Rio Youers

Rio Youers is a British-born writer based in Canada whose fiction moves between crime, suspense, horror, and speculative elements. His novels include Westlake Soul, The Forgotten Girl, Halcyon, No Second Chances, and Lola on Fire, published by William Morrow in 2021. The latter is a fast-paced crime thriller centered on Brody Ellis and his sister Molly, whose attempt to escape a criminal scheme draws them toward their long-absent mother, Lola. Its alternating time frames and road narrative combine family loyalty with revenge, sacrifice, and redemption. Youers has also written short fiction and comics, including work for DC, showing a continuing interest in cinematic action and emotionally pressured characters across forms. Westlake Soul received recognition from the Sunburst Award, while The Forgotten Girl brought an Arthur Ellis nomination. Lola on Fire sits within this broader body of genre fiction but emphasizes family bonds more directly than a conventional chase narrative, giving its momentum an emotional as well as suspenseful purpose.