About Allison

Allison McKenzie has never shied away from adventure. She is at home skiing Canadian glaciers, exploring Scottish castles, and retrieving cultural artifacts from a Rarotongan jungle as she is at her writing desk. After graduating magna cum laude from Wellesley College with honors in English literature, she attended the University of Cambridge’s International Art History Programme in England. She spent most of her career in the software industry, including a stint in cybersecurity.

Allison’s debut novel, The Unexpected Hostage, earned a Kirkus Star and was named 2023’s Best Political Thriller by BestThrillers.com. Allison won the 2020 Pacific Northwest Writers Association Contest and was a Finalist for the 2021 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense from RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter.

She currently lives in Seattle with her husband, daughter, and two rambunctious cats. She loves theatre, skiing, and Peloton biking to ‘80s New Wave music. The Unexpected Hostage is her first novel.