The Author
SEAN BLACK
To research his books, Sean Black has trained as a bodyguard in the UK and Eastern Europe, spent time inside America's most dangerous Supermax prison (Pelican Bay in California), undergone desert survival training in Arizona, and ventured into the tunnels under Las Vegas.
A graduate of Oxford University, England and Columbia University in New York, Sean lives in Dublin, Ireland.
His Ryan Lock and Byron Tibor thrillers have been translated into Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish.
When he's not writing, Sean trains in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In Paris in 2023, he became the only amputee ever to win a European championship in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu — competing against able-bodied athletes.
Recognition
AWARDS
The ITW Thriller Award is one of the most prestigious prizes in crime and thriller fiction, presented annually at ThrillerFest in New York. The International Thriller Writers organisation counts over 6,600 members in 49 countries, representing more than 3.6 billion books sold. Previous winners of an ITW award include Stephen King, Lee Child, David Baldacci, Paula Hawkins, Harlan Coben, Freida McFadden, Jack Carr, Alex Michaelides, S.A. Cosby, and Karin Slaughter.
International Thriller Writers Award
Best Paperback Original
Second Chance
International Thriller Writers Award
The Deep Abiding
International Thriller Writers Award
The Edge of Alone
International Thriller Writers Award
Post
Watch
THE ACCEPTANCE SPEECH
Sean Black accepts the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Paperback Original at ThrillerFest in New York, 2018, for Second Chance — the eighth Ryan Lock novel.
In the Media
ON SCREEN
TV3 Ireland
INSIDE PELICAN BAY
Sean Black talks to TV3 about going inside Pelican Bay — America's most dangerous Supermax prison — to research Deadlock, the second Ryan Lock novel.
What They're Saying
PRAISE
“Meet Ryan Lock: a tough-guy hero for the new age.”
“Sean Black writes with the pace of Lee Child, and the heart of Harlan Coben.”
“Black drives his hero into the tightest spots with a force and energy that jump off the page. This is a writer, and a hero, to watch.”
“This series is ace. There are deservedly strong Lee Child comparisons as the author is a Brit, his novels US-based, his character appealing, and his publisher the same.”