The Child She Left Behind

2025 American Fiction Award Finalist-Psychological Thriller

How far outside the law would you go to save a child?
Sunny Day, a fiercely protective single mother, has one priority: keeping her six-year-old son, Sam, safe. But her world unravels when a cryptic message reveals that one of her late sister’s embryos has gone missing. The search for answers leads her to Jeremy—a bruised, abandoned boy who looks eerily like Sam—and Crank, a hardened ex-ranger with a mission of his own.
Forced to work together, Sunny and Crank clash over his shadowy methods, but as danger closes in, sparks of trust—and something deeper—begin to form.

A rogue FBI agent and a powerful trafficking ring specializing in stolen embryos threaten everything Sunny holds dear. With Sam’s safety and Jeremy’s life hanging by a thread, Sunny must decide if she can trust Crank—or risk losing everything.

Filled with action, suspense, and a heroine as compassionate as she is courageous, The Child She Left Behind is a gripping thriller that will keep you turning pages late into the night.