Publication Date: October 13, 2026
She lost everything. Except the will to fight.
When former CIA operative Meg Dalton finds a shocking clue that suggests her long-missing daughter might still be alive, she’s forced into a desperate, high-stakes search for the truth. Fifteen years after little Ivy vanished without a trace at a Texas fair, Meg has built a career as a covert “operator”—a soldier-for-hire who takes on dangerous black ops missions for the government.
But during a botched assignment in Los Angeles, Meg encounters a woman wearing her daughter’s distinctive butterfly necklace, and everything she believes unravels. As Meg defies her handlers and goes rogue to chase the lead, she’s thrust into a deadly conspiracy linking global espionage, human trafficking, and her own past sins.
Hunted by both her employers and foreign agents, Meg must decide how far she’s willing to go—and what lines she’ll cross—to uncover the truth and reclaim her child. Mother May I is a gripping, emotionally charged thriller about loss, obsession, and the unbreakable bond between a mother and her daughter.
From the opening pages, which feature a beloved toddler’s disappearance, her mother refuses to give up hope.
Fast forward 15 years, and Meg Dalton discovers a clue about that horrific day. Author Harry Hunsicker delivers an action-packed thriller full of adventure in Mother May I.
Meg’s character evolves from a young teen mother to a former CIA operative who is fiercely independent. She’s made a name for herself as a soldier for hire, often taking jobs for the government.
When a routine op goes horribly wrong, Meg finds her daughter’s butterfly necklace in an unlikely place. On the run with a fellow operative, Meg is determined to find answers.
For someone who typically works alone, it was good to see her reach a truce with Daisy. Treated as rogue agents, the two women race across the country, leaving chaos in their wake.
The truth proves to be a well-developed and unexpected plot twist. Through it all, Meg’s resilience continues in spite of injuries, taking on a motorcycle gang and sifting through threads of a conspiracy.
Mother May I delivers a female protagonist whose determination to find her little girl knows no boundaries.
Harry Hunsicker is the best-selling author of The Life and Death of Rose Doucette, along with numerous crime novels and short stories. His novels include Shadow Boys, The Devil’s Country, The Contractors, and the Shamus Award-nominated Still River, among others. Hunsicker is a fourth-generation native of Dallas, Texas, where he currently resides with his wife, Alison.
