Author Biography (Short)

Tom Ryan is an award-winning author, screenwriter and producer. His books have been Junior Library Guild and ALA Rainbow List selections, and have been included on several best-of-year lists. He was a 2017 Lambda Literary Fellow in Young Adult Fiction. His 2019 release Keep This to Yourself was the recipient of the 2020 Arthur Ellis Award, the 2020 ITW Thriller Award, and the 2021 Ann Connor Brimer Award, and was nominated for the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award and the John Spray Mystery Award. It was also chosen by the Globe & Mail as one of the ‘Globe 100: Books that shaped 2019’ and is currently being adapted for television. His young adult mystery I Hope You’re Listening was the recipient of the 2021 Lambda Award for Best LGBTQ Mystery. Tom, his husband, and their dog live in Nova Scotia.

Author Biography (Long)

Tom Ryan is an award-winning author, screenwriter and producer. Tom was born and raised in Inverness, Nova Scotia, and is a graduate of Mount Allison University and NSCC.

Since 2012, Tom has published several books for young readers of all ages. He has been nominated for the White Pine Award, the Stellar Award and the Hackmatack Award, and two of his books were Junior Library Guild selections. Four of his young adult novels, Way to Go, Tag Along, Keep This to Yourself, and I Hope You’re Listening, were chosen for the ALA Rainbow List. In 2017, on the occasion of Canada’s 150th birthday, his debut novel, Way to Go, was chosen as one of the most significant books in Nova Scotia’s history. He was a 2017 Lambda Literary Fellow in Young Adult Fiction. His 2019 release Keep This to Yourself was the recipient of the 2020 Arthur Ellis Award for YA Crime Book, the 2020 ITW Award for Best YA Thriller, and the 2021 Ann Connor Brimer Award, and was also nominated for the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award and the John Spray Mystery Award. Keep This to Yourself was also chosen by the Globe & Mail as one of the ‘Globe 100: Books that shaped 2019’ as well as being named one of 2019’s top books for young readers by Quill & Quire and one of the best books of the decade by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. It is currently being adapted for television. His follow-up thriller, I Hope You’re Listening, was the recipient of the 2021 Lambda Award for Best LGBTQ Mystery.

Tom, his husband and their dog live in Nova Scotia.

Author Headshot (click to download high res image)

(photo credit: Nicola Davison)

Cover Art (click to download high res image)

Back Cover Copy (KEEP THIS TO YOURSELF)

A town ripped apart.

A message from beyond the grave.

And a chance for justice.

Last summer, a serial killer terrorized the sleepy seaside village of Camera Cove, killing four people before disappearing without a trace. Like everyone else in town, eighteen-year-old Mac Bell has been trying to move on from the tragedy—easier said than done when Mac’s best friend, golden boy Connor Williams, was the final victim. But Mac is starting to accept that he might never find closure…

Until he discovers a note that Connor left him the night he died—a note hinting he’d found out the killer’s identity and needed Mac’s help. Now, Mac’s on a mission to solve Connor’s murder once and for all. And nobody—friends, neighbors, or even the cute stranger with his own connection to the case—is beyond suspicion.

Can Mac untangle the truth before the killer strikes again?

Blurbs

A classic whodunit complete with an atmospheric coastal setting, red herrings galore, and a gay teen detective you’ll root for from page one. Malinda Lo, author of A Line in the Dark

With sharp twists, mounting tension, and a doozy of an ending—not to mention a little sweet romance—this is a page-turner you will not want to keep to yourself. Caleb Roehrig, author of Last Seen Leaving

A delicious murder thriller that chills to the bone. Keep This to Yourself asks you out for a sweet walk in the park that eventually turns into a terrifying sprint in the dark. K. Ancrum, author of The Wicker King

Keep This to Yourself is full of twists and turns that keep readers second guessing and flipping pages right until the end. I fell in love with the characters—even when I wasn’t sure who I could trust. Eileen Cook, author of With Malice and You Owe Me a Murder

Trade Reviews

Breathtakingly chilling. Set across the lush backdrop of an oceanside vacation town, the mystery unfurls like a thick fog, eerie and wholly immersive…. A tightly plotted mystery. Kirkus Reviews starred review

A powerful coming-of-age story and a frequently surprising mystery. To Ryan’s considerable credit, the distinct narrative strands are inseparable... As a thriller, Keep This to Yourself delivers twists and turns aplenty, but its personal elements are just as thrilling and suspenseful, with stakes almost as high. Quill & Quire

[A] tense, compelling mystery… Suspicion turns to paranoia in Ryan’s clever whodunit… Alongside the well-plotted mystery is a sweet romance… With an atmospheric setting and relatable characters, this is a solid choice for mystery fans. Booklist

Press and Media