My good friend Des Ryan is guesting here today, and he's always entertaining! As are his books. I'm particularly fond of his newest Mary Margaret cozy series, which never fails to have me chortling. Read below, to see how it all came about, in the twisty-turvy way that is real life…— Melodie
Confessions of a Recovering Police Procedural Author
by Des Ryan
Whenever someone asks why I write crime fiction, I tell them it's because I'm lazy.
The truth? I spent thirty years as a cop - fifteen as a detective - with the Toronto Police Service. So I got three decades of R&D in my back pocket. I write The Mike O'Shea Series, a gritty police procedural grounded in real homicide investigations I've worked. Pretty convenient, right?
But here's the twist: I also write what the Brits call cozies.
Say what?
It's true. I spent thirty years chasing killers and now I write cozy crime fiction. Go ahead, laugh – I sure did.
So how did that happen? Well, remember the pandemic? Around the same time the world shut down, my then-wife decided she was unhappy - and I was the reason. Kind of like being a lifeboat in the North Atlantic, and deciding you didn't like the only other person aboard. Not exactly the moment to toss them overboard, but there we were.
I ended up in a tiny basement apartment, alone, with one window just big enough for a wet, terrified cat to maybe escape through.
What to do? Write the next Mike O'Shea novel, of course. I had a contract for three more. Easy.
Except it wasn't.
I couldn't go there. Not then. It was too dark - even for me. I'm the guy who's seen heads blown off, twenty-storey jumpers, and what's left after no one checks in for weeks. And I just couldn't sit in that space anymore.
So I didn't.
Instead, I puled a minor character from the O'Shea series - Mike's recently retired, mildly Machiavellian Irish mother - and built a whole new world around and her eccentric, relentless, absolutely lovable crew. Together, and despite the best efforts of the global police network, they not only solve murders but usually squeeze a confession out of someone along the way.
Two books published, and one in dev edits, two more under contract - and a couple of traditional mysteries on deck - and I'm still writing. Just not what most people expect.
These days, the crimes are fictional, the killers a bit more polite - and honestly, I'm having a hell of a good time.
Turns out, you can spend a career staring into the darkest corners of humanity and still find your way to stories filled with charm, mischief and the occasional rogue "woman of a certain age." I'm not saying it's therapy- but it's close.
My name is Detective Desmond T. Ryan (ret'd) and I write cozy crime fiction.
Seriously.
Desmond P. Ryan’s thirty-year career as a Toronto Police detective informs his crime fiction, blending real-life policing experience with a deep understanding of human nature. He worked in some of the city’s most challenging divisions, handling everything from routine investigations to high-stakes cases, providing a foundation for the authenticity in his novels.
Desmond’s writing captures the complexities of crime and justice with both compassion and resolve, portraying heroes and flawed individuals alike. His intimate knowledge of urban neighborhoods adds rich depth, grounding his stories in universal themes, with a touch of humor to keep things grounded.
