Alyssa Hazel wakes up from being abducted and beaten. She’s lying in a cramped compartment, which turns out to be part of a rickety house trailer. She has no memory of how she got there, but the fact that she’s expecting a baby is a major concern. TEXAS BABY CONSPIRACY takes off running from this unexpected start.

The resourceful lady manages to escape even while men are audible nearby, plotting her fate. She does her utmost to phone for help and reach her home with her handsome husband, Houston police officer Blake O’Connor. But a few things are wrong. Turns out, they have been divorced for a few months. And Alyssa never told Blake she was pregnant. This episode in the series, An O'Connor Family Mystery, is a standalone story that fits a running thread. Blake’s father started looking into a cold case concerning the family, and he died soon afterwards. The younger generation is continuing the prosperous business, and doing what young people everywhere do, basically meeting people and falling in love. They have not forgotten the cold case, though. 

Romantic suspense is the best title for this genre, but it’s interesting that the romance is set after the divorce. With no memory of the last several months, Alyssa doesn’t even know why they split. Blake hasn’t much of an idea, but he says if his wife were happier without him, he would have to let her go. Now, of course, he becomes protective and needs to be sure the mother of his baby is okay. While not getting his heart broken all over again.

With fairly frequent pregnancy-related issues, Alyssa isn’t able to be too active, so having found safety, her instinct is to stay there. The other Houston police officers thus helped Blake find her abductors and figure out a reason for the crime. But it seems likely the answers are locked up in Alyssa’s head.  

TEXAS BABY CONSPIRACY is an unusual and tension-filled thriller, with plenty of menace, violent incidents, and puzzles. Blake and Alyssa are surely fated to end up together again, for the baby’s sake if no other reason, but a lot has to happen first. I had not read anything else by Barb Han, and she kept me guessing almost to the end. Lovers of exciting romance and crime stories will enjoy this tale.