by: Deena Alexander
Series: Missing Person Investigations
Genre: Christian Romance Mystery/Suspense
Release Date: July 28, 2026
Publisher: Harlequin ~ Love Inspired Suspense
When his daughter’s taken,
getting her back is all that matters.
FBI Agent Tristan McAvoy just learned he’s a father—but his little girl’s been abducted by his enemies, and he’s caught in a deadly shoot-out the moment he tries to rescue her. He barely flees unscathed with his ex, Avery Taylor, and his K-9 partner in tow. The criminals have a deadly agenda—if Tristan testifies at an upcoming trial for a major crime boss, he’ll never see his child again. Stranded in the mountain wilderness, Tristan and Avery are trailed by ruthless mercenaries, who are closing in. Can they survive long enough to save their daughter—or will they be silenced forever?
From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.
Thank you so much! It’s great to be back.
Congratulations on the release of Seeking the Kidnapped Child. What can you tell me about the story and characters of Tristan and Avery?
Thank you! Tristan and Avery were childhood sweethearts. They grew up together, then dated through high school and college, but after Tristan’s parents were murdered, he could no longer bear to be in the small Montana town. Nor could Avery leave, since she was caring for her sick grandfather. Tristan left and never contacted Avery again. The memories from his past were too painful, so he put them behind him and moved on to join the FBI’s Missing Persons Unit. Unfortunately, that meant Avery never got the chance to tell him she was pregnant when he left. So, when Tristan went undercover with a criminal organization, he’d thought he had no loved ones to be concerned about. He only finds out about his little girl when the group kidnaps her and demands he not testify in the upcoming trial if he wants to get her back. Now, Tristan and Avery have to race against the clock to find their little girl and see her safe.
Oh wow. That’s an interesting way to find out you have a child. What was your favorite scene to write for this book, and why?
I really enjoyed writing the waterfall and rapids scene. Without giving too much away, I loved the danger involved. I had the scene in my head before I even began writing the story. Plus, it highlights Tristan’s K-9 partner, and I always enjoy writing scenes with dogs. 😊
In your opinion, what elements must a Love Inspired Suspense book have?
The faith element is always important in Love Inspired stories, as is the romance, but Love Inspired Suspense books also have to keep their hero and heroine in danger throughout the entire story. So, the characters have to deal with their faith issues and fall in love all while running for their lives. Which makes them really fun to write.
When you start writing your suspense books, where do you start first? Do you plot and do an outline, writing in chronological order, or do you skip around and then tie different parts together?
With most of my books, I like to just start out writing and follow the story where it goes. Because Harlequin requires a detailed synopsis before you begin writing, I always have a good outline for my suspense books. Most often, I write them in order, but I do occasionally get a scene stuck in my head and end up writing it and setting it aside to include later in the story. One time, I wrote a scene I ended up having to remove from a book but was able to use it in a later story with different characters.
Seeking the Kidnapped Child is the first book in the Missing Person Investigations series. What can readers expect from the next book and the rest of the series?
The next book in the series, Rocky Mountain Abduction, is the story of wildlife photographer Eden Holt and MPU agent Oliver Knight. Narrowly escaping a barrage of gunfire in the Montana mountains, Eden returns to camp to discover her sister’s been abducted by unknown attackers, but Oliver believes Eden was the true target and steps in to lead the search.
The third book, Danger at Silver Creek Ranch, is about rancher Jackson Bishop and his lost love, FBI agent Isabella Anderson, in which Jackson’s uncle goes missing, and he has to rely on the woman whose heart he broke to help find him.
The fourth book in the series only has a working title, but it also takes place in the Montana mountains where a teenage girl goes missing, and her aunt and an agent with the MPU must brave not only gunmen but the Montana mountains during a blizzard to try to find her.
Deena, thank you so much for answering some questions for me. Congratulations again on your new release.
Thank you so much! And thank you for having me. I always enjoy visiting!
Avery Taylor clutched her sleeping daughter tighter, her fight-or-flight instincts begging her to do anything other than stand there, frozen, staring down the two masked gunmen blocking her from entering her home. “Please, I…”
But what could she say? Had she stumbled upon a home invasion? She couldn’t imagine having anything either of them could possibly want. She lived off the beaten path. The small but cozy two-story bungalow she’d inherited from her grandfather sat alone on a cul-de-sac at the end of a long, winding mountain road. And she worked from home as a medical transcriptionist, supplementing her income with her inheritance to make ends meet. Well, whatever they wanted, they could have it, as long as they left her and her four-year-old, Liliana, alone. She opened her mouth to say as much.
The taller of the two lifted his weapon, his hand rock steady.
She could only assume he’d done this before.
“Where’s Tristan McAvoy?” he demanded.
Her mouth snapped right back closed again. Once she recovered enough to try to answer, her voice shook before she could utter more than a grunt, and she worked to steady it. Although she didn’t know why she bothered. It was clear she was terrified, and even more so now that she knew what they wanted…because she couldn’t give it to them. “I don’t know where Tristan is. I haven’t seen him in almost five years.”
Since he’d walked out on her and never looked back, despite her numerous attempts to get in touch with him and tell him he was going to be a father. He’d been her best friend, her love, her future, and then he’d been gone.
Her arms began to tremble beneath Liliana’s weight, and Avery hefted her up higher so the little girl’s head rested more comfortably on her shoulder. The last thing she needed was Lily waking to this mess. They’d attended a church festival that evening, and her daughter had passed out on the way home. It was a good thing Lily was a heavy sleeper.
The shorter man, who outweighed her by a good hundred pounds of pure muscle, gestured toward the front door with his weapon. “Get inside.”
She hesitated.
“Look, Avery…”
The fact that he knew her name and had associated her with Tristan sent a chill racing up her spine, despite the heat of the summer night. If they knew all that, she had to figure they knew Lily was Tristan’s daughter as well, even if Tristan didn’t know. But how had they found out? True, she’d listed him as Lily’s father on her birth certificate, but why would this stranger have access to that?
“All you have to do is tell us where to find McAvoy.” The man’s easy shrug belied the tension in his posture. “Once we have him, we’ll let you and his kid go. Easy enough?”
It would be if she believed him, and if she had any clue where to find Tristan, but she wasn’t buying it. Then again, they did have on ski masks, which gave her some hope that they planned to let her go. If not, they’d have no reason to conceal their identities. Of course, she couldn’t give them what they wanted. If she knew how to get ahold of Tristan, he’d know about his daughter.
An image of him flashed in her mind—his shaggy brown hair that just brushed his collar and always seemed in need of a trim, a smile that could melt her heart in an instant, his brilliant blue eyes that used to cage hers and fill her with hope for their future together. A hope that died when he walked away with promises to return once he’d gotten his head on straight. An empty promise, as it turned out.
She’d wanted to talk to him after he’d left, to tell him he was going to be a dad instead of imparting the news via voicemail, email or text. She’d wanted to gauge his reaction, so she’d simply asked him to call her back. Time and time again. And he hadn’t. Not once. So, he’d never learned about his daughter. But that wasn’t really fair. He’d left after his parents had been murdered, bitter and grief-stricken and so filled with anger she hadn’t known what to do for him. Still, he could have answered at least one of her messages.
Focus, Avery.
She weighed her options. She could make a run for the car, where she’d left the doors standing open and her bags inside in hopes of retrieving them after she’d gotten Lily into bed, but she’d never outrun a bullet if these men intended to shoot her. Then again, they couldn’t get information from her if she was dead. But they could incapacitate her. How could she risk leaving Liliana alone with these monsters? She couldn’t. Which left her no choice but to do as they’d instructed.
Lily’s weight was becoming a strain on her back and shoulders, and she didn’t want to set her down on the stone walkway and risk waking her. But she did have to put her down. If it came down to it, she couldn’t fight with Liliana in her arms. What did it matter if she went inside with them anyway? It wasn’t like there was any chance of someone driving past to notice what was happening or being close enough to hear her screams. The secluded home she’d grown up in, that she’d always viewed as so peaceful and serene, a safe haven tucked against the side of the mountain, surrounded by fields and wildflowers, now seemed nothing but isolated. She’d never felt so frightened and alone, even after Tristan had left and her grandfather had passed away.
But if she could get inside, if she could get to her grandfather’s hunting rifle hanging above the mantel, maybe she’d stand a chance of defending herself and her daughter.
But what could she say? Had she stumbled upon a home invasion? She couldn’t imagine having anything either of them could possibly want. She lived off the beaten path. The small but cozy two-story bungalow she’d inherited from her grandfather sat alone on a cul-de-sac at the end of a long, winding mountain road. And she worked from home as a medical transcriptionist, supplementing her income with her inheritance to make ends meet. Well, whatever they wanted, they could have it, as long as they left her and her four-year-old, Liliana, alone. She opened her mouth to say as much.
The taller of the two lifted his weapon, his hand rock steady.
She could only assume he’d done this before.
“Where’s Tristan McAvoy?” he demanded.
Her mouth snapped right back closed again. Once she recovered enough to try to answer, her voice shook before she could utter more than a grunt, and she worked to steady it. Although she didn’t know why she bothered. It was clear she was terrified, and even more so now that she knew what they wanted…because she couldn’t give it to them. “I don’t know where Tristan is. I haven’t seen him in almost five years.”
Since he’d walked out on her and never looked back, despite her numerous attempts to get in touch with him and tell him he was going to be a father. He’d been her best friend, her love, her future, and then he’d been gone.
Her arms began to tremble beneath Liliana’s weight, and Avery hefted her up higher so the little girl’s head rested more comfortably on her shoulder. The last thing she needed was Lily waking to this mess. They’d attended a church festival that evening, and her daughter had passed out on the way home. It was a good thing Lily was a heavy sleeper.
The shorter man, who outweighed her by a good hundred pounds of pure muscle, gestured toward the front door with his weapon. “Get inside.”
She hesitated.
“Look, Avery…”
The fact that he knew her name and had associated her with Tristan sent a chill racing up her spine, despite the heat of the summer night. If they knew all that, she had to figure they knew Lily was Tristan’s daughter as well, even if Tristan didn’t know. But how had they found out? True, she’d listed him as Lily’s father on her birth certificate, but why would this stranger have access to that?
“All you have to do is tell us where to find McAvoy.” The man’s easy shrug belied the tension in his posture. “Once we have him, we’ll let you and his kid go. Easy enough?”
It would be if she believed him, and if she had any clue where to find Tristan, but she wasn’t buying it. Then again, they did have on ski masks, which gave her some hope that they planned to let her go. If not, they’d have no reason to conceal their identities. Of course, she couldn’t give them what they wanted. If she knew how to get ahold of Tristan, he’d know about his daughter.
An image of him flashed in her mind—his shaggy brown hair that just brushed his collar and always seemed in need of a trim, a smile that could melt her heart in an instant, his brilliant blue eyes that used to cage hers and fill her with hope for their future together. A hope that died when he walked away with promises to return once he’d gotten his head on straight. An empty promise, as it turned out.
She’d wanted to talk to him after he’d left, to tell him he was going to be a dad instead of imparting the news via voicemail, email or text. She’d wanted to gauge his reaction, so she’d simply asked him to call her back. Time and time again. And he hadn’t. Not once. So, he’d never learned about his daughter. But that wasn’t really fair. He’d left after his parents had been murdered, bitter and grief-stricken and so filled with anger she hadn’t known what to do for him. Still, he could have answered at least one of her messages.
Focus, Avery.
She weighed her options. She could make a run for the car, where she’d left the doors standing open and her bags inside in hopes of retrieving them after she’d gotten Lily into bed, but she’d never outrun a bullet if these men intended to shoot her. Then again, they couldn’t get information from her if she was dead. But they could incapacitate her. How could she risk leaving Liliana alone with these monsters? She couldn’t. Which left her no choice but to do as they’d instructed.
Lily’s weight was becoming a strain on her back and shoulders, and she didn’t want to set her down on the stone walkway and risk waking her. But she did have to put her down. If it came down to it, she couldn’t fight with Liliana in her arms. What did it matter if she went inside with them anyway? It wasn’t like there was any chance of someone driving past to notice what was happening or being close enough to hear her screams. The secluded home she’d grown up in, that she’d always viewed as so peaceful and serene, a safe haven tucked against the side of the mountain, surrounded by fields and wildflowers, now seemed nothing but isolated. She’d never felt so frightened and alone, even after Tristan had left and her grandfather had passed away.
But if she could get inside, if she could get to her grandfather’s hunting rifle hanging above the mantel, maybe she’d stand a chance of defending herself and her daughter.
Purchase Seeking the Kidnapped Child from:
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The Missing Person Investigations Series:
Rocky Mountain Abduction (Book 2) releases January 26, 2027
Places to find Deena Alexander:
You can follow the Seeking the Kidnapped Child Blog Tour here.
Thank you so much for having me and for sharing the release of Seeking the Kidnapped Child!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. Thank you so much for the interview.
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