Ian A. O'Connor

Ian A. O'Connor
Ian A. O'Connor, author of military thriller novels
Born(1944-08-16)August 16, 1944
Liverpool, England
DiedJune 5, 2026(2026-06-05) (aged 81)
Jensen Beach, Florida, U.S.
EducationBenedictine College (B.A., Political Science)
OccupationsAuthor, United States Air Force colonel
Writing career
Notable worksThe Twilight of the Day, The Seventh Seal, The Barbarossa Covenant, The Wrong Road Home, Point Option, The Pegasus Directive, Scrappy: A Memoir of a Fighter Pilot
Notable awardsSilver Falchion Award (2022); Bronze Medal, Military Writers Society of America (2018)
Websiteianaoconnor.com

Ian Andrew O'Connor (August 16, 1944 – June 5, 2026) was an American author and United States Air Force colonel, best known for his military thrillers including The Twilight of the Day and Point Option. His works have earned recognition from the Military Writers Society of America and Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Awards.[1]

Early life and education

O'Connor was born in Liverpool, England, and spent parts of his childhood in London and Dublin before emigrating with his family to Canada and later to the United States.[2] He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.[2]

Military career

After college, O'Connor joined the United States Air Force and served as an intelligence officer in Southeast Asia during his early career.[2] He later held senior leadership positions in national security management while in the Air Force Ready Reserve.[3] He held an FAA commercial pilot’s certificate with single- and multi-engine ratings.[4]

Post-military career

After his active-duty service, O'Connor joined Landmark Insurance of the Palm Beaches.[2] While there, he wrote a professional economics essay: "A Financial Fix That Marks to Market", which was published in TheStreet.com on March 13, 2009.[5] The article offered a solution for jumpstarting the frozen U.S. financial markets during the economic crisis of 2008, drawing extensively on how the insurance industry successfully values its property assets.

O'Connor was awarded United States patent No. 3841513, issued October 15, 1974, for a "Container Having A Safety Closure" to protect children from ingesting dangerous drugs and other toxic household products.

Writing career

O'Connor studied fiction writing in workshops and seminars[3] and in 2000, he released his first military-themed thriller, The Twilight of the Day,[6] which was republished in 2015 and 2025. The Air Force Times book review called it 'clever, original, and intriguing, mixing fiction with real characters and events.'[7]

He followed this with the Justin Scott geopolitical thriller series, beginning with The Seventh Seal in 2006, and The Barbarossa Covenant in 2015. Both were republished in 2025. The Seventh Seal was nominated for the 2006 Edgar Award for best murder mystery.[2] Kirkus Reviews described The Barbarossa Covenant as “fitting nicely into the Tom Clancy–meets–Dan Brown canon.”[8]

In addition to fiction, O'Connor co-authored Scrappy: A Memoir of a Fighter Pilot in Korea and Vietnam (McFarland & Company), recounting the career of Col. Howard "Scrappy" Johnson.

In 2015, O'Connor released The Wrong Road Home, based on the true story of a well respected Miami physician (a friend of O'Connor with shared Irish heritage[9]) who was uncovered as a fraud by the Miami Herald.[10]

O'Connor's final works included Point Option: A Time-Travel Military Thriller (2021),[11] and The Pegasus Directive (2023).[12]

Personal life and death

Prior to his death, O'Connor lived on Florida's Treasure Coast with his wife, Candice.[4] He died June 5, 2026, at the age of 81.[13]

Reception and awards

O'Connor's novels received positive reviews from critics and military literature circles.

His co-authored biography, Scrappy: A Memoir of a U.S. Fighter Pilot in Korea and Vietnam, was noted within the international military aviation community for its detailed account of Howard Johnson’s career, and copies are held in both the U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Air Force Academy libraries.[4]

Awards further reinforced O'Connor’s critical reception: The Twilight of the Day earned a Bronze Medal from the Military Writers Society of America (2017),[14] and Point Option was awarded the Silver Falchion Award for Best Thriller in 2022.[1]

His last novel, The Pegasus Directive, which portrays an alternative view[12] of the forces behind the Kennedy assassination, was a finalist for The Claymore Award.

Memberships

O'Connor was a member of the Air Commando Association, an associate member of the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association, and a member of Mystery Writers of America.[4]

Bibliography

Novels

  • O’Connor, Ian A. (2025). The Twilight of the Day (Revised ed.). Pegasus Publishing. ISBN 9781737422969.
  • O’Connor, Ian A. (2025). The Seventh Seal (Revised ed.). Pegasus Publishing. ISBN 9781737422983.
  • O’Connor, Ian A. (2015). The Barbarossa Covenant. Pegasus Publishing. ISBN 9780692476369.
  • O’Connor, Ian A. (2016). The Wrong Road Home. Pegasus Publishing. ISBN 9780692569658.
  • O’Connor, Ian A. (2021). Point Option: A Time-Travel Military Thriller. Pegasus Publishing. ISBN 9781737422907.
  • O’Connor, Ian A. (2023). The Pegasus Directive (Hardcover ed.). Pegasus Publishing. ISBN 9781737422921.

Non-fiction

  • Johnson, Howard C. "Scrappy"; O’Connor, Ian A. (2008). Scrappy: A Memoir of a Fighter Pilot in Korea and Vietnam. McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786432042.

Further reading

References

  1. 1 2 "Silver Falchion Award Winners 2022". Killer Nashville. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Best, Liz (August 3, 2005). "Retired colonel's mystery novel nominated for Edgar Award". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  3. 1 2 O'Connor, Ian A. "Ian A. O'Connor". Ian A. O'Connor. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 O'Connor, Ian A. "Amazon Author's page: Ian A. O'Connor". Amazon.com. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  5. ↑ O'Connor, Ian A. (March 13, 2009). "A Financial Fix That Marks to Market". TheStreet.com.
  6. ↑ The Twilight of the Day | Kirkus Reviews.
  7. ↑ Simon, Steven (November 19, 2001). "POWs Heroic in Nuclear Thriller". The Air Force Times.
  8. ↑ "Review: The Barbarossa Covenant". Kirkusreviews.com. Kirkus Reviews. 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  9. ↑ thedarkphantom (April 10, 2016). "The story behind 'The Long Road Home – A story of treachery and deceit inspired by true events' by Ian A. O'Connor". The Story Behind the Book. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
  10. ↑ Bissell, Sally (August 9, 2016). "The Wrong Road Home". WGCU News, Miami, FL.
  11. ↑ McPherson-Joseph, Dontana (September 28, 2021). "Point Option: A Time-Travel Military Thriller". www.forewordreviews.com. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
  12. 1 2 "The Pegasus Directive by Ian O'Connor". www.inmag.com. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Ian Andrew O'Connor". Treasure Coast Seawinds Funeral Home. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  14. ↑ MWSA. "Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) Announces 2017 Award Winners". PRLog. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
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