Ryan Hale
Award-winning mystery and suspense fiction featuring private investigator Blake Franklin, the Wallingford Heights mysteries, and emotionally grounded stories where justice still matters.
You are about to enter the Case Files of my favorite sleuths. Blake Franklin, former Fort Worth patrol officer turned private investigator. His sense of right and wrong was born out of being the son of the Chief of Police. His frustration at failing the detectives exam drove him into private practice where he could serve and protect at a more meaningful level.
Or the Hair Raisers of Wallingford Heights – three 1890s hair dressers in one of America’s first salons. Estelle, Marilou and Chasity pin curlers and nail criminals by listening to the towns gossip, putting together clues and solving crimes. When it goes from broken windows and stolen laundry mysteries to solving murders, their law enforcement and judiciary husbands are a bit concerned. Add Claire, a local seamstress to the mix and these ladies have the crimes all sewn up.
This is the case that launched the Franklin Investigations series. Blake’s first client, Sharon Longstreet. She’s a wealthy widow, enjoying retirement but missing her recently departed husband Charley.
A crooked classic car dealer tells her the work he completed on Charley’s 1966 Shelby was never paid for. He’ll be happy to take the car in lieu of payment.
It wasn’t Charley’s habit to not pay for work when it was completed.
It isn’t Sharon’s way to let crooks take advantage of her.
It isn’t Blake’s way either.
What presents as a case of elderly fraud quickly becomes something much more sinister.
One for the Money – Murder in the Metroplex
Book one in the Franklin series.
A world-famous televangelist hires Blake to find his missing and estranged daughter. The young woman walked away from fame, fortune, and a ministry built on spectacle. Her ministry doesn’t require a big stage.
But someone else has found her first.
In a dangerous race against time, Blake uncovers a kidnapping plot driven by greed, deception, and a ransom worth millions. From Texas to Pittsburgh and deep into Montana, Blake and his team face resistance from local authorities and enemies who are willing to kill to protect their payday.
Two For the Show – Redemptions Deadly Path
Three to Get Ready – The Shelter Murders
Private investigator Blake Franklin’s latest missing-person case leads into the dangerous world of survivalists and underground shelters built for the end of the world. When a powerful prepper leader is murdered, Blake becomes both investigator and protector. As violence escalates and the danger turns personal, Blake must confront his limits, family tensions, and a killer determined to bury the truth forever.
About Author
Writing books makes the world go round
“My stories are built for readers who want more than action alone. I strive to create worlds that feel lived in, characters worth caring about, and mysteries that keep pages turning late into the night. Whether the journey delivers danger, comfort, suspense, or hope, one thing remains true: the good guys still fight for what’s right, and villains don’t walk away unchallenged.”
For more about the author, click here to visit the bio page.
NEXT RELEASE: Murder Get's The Point- april 2026
Wallingford Heights
Wallingford Heights - Cozy, Historical, Entertaining
It is 1893 and Sophia Stanton, granddaughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, is making waves in peaceful Wallingford Heights, Massachusetts. She has the audacity to suggest women should be allowed to vote! When prominent men who oppose her are murdered, the Constabulary need look no further than the rebel rouser Sophia Stanton. But the Hair Raisers, a group of three women who operate one of the first salons in the country decide they will look further.
“The truth isn’t always jumping up to bite you. But it’s there if you look for it.”
This is the first two installments of the Wallingford Heights historical cozy series.
Available on Amazon
From $2.99 on Kindle
It is more than just writing books
It is creating worlds, living vicariously through our favorite characters, sometimes saying things we wish we had said to someone in our past.
Publishing
I am self-published and I work with other authors who wish to do the same. It is my pleasure to help them - not my business.
Selling Book
Getting my books into the hands of readers and then, hopefully, reading their reviews, is what drives me to write. I love the process.
Editing
All of my books have been self-edited but each one is going through a full professional edit for release.
Community
I am a member of more than two dozen Indie Author Facebook groups. Fans and Authors unite on these sites
The exciting series set in Appalachia. Boone county, WV
Crossing Big Coal River
Fire on the Mountain
Quincy Ashford is back with more challenges to his life on Big Coal River and the good people of Boone County, West Virginia.
Making moonshine is a way of life for some people in the mountains. Drinking it is a part of life for many others. When a homicidal maniac threatens the community and the “shiners” are being murdered in cold blood, the community takes up arms to protect their own. Quincy will face his most difficult challenge in Crossing Big Coal River – Fire on the Mountain. Don’t miss the gripping story of zealot criminality and wanton disregard for the people and the mountain up on Big Coal River.
Price :
$2.99 on Kindle
Testimonials
Customer Reviews
A Riveting Start to Captivating Series
Reviewed in the U.K. June 2024
Verified Purchase
Wow! What a read! I read this in one sitting, unable to put it down.
When two men are murdered on the same night, a young woman is set up by the actual killer. If found guilty she will hang!
