bio

Bryan Christy’s debut novel IN THE COMPANY OF KILLERS (Putnam) has been declared “an exceptional adventure thriller” (Publishers Weekly) and a New York Times “Summer Reads Choice.” His non-fiction book THE LIZARD KING (Twelve) is currently in production, A24 Films.

“I am a huge fan of your work,” says Trevor Noah.

Bryan is the former head of Special Investigations at National Geographic and a National Geographic Society Rolex Explorer of the Year. For its 125th Anniversary, National Geographic named his writing “one of ten ways National Geographic has changed the world.” He has testified before Congress on terrorism in Africa, and has lectured for law enforcement and investigative journalism programs around the world.

Bryan’s investigations have resulted in police raids on Vatican City; the defrocking of a pedophile monsignor in the Philippines; the arrest of “the Pablo Escobar of wildlife trafficking” in Malaysia; the closing of China’s ivory market (saving tens of thousands of elephants); and the passage of new laws and policies around the world. To investigate terrorist Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army operating in Central Africa, Bryan and his team deployed fake elephant tusks armed with Iridium satellite trackers. During the investigation, Bryan was arrested and held as a suspected ivory trafficker.

He has won numerous awards for storytelling, including WildScreen’s Best Presenter award for his role in the documentary film Warlords of Ivory. National Geographic submitted his investigation into the illegal rhino horn trade for a Pulitzer Prize.

Bryan has appeared on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,  NPR’s Fresh Air w Terry Gross (and here), the Diane Rehm Show, CNN’s Amanpour, BBC, MSNBC, Nightline, PBS NewsHour, and more.

His education includes Penn State University, Cornell University’s FALCON program, University of Michigan Law School, University of Tokyo Law School (where he was a Fulbright Scholar), and time at the Iowa Writers Workshop under James Alan McPherson.