Canyon of Deceit

By: DiAnn Mills

Narrated by: Tara Langella

A rescue team searches for a missing young girl and suspects all is not as it seems in this high-stakes romantic suspense novel from the author of Lethal Standoff and Facing the Enemy.

When wilderness survival expert Therese Palmer receives a frantic phone call from former colleague Professor Rurik Ivanov, she is shocked by the news that his young daughter, Alina, is missing―and that Rurik wants Therese’s help finding her. She’s sure Rurik hasn’t given her the whole story...especially since he refuses to report the kidnapping to the police. Yet with a child’s life hanging in the balance, Therese can’t turn down this mission. She knows the clock is ticking and she can’t do this alone.

Therese reaches out to Texas Ranger Blane Gardner, whom she met seven months ago during one of her training courses in wilderness survival skills. Blane’s specialized training and background with the Crisis Negotiation Unit make him uniquely prepared for this search-and-rescue mission. He agrees to help Therese and to accept Rurik’s terms to keep Alina’s disappearance quiet, and as the two begin working together, Therese is determined the spark growing between them won’t distract from their mission to save Alina.

Traversing deep into the desert of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Alina’s last known location, Therese and Blane struggle to separate truth from lies within the mix of intel they’re receiving. As they close in on answers that suggest the involvement of Russian organized crime and a high-profile international assassination attempt, they must fight to rescue Alina before she becomes an innocent casualty of a much bigger plot―no matter the risk to their own lives.

• A thrilling Christian contemporary novel with themes of courage and resilience from award-winning author DiAnn Mills
• Perfect for fans of clean, action-packed romantic suspense
• Includes discussion questions for book clubs

©2025 DiAnn Mills (P)2025 Tyndale Fiction

I liked the main characters

I liked the main characters. I liked how Therese stuck with her convictions regarding being equally yoked. I have seen things work out sometimes either way but it was nice to see her follow through. She did have some TSTL moments though. I can only tolerate those because in most books we know it will all turn out ok in the end. It took a long time for everyone to figure out who the villain was. I thought it was obvious mid way through the book. It was so cliche for them not to consider this person. Narration was good. Some might find it heavy on the Christian themes but I liked that aspect

Canyon of Deceit

I loved all they did for the young girl Alena.Terese is a wonderful heroine.

😑

This book has some lovely writing about some beautiful scenery. The prose is good as is the dialogue. I liked the adventure aspect of the book. Mills uses vivid language that made me feel like a part of the scene. The best part of the book for me is the steely nature of some of the characters. Keeping cool under fire is a major trait of several characters, but no one was completely in control all the time. They seemed to help each other when necessary which was a nice way for Mills to develop relationships.

Canyon of Deceit is about mostly relationships and secrets. Everyone tells half truths and has secrets; even Therese who is a Christian is not honest about her past and how it affects her judgement.

The book’s mystery is revealed mostly by dialogue. There is not a lot of forensics or physical evidence discovered. The intrigue continues until almost the very end.

The book is evangelical in the sense that Mills gives a clear message about repentance and salvation in her story. A convert is made. There are lots of prayers said throughout the book.

This is not my favorite Mills book. The faith aspects seemed forced. I grew weary waiting for the slow trickle of clues to come out. The book has a big reveal at the end, a device I don’t really like. This said, I liked the book; I just didn’t like it as much as I liked others by Mills. The characters grew on me as the story went on. The writing and performance were good enough to entertain for hours.