I Will Find You

Rachel Anderson is Cheryl’s younger sister and David’s former sister-in-law, whom he has always considered a friend. She recently lost her job as a reporter due to an overzealous investigation of her alma mater Lemhall University, where she was once drugged and almost sexually assaulted by a professor, Evan Tyler. She was saved by fellow student Hayden, whose wealthy family covered up the near-assault; the investigation to undo the cover-up results in the suicide of a witness. Rachel’s guilt over failing to report Tyler manifests as her renewed will to save nephew Matthew, and perhaps write a sensational story to save her career—even if his kidnapper is Hayden. She and David rely on each other throughout the novel, and ultimately fall in love.

Cheryl Dreason is Rachel’s older sister and David’s ex-wife, who believes he killed their son Matthew out of retaliation. She sought donor sperm without his consent, and though she feels guilty for deceiving him, fears further retaliation and starts a new life with second husband Ronald Dreason. However, upon learning of Matthew’s survival, she helps David evade police in an act of redemption. The novel ends with Cheryl sharing custody with David.

Philip Mackenzie is David’s godfather, a prison warden. While he pulls strings to allow David in his prison, he lauds law over familial love. However, when prison guard Curly attempts to kill David on prisoner Ross’s behalf, Philip believes keeping his godson in prison would be an injustice. In a conversation with David’s father Lenny, the two acknowledge they have always put their faith in evidence. Philip allowed this faith to outweigh his knowledge of David’s character, his innocence. Thus, he and his son—David’s best friend Adam—plan David’s escape from prison in an act of redemption.

Lenny Burroughs is David’s father and a former police officer—the action-driven, if reserved, model of manhood that David aspires to. Like Nicky—the retired head of the Fisher family crime syndicate—he pulled strings to protect his son, even if his cover-up was undone by Nicky himself. However, he failed his son by thinking him capable of murder. When Philip informs Lenny that Matthew is alive, he expresses regret through a single tear before eventually dying to cancer. Despite their falling out, David arranges and attends his father’s funeral, with Matthew in tow.

Gertrude “Pixie” Payne is Hayden’s grandmother, the matriarch of the Paynes. Having married into the family, she observes the Payne men’s moral corruption as an outsider. She raised her deceased son and grandson Hayden to break the family’s cycle of darkness, but recognizes her failure to illuminate Hayden in particular. Pixie despises the Paynes’ abuse of wealth, but does so herself to protect her grandson from his crimes and the family from a sullied reputation. She harbors a soft spot for “Theo” (Matthew), but in the end, urges Hayden to run away with him and uses her wealth to escape justice once more—though the novel implies Nicky targets the two Paynes to punish their crimes.

Hayden Payne is Pixie’s grandson, who nearly killed the professor, Evan Tyler, who tried to sexually assault Rachel at Lemhall University. This moment led to an obsession, with him pulling strings to impregnate her with his sperm via a fertility clinic. He believes Matthew is the product of this nonconsensual union, but when he learns Rachel’s sister Cheryl is the true mother (as Cheryl visited the clinic under Rachel’s name), he kidnaps the boy nevertheless. Hayden succeeds in this kidnapping by adopting and killing a decoy, Theo—a child with a fatal genetic condition. He claims he wants to father the new Theo (Matthew) and never meant to implicate David in murder, but his conflation of wealth and morality speaks otherwise. Pixie believes all Payne men are morally deficient, and he is no exception. The novel implies Nicky targets both Paynes to punish their crimes.

Special Agents Max Bernstein and Sarah Jabloski are charged with investigating David’s prison break. While antagonists, they are more so obstacles to David than true enemies like the Paynes. They often banter, and after Max questions Philip, debate Law Versus Justice: While Max believes David is innocent of murder, Sarah urges him to work within the justice system. In the end, Max does just this, helping to exonerate David.

Hilde Winslow is David’s former neighbor, who claimed she saw him burying the weapon with which he killed Matthew. However, it is later revealed that she was pushed to lie by Nicky, whose crime syndicate targeted her son Marty and daughter-in-law Ellen. After testifying against David, she had to move and change her name to Harriet Winchester. Hilde regretted sullying her morality and helps David escape police in an act of redemption.

Ross Sumner is a cannibal serial killer who hails from a wealthy family. Like Pixie, he embodies entitlement, attacking David himself and using prison guard Ted “Curly” Weston to attempt a second murder—albeit against Curly’s morals. However, both attacks push David to fight for his and Matthew’s lives.