Steven Hartov was born in New London, Connecticut, attended public schools in New England and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Boston University. In 1973, he joined the U.S. Merchant Marine Military Sealift Command, beginning a series of adventures that would later appear in his non-fiction pieces and fictional works.

In 1977, he volunteered for the Israel Defense Forces Airborne Corps, serving first as a paratrooper and later in a Special Operations branch of Israeli Military Intelligence. He subsequently spent 13 more years as a reservist in the IDF, and currently serves as a Task Force commander, rank of major, in the New York Guard.

In the mid-1980s, he began writing a series of espionage novels based in the Middle East. His trilogy, “The Heat of Ramadan,” “The Nylon Hand of God” and “The Devil’s Shepherd,” earned nominations for the National Book Award, top ten placements in the Book of the Month Club and translations into six foreign languages. In 2003, he co-authored the New York Times non-fiction best seller, “In the Company of Heroes,” and most recently co-authored “The Night Stalkers” and "Afghanistan on the Bounce." His new novel, "The Soul of a Thief," a thrilling adventure set during WWII, will be released by Hanover Square Press in April, 2018.

He is the former Editor-In-Chief of Special Operations Report, a professional journal on military and law enforcement special tactics. His works are recommended readings by the U.S. Army War College.