Jack Ryland first made his appearance in “Hiding Treasure.” As I wrote the chapter in which he plays a part (which is pretty much what Jack is always doing), I realized he had to have his own book. Because sometimes, a character is too big for a minor role in someone else’s. Jack Ryland, is one such character.
If I met a real-life Jack, I’d have the same reaction Cheryl did. After all, he’s insufferably conceited, arrogant, completely hung up on his good looks, and possessed of a staggering number of double standards. However… underneath all that, it turns out his life is spent in saving others and he’s got a heart of gold, despite his determination to keep it to himself. That is until Cheryl, aka Charlotte, comes along.
I had few preconceived notions concerning Jack, his life, and background. He developed spontaneously during his appearances in “Hiding Treasure”, and continued to do so throughout the development of his first book, “Last Chance Inn”. As to his family tree, his uncle is Jackson, who was first introduced as a PI in “Miles”. Lizbeth Edwards from “Isle of the Crescent Moon” also occupies a branch, as does his great-grandmother and grandfather Rosalie (whose last name is actually Jackson) of the Mystery Lane series. Amber Fields and Samantha Davison of “Disengaged” are two of his many cousins.
Jack isn’t like my usual heroes, who tend to be far less self-serving. He’s high on dysfunction, but that’s what I find so amusing about him. His conversations with his cousin Shawn and his disagreements with Charlotte make me laugh just thinking about them. I was concerned he and Charlotte wouldn’t be nearly as interesting once they started getting along, and was glad to find that wasn’t the case. He didn’t suddenly embrace normal as a result, and has plenty of issues left. He’s by far the weakest of my main characters in the area of spiritual development. Now that he’s an investigator for the Bannerman Foundation (starting with his third book, “Gone in a Flash”, which is currently underway), he’s working for Miles, one of my strongest characters. I would say strongest, but the faith of Erik Davison in “Disengaged” and Laney Reeves in “Failure to Engage” is hard to top. At any rate, it will be interesting to see how he’s affected by this latest change in his life. Charlotte herself is a very strong character, and a stabilizing influence most of the time. I expect he will continue to grow in maturity, but he will always maintain his flair and propensity for storytelling.
So… what about Ames? If you’ve already read “Last Chance Inn”, you know who I’m referring to. He’s also been mentioned in passing, in the House of Bannerman series. Ames often goes by other names, but make no mistake, he’s behind certain events in “Miles”, “The Lodge at Whispering Pines”, “Depart the Darkness”, “Lochlan Museum”, “Failure to Engage”, and “Uncertainly Yours”. He needs to be stopped even more than Jack realizes, but as he lamented to himself in “Last Chance”, it would take a superhero to do it. Now that Jack’s working for one… who knows what may happen. Read on in the House of Bannerman series and the further Investigations of Jack Ryland, to find out.