. Now someone’s found him, and the only man he trusts to help is former Marine Raider Matthew Redd, a man who doesn’t leave debts unpaid. That’s the spark behind Target Down, the fifth entry in Ryan Steck‘s Matthew Redd series, blending military-thriller tension with the soul of a modern Western.

We dive into the full story, how Redd and this cast have evolved across five books, and the instincts Ryan has sharpened over more than a decade in the thriller world. We also learn why connections are important to authors, and why Ryan says his “bosses” are his readers.

Meet Ryan Steck

Ryan Steck is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Real Book Spy, one of the thriller genre’s most trusted voices, and author of the bestselling Matthew Redd series, including Fields of Fire, Lethal Range, Out for Blood, Gone Dark, and now Target Down. He also continues the late Ted Bell’s iconic Alex Hawke series, most recently with Warmonge; and has launched a new series with The Second Son. Ryan lives in Michigan with his wife and six children.

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