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Cypress Run
BOOK ONE OF THE CYPRESS RUN QUARTET
Where Love and Law Run Brackish
Historical MysteryFrontier AdventureLong-Burn Romance
A disgraced city detective with regrets.
A jaded frontier nurse with secrets.
A Florida swamp town that might kill him before they figure out they’re perfect for each other.
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Read Chapter One Free
Not sure yet? Meet Tom Bracken and take a trip to Cypress Run.
Tom Bracken was a good detective in Chicago. Good enough to know that if you’re going to make enemies, you should do it spectacularly well or not at all. Which is why in November of 1883, he finds himself exiled to Cypress Run, the newly minted municipal seat of Everfield County, Florida.
He’s not prepared for the heat. He’s not prepared for the alligators. And he absolutely is not prepared for Ellie Harper—a sharp-eyed nurse and schoolteacher who sees through his charm and calls him on every foolish thing he does.
When bodies surface and factions clash, Tom discovers Cypress Run isn’t a punishment—it’s a puzzle built on old secrets and new grifts. But solving it takes more than just crime-solving prowess. It requires overcoming a past that craves his destruction, earning the trust of a fiercely practical woman who thinks he’s an idiot, and finding home in a place that wants to kill him.
Cypress Run is a character-driven swamp noir western featuring a heartwarming long-burn romance, an unforgettable found family, and a redemption-seeking lawman trying to build a new life and survive the untamed frontier of 1880s Florida.
Also alligators.
— On The Record —
“I’m merely suggesting that while most sheriffs just get sworn in and pin on a badge, I went and got myself professionally maimed by the local wildlife to ensure a smooth transition of power.”
Bracken’s mouth quirked into that truly infuriating half-smile.
“I’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty in service to this job. That’s dedication you can’t teach.”
What Readers Are Saying
Reader Reviews
I don’t usually read books this long, but this one held my attention from start to finish.
SEG, Amazon reader
Sometimes harsh, sometimes romantic, sometimes funny, but always entertaining.
Lee Murray, Amazon reader
All of the characters are now very near and dear to my heart.
Carissa, Goodreads reader
The Vibe
Cypress Run is what happens when a sumptuous historical romance like Outlander and a mud-in-the-teeth, community-driven western like Deadwood have a baby and move to Florida, then allow The Princess Bride to babysit often enough to traumatize it.
Tropes & Touchstones
Slow-Burn Frontier RomanceHistorical Crime DramaFish Out of Water: Big City Cop → Small Town SheriffMedical Complications / Hurt-ComfortFound FamilySunshine Pitbull Sheriff x Grumpy Black Cat NurseHe Falls FirstGothic Florida AtmosphereAlligators
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