Detective Ryan Mysteries by Clive Fleury

 

 

The truth doesn’t sleep — and neither does Detective Ryan.

Off Season

A Detective Ryan Mystery #1

by Clive Fleury

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Detective Ryan navigates drug overdoses, a mysterious foot on the beach and a long-buried cold case.

Detective Ramesh Ryan's career with Sydney's prestigious Organized Crime Unit is on the up, until he loses a court case against the city's most powerful drug dealer. In disgrace, the detective is relocated to the tiny Australian beach town of Barton.

It is off-season in Barton-when its few criminals usually take a well-earned rest. But not this year! With the detective's arrival, the town suddenly becomes murder central. Two bodies are discovered in the space of days, both victims of drug overdoses. Then a mysterious foot is found washed up on the beach, and memories are awoken of an unsolved cold case of the teenager who disappeared fifteen years ago. Add to this a blossoming romance, along with a contract taken out on Ryan's life, and it's clear that the detective has jumped out of the Sydney frying pan into the Barton fire.

What follows is an action-packed adventure, thrilling at every turn-where truth and lies are almost impossible to separate, and unexpected twists are the order of the day.

 

Praise For OFF SEASON

 

“Off Season is a sensational and thrilling mystery that will take its reader on a journey of ups and downs and twists and turns galore while always entertaining and thrilling you!”

 —Aimee – GOODREADS review

 

“Attention grabber. Moves quickly and smoothly. Informative. Enjoyable. Don't miss.”

—Margaret – GOODREADS review

 

“Fleury masterfully crafts a narrative that is both fast-paced and intricately plotted. The story kicks off with a bang and maintains its momentum throughout, with each chapter ending on a tantalizing cliffhanger. The plot is peppered with unexpected twists and turns, keeping readers interested.”

—J. Komrie - GOODREADS review

 

“Great build-up of suspense, a layered plot, and an enticing protagonist. Takes a lot of turns, which I love. This is definitely a page turner for anyone who loves a good crime mystery.”

—Carolina Rolim – Verified AMAZON reader review

  

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All Or None

A Detective Ryan Mystery #2

Returning to Sydney, Detective Ramesh Ryan is promoted to the Homicide Squad. Zoe Yang joins him there. Now a detective herself, she is assigned as his junior partner. Straight up, the cops are off and running-investigating the discovery of a murdered company director. Following the clues, Detective Ryan finds that this and a second murder may be linked to past events.

As the pressure mounts for a quick solution to the case, the detective finds that he too, is in the killer's crosshairs. But Ryan is distracted from the investigation by a romantic encounter with an old university friend. He also worries about his mother, Mumta, and her new obsessive desire for grandchildren from her only son. Could this be linked to her recent medical tests? And there's another pressing problem-the plague of rats in his apartment block.

Detective Ryan's hands are well and truly full!

 

Praise For ALL OR NONE

A riveting read. Anyone who likes mystery and crime, you won’t be able to put this down. Thought it was an elegant continuation of this universe. - Carolina R, Amazon Reviewer

I really enjoyed this book. I love it when you keep changing your mind about who did it to find out at the end that you're still wrong. – Nancy F., Goodreads Reviewer

 

All or None exceeded my expectations. The murders kept me guessing, but what I loved most was Ryan himself tough on the outside, vulnerable on the inside, and surrounded by challenges that made him relatable. – Mary M., Goodreads Reviewer

 

I devoured this ARC in two sittings. The tension builds perfectly, and the clues are woven in so well that you feel like you’re investigating alongside Ryan and Zoe. The personal subplots (his mom, the romance, even the rats!) add depth without slowing down the action. – Minor C, Goodreads Reviewer

 

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Clive Fleury is an award-winning writer of books and screenplays and has worked all over the world as a Film/TV director, writer and producer. He has written six books, most recently 'All Or None', the second novel in the Detective Ryan Murder Mystery series.

 

'All Or None' sees Detective Ryan back in the thick of things. His latest investigation into a mysterious death couldn’t come at a worse time. He discovers his mother is hiding a troubling secret and is further sidetracked by a new romance. Fans of who dunnit's, crime thrillers, and cop and detective stories will love this novel. 

 

Clive's other books include 'Off Season' - book one in the Detective Ryan Murder Mystery series; 'Kill Code' - a dystopian science fiction novel set in a world facing climate change;  ‘Scary Lizzy’  - a novel about an eight year old girl, who befriends an African child ghost –  and the teen action adventure book; ‘The Boy Next Door ‘ -  a story of what happens when a teenage girl has a crush on her next door neighbor, who isn’t all he seems.  He also co-wrote ‘Art Pengriffin and The Curse of The Four’ - a young adult fantasy adventure about a teenage boy who discovers his father was Merlin the Magician.

 

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Reading Western Romance as Self‑Care by Caroline Clemmons

Reading Western romance can be a form of self‑care—one that smells faintly of dust and leather, sounds like boots on a wooden boardwalk, and ends with the deep exhale of a guaranteed happily‑ever‑after. When the world feels loud and uncertain, slipping into a story set under a wide Western sky can be a way to rest your mind without turning it off entirely. 

Why Western Romance Makes Such Good Self‑Care 

All romance offers comfort, but Westerns add their own particular kind of refuge. The settings are wide open: mountains, plains, small frontier towns where everybody knows everybody. You get danger and hardship, yes, but you also get community, second chances, and people who show up for one another. 

Readers often tell me they reach for Westerns when life feels too crowded or too sharp. A story that promises both adventure and a happy ending lets you feel things—fear, grief, hope—without staying stuck in the hard parts. You know that, by the last chapter, the couple will find a way through. 

The Comfort of a Guaranteed HEA 

Romance as a genre comes with one firm promise: by the end of the book, the central love story will resolve in a satisfying way. That predictability is not a weakness; it is part of why romance works so well as self‑care. 

There is research showing that reading can lower stress, improve mood, and help us regulate our emotions. When you combine that with Western romance’s familiar rhythms—meeting, conflict, danger, and finally safety—you get a story that reassures your nervous system as much as your heart. 

Hurt/Comfort, Trauma, and Healing on the Page 

Many Western romances, including mine, do not shy away from characters with painful pasts: widows, veterans, people cast out by their families, those carrying shame or secrets. Watching them find love, safety, and a place to belong can be quietly healing, especially if you have your own scars. 

Romance authors and readers talk about “hurt/comfort” stories for a reason. You see trauma responses—avoidance, over‑independence, fear of intimacy—depicted as understandable, not broken, and you see those characters gently move toward connection. For some readers, that is easier to take in than a self‑help book telling them what to do. 

Reading as a Grounding Ritual 

Many of us read Western romance the same way some people meditate or journal: as a grounding practice. A warm drink, a favorite chair, and a familiar kind of story can pull your attention out of anxious spirals and into one clear narrative. 

Romance readers have described this as using books as a “grounding exercise”—something that gives your mind just enough to hold onto (these characters, this town, this ranch) so it can relax. Western settings help by being both vivid and a little bit removed from modern life: no email, no social media, just cattle, storms, and church socials to worry about for a while. 

Choosing Western Reads for Different Kinds of Bad Days 

Not every hard day needs the same book. One way to use Western romance consciously as self‑care is to think in moods: 

For high stress: gentler stories with lower on‑page danger and plenty of community, humor, and small comforts. These function almost like a weighted blanket in book form. 

For sadness or grief: books where characters carry their own losses and find ways to live and love again. Many readers find this type of story validating and hopeful. 

For burnout: lighter, more playful Westerns, maybe novellas or short reads, that you can finish in an evening and close with a sense of completion. 

You may already have your own “self‑care shelf” or favorite rereads—the books you can pick up knowing exactly how they will make you feel by the end. There is nothing lesser about going back to them; that is what they are for. 

Making Space for Reading Without Guilt 

One barrier many readers mention is guilt: there is laundry to fold, emails to answer, “serious” books they think they should be reading instead. But self‑care is not something you earn only after you are completely exhausted; it is something that helps you not reach that point quite so fast. 

Articles on reading and mental health point out that taking even half an hour with a book you love can lower stress and improve sleep. If Western romance is what reliably gives you that effect, then building it into your routine is not frivolous. It is maintenance—like watering a garden instead of waiting until everything wilts. 

If you want to make it intentional, you might: 

Set aside a particular night as your “reading Westerns” evening. 

Pair your book with a small ritual: tea, a blanket, a certain playlist. 

Turn off notifications for that time and let yourself be in Tarnation, or Kincaid country, or some other favorite fictional town instead of doom‑scrolling. 

Western Love Stories as a Kindness to Yourself 

In my own books, I come back to themes of redemption, found family, and trust for a reason. I believe we are drawn to Western romance because it lets us watch people who have been hurt still choose love, community, and hope. 

You do not have to justify that to anyone. If reading about ranchers, mail‑order brides, widows, and second chances helps you feel a little less alone in your own worries, that is reason enough. 

So the next time life feels like too much, you have my full permission to pick up a Western romance—mine or anyone’s—and treat that reading time as self‑care. Settle into your chair, let the horses trot across the page, and give yourself over to the comfort of knowing that, at least in this story, love will win in the end. 

 

Remake the Song by Flo Fitzpatrick

Remake the Song

Flo Fitzpatrick

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Blurb:

2025: Shiloh Meridien teaches dance, dates, roams flea markets and is relatively happy. But she’s harbored a life-long love for singer Marcus Kennedy, and, when given the opportunity to travel back in time to try and save him from a killer, Shiloh grabs it.

1975: Marcus Kennedy sings and protests for causes. He rescues Shiloh as she experiences a strange post-traumatic event, instantly falling for the dancer, but pushes her away after he’s diagnosed with Parkinson’s. When Shiloh is attacked by the person determined to murder Marcus, destroying her dreams of dancing professionally, she must choose whether to return to the pleasant certainty of her original future or fight to win back Marcus and remake the past.

Excerpt:

The exceedingly short vendor dressed in a bumble costume took off, mumbling in an Irish accent she was going to find refreshments. Which left me musing about a folk singer I’d fallen in love with when I was a teenager…more than fifty years ago.

Marcus Kennedy died in 1975 on his birthday at the age of twenty-seven. Was he another victim of the legendary musician’s curse? No one really could pin down the “why” although the “how” was pretty clear. Theories at the time were that his death, via a needle filled with heroin, was either accidental, although his friends vehemently stated Kennedy had always been opposed to drugs, suicide for no good reason, or murder for no good reason. Fifty years later his death was still a mystery.

An article written in the 1990s in a top music magazine brought up the suicide angle again, stating that Kennedy began experiencing Parkinson’s-like symptoms attributed to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam, where he’d sung numerous times for the troops in the late nineteen-sixties. But the reporter then went on to discuss motives for murder, mentioning more than one possible suspect, starting with the U.S. government trying to shut down his investigation into the aforementioned spraying of Agent Orange, corrupt and bigoted cops practicing racial profiling in Manhattan before the term was widely used, and a greedy real estate tycoon messing with New York landmarks, including one of Marcus’s pet projects, a veterans’ center which had once been a famous ballroom dance hall. The journalist claimed that Marcus had nailed all the “bad guys” in a song he’d planned to release as a single. Then he died. If there had ever been such a song, it died with him.

Marcus Kennedy. Born and raised in the midtown West Side area of Manhattan called Hell’s Kitchen. He could play nearly any instrument set in front of him and possessed an incredible vocal range. He snagged a record deal when he was sixteen and began releasing folk songs he’d composed himself. He was granted a full scholarship and early admission to Julliard and then, following his graduation, toured for about six months with a professional opera company throughout Europe. After witnessing America’s struggles with Civil Rights, war, poverty, pollution, and political corruption from an ocean away, he returned home to New York City. He stuck with the same record label and sang primarily for small audiences in small clubs in Greenwich Village. None of his albums hit gold or platinum while he was alive, which was mind-boggling considering how talented he was.

I’d been a twenty-year-old dancer living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan when I heard the news over the radio on a bright, sunny, December sixteenth in 1975. I’d gotten to see him about four months earlier, in August, in a small theater, also in midtown. It had been a benefit concert for the Am-Vets center, which was the very space the greedy real estate tycoon wanted demolished, and coincidently, the place where Marcus’s body was found.

After hearing of his death, I became angry, devastated, and grief-stricken. I was also confused and frightened by my own reaction to the news. How could someone I’d never met impact my emotions for such an absurdly long time? Days, weeks, months, and, yes, years after his death I continued to mourn his loss.

I now stared down at the vinyl album and the liner notes. He’d included quirky new takes on old spirituals like “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel?” and “Wayfaring Stranger,” an ancient Irish anti-war ballad, “Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier” (made popular during America’s Revolutionary and Civil Wars), one or two vaudeville- era tunes like “Any Time” and “A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody” and a beautiful French version of “Always” (Toujours) which Marcus had discovered on an album recorded in 1941 at a Paris nightclub called Café Violette.

Years later, music critics finally heaped praise on the work, lauding his courage in not following the trend of other folk and protest singers to merge into rock or pop or disco, and instead provide old songs with a fresh sound. When Marcus was asked in an interview with a major magazine why he’d chosen such a mix of “odd” musical genres, he responded, “Blame an obscure piece of poetry for the inspiration. Let me quote: The friends that have it I do wrong, whenever I remake a song, should know what issue is at stake, it is myself that I remake.”

But Marcus Kennedy never got the chance to remake.

Bio:

Flo Fitzpatrick is multi-published in mystery and romance…with a great deal of overlap between genres and usually tossing in what used to be termed paranormal activity (time travel, second sight, reincarnation) and/or humor. Her second novel (Kensington, 2005) Hot Stuff, was nominated as Best Romantic Suspense by RT Book Reviews and optioned for film. Flo earned an M.A. in Theatre and a B.F.A. in Dance, worked as a performer, choreographer, and teacher, and often set her novels in venues relating to the arts. Before Covid, she sang with a band called The Usual Suspects but now her performing is primarily dancing and singing around the living room, to the vast entertainment of her 12-year-old mixed-breed dog Juniper.

 

Toxic Love Series by Belle Ami

 

 

Their past was painful,

Their love undeniable,

Their future unbreakable…

Toxic Attraction

Toxic Love Series Book 1

by Belle Ami

Genre: Dark Romantic Suspense

I knew the moment I saw her that she was mine. She just doesn’t know it yet.

Adelia Lindstrom is a rising star in the elite equestrian world, struggling to move forward after the devastating loss of her parents. When she meets billionaire banker Miles Bremen and his enigmatic twin sister, Karolin, her world takes an unexpected turn.

Miles is more than dangerous—he exudes a bold, unapologetic sensuality that pulls Adelia into uncharted territory. With him, she discovers a side of herself she never knew existed: passionate, daring, and irresistibly drawn to his magnetic allure. But behind his seductive charm lies a darkness that keeps her on edge, making her question whether surrendering to his world will set her free or destroy her.

Toxic Attraction is a steamy, edge-of-your-seat dark romance thriller that explores the intoxicating power of passion and the risks of losing control.

Tropes include: enemies to lovers, really dark romance, age gaps, obsessive anti-hero, possessive protector, morally gray hero, protective and stalking, kidnapping, forbidden love, revenge gone wrong.

Trigger Warnings: This series contains dark and mature themes, including an extremely possessive alpha hero with an "I will destroy anyone who threatens the heroine" intensity, emotional manipulation, kidnapping, and intense romantic conflict. Readers should be aware of potential triggers and are encouraged to review the detailed trigger warnings inside each book. Books 1 and 2 end in cliffhangers, but the series concludes with an HEA in Book 3.

Please note: Toxic Attraction is a revised and revamped version of The One by Belle Ami (published in 2014)

 

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Toxic Deception

Toxic Love Series Book 2

I failed her, and I’ll never forgive myself. But I’ll do whatever it takes to win her back—even if it costs me everything.

Adelia Lindstrom Bremen thought she had found her forever love in Miles Bremen. Their fiery connection gave her everything she thought she wanted, including Fallyn and Liam, their twins. But their passion burned too hot, and betrayal shattered their marriage, leaving her to rebuild her life.

When her children are abducted, Adelia turns to FBI Agent David Weiss for help. As they work together to bring her children home, David’s steady presence offers her a haven of calmness she never experienced with Miles. But Miles isn’t ready to let her go, and his bold, unrelenting desire for her reignites everything she thought she’d left behind.

Now caught between two men—one who offers safety and the other who awakens her soul—Adelia must navigate a high-stakes game where love, obsession, and danger intertwine.

Toxic Deception is a dark romance thriller that will grip you with its passion, betrayal, and heart-pounding suspense.

Tropes include enemies to lovers, really dark romance, age gaps, obsessive anti-hero, possessive protector, morally gray hero, protective and stalking, kidnapping, forbidden love, revenge gone wrong.

Trigger Warnings: This series contains dark and mature themes, including an extremely possessive alpha hero with an "I will destroy anyone who threatens the heroine" intensity, emotional manipulation, kidnapping, and intense romantic conflict. Readers should be aware of potential triggers and are encouraged to review the detailed trigger warnings inside each book. Books 1 and 2 end in cliffhangers, but the series concludes with an HEA in Book 3.

Please note: Toxic Deception is a revised and revamped version of The One and More by Belle Ami (published in 2014)

 

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Toxic Redemption

Toxic Love Series Book 3

I’ll fight for her, even if it kills me. She taught me how to love—and now I’ll prove I’m worthy of her.

Adelia Lindstrom Bremen has faced heartbreak, betrayal, and danger at every turn. Her parents’ deaths were no accident, her marriage to Miles ended in a vicious custody battle, and now she’s caught between two men—Miles, the enigmatic billionaire who awakened her deepest desires, and David, the steady force she thought she needed.

Miles has always embodied bold passion and unapologetic sensuality, but Adelia’s love has sparked something unexpected in him—a desire to change, to be the man she deserves. When Adelia becomes the target of a serial killer hunting climate scientists, Miles must confront his darkness and fight for the woman who made him believe in redemption.

As danger looms and secrets unravel, Adelia must decide if love can truly transform, or if passion and peril will consume her. Can Miles prove he’s more than the man who broke her heart? And will Adelia find the courage to trust the one who has always owned her soul?

Toxic Redemption is the electrifying conclusion to the Toxic Love series—a dark romance thriller where love is as dangerous as it is transformative.


Tropes include enemies to lovers, really dark romance, age gaps, obsessive anti-hero, possessive protector, morally gray hero, protective and stalking, kidnapping, forbidden love, revenge gone wrong.

Trigger Warnings: This series contains dark and mature themes, including an extremely possessive alpha hero with an "I will destroy anyone who threatens the heroine" intensity, emotional manipulation, kidnapping, and intense romantic conflict. Readers should be aware of potential triggers and are encouraged to review the detailed trigger warnings inside each book. Books 1 and 2 end in cliffhangers, but the series concludes with an HEA in Book 3.

Please note: Toxic Redemption is a revised and revamped version of One More Time is Not Enough by Belle Ami (published in 2016)

 

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Belle Ami writes breathtaking historical fiction, captivating historical romance, and gripping romantic thrillers. Creating unforgettable characters and crafting complex stories, Belle’s writing reflects the redemptive power of love and the strength of the human spirit.

A former Kathryn McBride scholar of Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, Belle, is also a proud recipient of the RONE, RAVEN, Readers’ Favorite Award, and the Book Excellence Award.

​Belle’s passions include hiking, boxing, skiing, cooking, travel, and of course, writing. She lives in Southern California with her family.

 

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Why Western Weddings Make Such Satisfying Endings by Caroline Clemmons

  

Western weddings make such satisfying endings because they feel like the natural reward for all the danger, hard work, and emotional risk the couple has faced on the frontier. After storms, outlaws, and misunderstandings, seeing a bride and groom finally say “I do” in a little church or under a big Western sky gives readers a sense of earned peace and home. 

In Western romances, the setting adds extra weight to that final scene. Life is harder, distances are longer, and survival often depends on neighbors, ranch hands, and town folk pulling together. A wedding in that world is more than a pretty moment; it signals that the community accepts this couple and that they’ll have help facing whatever comes next. 

Western weddings also tap into familiar romance expectations in a very visual way. Genre readers like endings that clearly show the couple’s commitment and hint at a shared future, whether that is a ranch to run, a town to serve, or children to raise. A frontier wedding—simple dress, borrowed veil, maybe wildflowers in a jar—captures that “happily ever after” in a single, vivid image. 

There is usually a strong emotional contrast built in. Earlier in the story, the heroine might arrive in town alone as a mail‑order bride, a widow, or a woman fleeing a painful past. By the time the wedding arrives, she is no longer a stranger; she is surrounded by friends, found family, and a partner who has proven himself through actions, not just words. 

Readers also enjoy that Western wedding endings often hint at more stories to come. Guests at the ceremony may include future heroes and heroines, side characters who are still single, or families who will star in the next book in the series. Closing on a wedding lets you feel satisfied for this couple while still looking forward to the next ride into town in another story. 

Finally, Western weddings combine comfort and possibility. The marriage plot is familiar across romance, but putting it in a frontier church or on a windswept ranch makes it feel fresh and specific to the genre. Readers turn the last page knowing this couple has not just fallen in love—they have chosen each other in a world where that choice truly matters. 

A Camping Conundrum by Stacy Wilder

 

 

A camping trip to South Carolina’s Poinsett Park turns deadly when PI Liz Adams’ husband discovers a body in the lake. Amid camping calamities, Liz and her lie-detecting Lab, Duke, rush to identify the killer—leading to a shocking twist of karma.

A Camping Conundrum

A Liz Adams Mystery #5

by Stacy Wilder

Genre: Cozy Mystery

A heart-pounding cozy mystery filled with twists, turns, and canine charm. Perfect for fans of page-turning whodunits and outdoor adventures!

Private Investigator Liz Adams isn’t thrilled when her husband, Brad, suggests a camping getaway to South Carolina’s picturesque Poinsett Park. The mention of camping brings back a haunting memory of a childhood Girl Scout trip that went terribly wrong. But for Brad, the park is a refuge—a chance to relive happy moments from his past.

The long weekend escape takes a dark turn when Brad discovers a woman’s lifeless body in the park’s peaceful lake. The victim, the landlady of a strip center in the neighboring town of Sumter, was notorious for making enemies among her tenants. With no shortage of motives but no clear suspects, Liz and her truth-sniffing Labrador, Duke, embark on a quest to identify the culprit.

As Liz races to uncover the truth and put the killer in jail, the couple experiences one camping disaster after another. Will justice be served? Or will an unexpected twist of karma change everything?

 

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Stacy Wilder is the author of the Liz Adams Mystery Series. In addition to cozy mysteries, Stacy writes children’s stories, short stories, and poetry. Her mission is to deliver a delightful story to readers of all ages while benefiting a larger community. She donates a portion of the proceeds from the sales of her books to causes that help the homeless, both people and pets.

 

Beyond writing, Stacy is deeply devoted to her faith, family, and her beloved Labradors. She is also enthusiastic about the causes she supports, the beauty of art, the serenity of the beach, the adventure of travel, and the joy of reading.

She and her husband live in Houston, TX with a totally spoiled Labrador named Eve.

 

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