In Lovers and Loners, Jean Ryan's new collection of short stories, we meet a richly varied group of women struggling for footholds in a shifting world. In "Parasites" we're introduced to a widow who agrees to have dinner with a man she fears is a killer. "Manatee Gardens" deftly explores the relationship between a mother and daughter who discover common ground at a marine sanctuary just when time seems to be working against them. In "Chasing Zero" a woman with a mysterious illness loses her hold on the callous man she adores. "Odds and Ends" follows a woman running errands on the last day of her life. Each story in Lovers and Loners reveals a craftsmanship that Publisher's Weekly compared to "a scientist's observant eye" in their review of her previous collection Survival Skills. Here Ryan continues examining the human experience, one woman at a time.