Canyon of Deceit by DiAnn Mills

Canyon of Deceit
by DiAnn Mills

ISBN-13: 9781496485151
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Released: Sept. 9, 2025

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
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. 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.


My Review:
Canyon of Deceit is a Christian romantic suspense. There was plenty of suspense due to physical danger, both from the wilderness landscape they were searching and from the bad guys. The man who asked for Therese's help in saving his kidnapped daughter was clearly withholding information, but she felt responsible for her sister's death and so was willing to risk her life to save the young girl. She asked Blane to come with her as backup.

As this is an Advanced Reader Copy, some of these issues may be cleared up in the final version. However, I sometimes had trouble following the wilderness descriptions. For example, Therese returned to the trail head, yet she was obviously still off trail, out in the middle of nowhere. Neither Therese or Blane talked normally. When Therese learned that a serial killer who wanted to torture and kill her was after her, she responded with: "fear rises like the sun and binds me to take precautions." Or "No respect for human life continues to play out" or "Questions pelt me like someone throwing stones" or the thought "The men who'd bled and died placed my caution on high alert." These things kept me from getting immersed in the story.

The main characters also did illogical things. They were trying to sneak around behind the bad guys, had to camp, and deliberately made a fire that would be visible to the enemy. Later, Blane waited until nightfall before making his smoke signal, which somehow was seen only by the good guys. Blane had a severe concussion and an badly injured arm, but as soon as he visited a hospital, he was back to driving and gun fights. I wish hospital visits were so miraculous.

Blane's friend has talked with him about God, and he discovered Therese also believed despite the bad things that have happened in her life. When badly injured in the wilderness, he seriously considered what they'd told him about God. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this twisty suspense.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.