The story behind the Alex Mercer series is an interesting one because I didn’t set out to write it! It’s a spin-off from my Gone Trilogy, and Alex (who is the main character in the Alex Mercer series…shocker! ) was a side character who I didn’t plan to even be a very big part of that series. But as I wrote that book, he grew on me and become more of the story. By the time I was done with the trilogy, I knew I wanted to give Alex his own series!

When I first stepped into Alex Mercer’s world (not his sister’s), I had no idea I was about to create one of the most intense, emotionally charged thrill rides of my career.

Alex isn’t your typical hero. He’s messy. He doubts himself. He’s made choices that haunt him. But he also loves fiercely—so fiercely that when his daughter disappears, something inside him snaps awake. And watching him evolve from broken to unstoppable… that lit me up as a writer in a way I’ll never forget.

The hook that grabbed me (and never let go) was this chilling question: What would you do if the one good thing you’d ever done was suddenly taken from you?

From the moment a girl’s body is dumped in the opening scene, muttered over by a man determined to “get it right this time,” you know you’re stepping into darkness. And the second Ariana goes missing… everything accelerates. The clock, the stakes, the secrets, and especially the danger.

Writing this book felt like sprinting toward midnight with Alex at my side, piecing together decades-old cold cases, chasing clues that twist back on themselves, and barreling straight toward a killer who’s been perfecting his ritual for thirty years. And the wildest part? Alex, the guy everyone wrote off, becomes the one person who might stop the cycle.

That raw, flawed, desperate, and hopeful transformation is why I love this book so much. It’s why readers still message me about it years later. It’s why the Alex Mercer series grew into one of my biggest.

And if you haven’t stepped into it yet?

This is your moment.

Because Girl in Trouble isn’t just a thriller. It’s a breathless race against time. It’s a father’s redemption arc on fire. It’s a mystery threaded with heartbreak, suspense, and the relentless question: Can love outpace evil when the clock is running out?

If you’re ready for a story that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go… start here.