Dee Henderson dominated romantic suspense sales ten to fifteen years ago with her O’Malley series. She is releasingย two book in 2016, both releasing in May. A novella collection with Dani Pettrey and Lynette Eason, Sins of the Past, and the first in herย Evie Blackwell Cold Caseย series, Traces of Guilt. A huge fan of her O’Malley novels, I’m afraid haven’t enjoyed her recent novels nearly the same. Dee has made an incredible contribution to Christian romantic suspense, not only with her own writing but the mentoring of other writers, and I’m hoping she has great success with this novel.
I truly hope I love this one! Have you read Dee’s novels? Which ones have you loved?
As an aside, I do like this cover ๐
Traces of Guilt by Dee Henderson
A Riveting Cold-Case Mystery from Dee Henderson
Evie Blackwell loves her life as an Illinois State Police Detective . . . mostly. She’s very skilled at investigations and has steadily moved up through the ranks. She would like to find Mr. Right, but she has a hard time imagining how marriage could work, considering the demands of her job.
Gabriel Thane is a lifetime resident of Carin County and now its sheriff, a job he loves. Gabe is committed to upholding the law and cares deeply for the residents he’s sworn to protect. He too would like to find a lifetime companion, a marriage like his parents have.
When Evie arrives in Carin, Illinois, it’s to help launch a new task force dedicated to reexamining unsolved crimes across the state. Spearheading this trial run, Evie will work with the sheriff’s department on a couple of its most troubling missing-persons cases. As she reexamines old evidence to pull out a few tenuous new leads, she unearths a surprising connection . . . possibly to a third cold case. Evie’s determined to solve the cases before she leaves Carin County, and Sheriff Thane, along with his family, will be key to those answers.
February 3, 2016 at 4:06 am
I, too, was disappointed with Dee Henderson’s most current books. “Unspoken” and “Undetected” were difficult to wade through. Her research behind the books was extremely thorough, but they became long and tedious at times. “Taken” was a wee bit better, but I still missed the fast pace and more familial aspects of the O’Malley series. Still, she knows how to write a great story and I am very excited about her two new books coming out.
February 4, 2016 at 5:59 pm
I’m like you, Amy, and keep hoping I’ll fall in love with the next story!
February 3, 2016 at 5:12 am
What attracted to the O’Malley series was that Dee struck a balance between profound characterization and heart racing action and suspense. In her most recent releases, I feel like the characters alienate the readers and never fully let us in to their world. I still read each of her new releases in the hope of reclaiming the fervour I had during the O’Malley mania.
February 4, 2016 at 5:59 pm
You said it perfectly, Lydia – I’m in full agreement xo
February 3, 2016 at 11:46 am
None of them. I have Taken on my Kindle and Jennifer on my bookshelf, but haven’t read either.
February 4, 2016 at 6:00 pm
Well, you have the last O’Malley book in Jennifer ๐ I recommend you read the full length novels in the series first!
February 5, 2016 at 8:18 am
Shouldn’t Jennifer actually be read first? It actually takes place before the series. I’m not certain if it takes place before the prequel though.
February 8, 2016 at 10:05 am
It probably doesn’t matter, really, Sylvia! As I read the O’Malley books when they originally released, I read Jennifer last and that worked for me ๐
February 3, 2016 at 2:08 pm
Dee Henderson was my first Christian favorite author. I LOVE the O’Malley series and Uncommon Heroes series (1 & 2). My favorite Dee Henderson book is Danger in the Shadows (the prequel to O’Malley). I have read it numerous times as well as Lisa O’Malley’s story Truth Seeker and Gracie & Bruce’s hero story True Valor. Dee couldn’t write fast enough for me. I was always anxiously awaiting the next week after finishing my new book in one setting.
When she took her hiatus, I still kept looking for new titles, waiting for my next Dee book. I have read all the books that have come out but like Lydia above, have had a hard time connecting with the characters or getting swept into the stories. The most head-scratching event occurred in Full Disclosure when I read that the character “Ann” had written all the previous books Dee had published. WHAT???? That didn’t set right with me for some reason.
I love Dee. I will continue to purchase her books and look for stories that take me on a journey & make me feel I am a part of them.
February 3, 2016 at 11:39 pm
I actually liked that Ann was the author of the O’Malley books. It was a nice twist.
February 4, 2016 at 6:05 pm
That’s great to hear, Beckie – we all respond differently and that is why there’s so much variety in books and life ๐
February 4, 2016 at 6:02 pm
Yes, I felt the same about the Ann thread and the difficulty connecting with her characters in the latter novels.
Danger in the Shadows was the first book I read and I loved it. I actually had a first edition which was a mass market little paperback with pink pearls on the front cover, if I remember rightly! Thanks for your thoughts, Melinda
February 5, 2016 at 10:46 am
That’s the one I have too, Rel!
February 3, 2016 at 11:38 pm
My book club read the first book in the O’Malley series years ago. A lot of our members loved it and went on to read the whole series. I was less impressed. I had a hard time with her writing style — it just didn’t flow for me and I found myself having to re-read passages. We read a few more of her books (The Witness and Before I Wake) and I liked them more. Then her newer books came out and I tried again. I have really enjoyed her later books, especially Full Disclosure. This was a book club pick for me and I found that those who loved The O’Malley’s didn’t like this one. Too much detail was the main complaint. I finished Undetected in January and while I gave it a Recommended designation I found it too long and the romance a bit unbelievable. Her female characters are what my husband calls “high maintenance” and you have to wonder what man out there would put up with their demands. For those who dream of a man who does EVERYTHING for his woman, then Dee’s later books are for you ;).
A bit of a rambling answer! Thanks for this post.
February 4, 2016 at 6:08 pm
Great thoughts, Beckie – I’ve struggled with her later books, and while there was an enormous amount of detail that in places slowed the pacing of the story too much for me, it was the lack of connection to the characters that I struggled with. Ann in Full Disclosure is pretty close to being Wonder Woman herself, and the hero spent all his time asking everyone else how he should treat her, rather than directly asking her ๐
February 4, 2016 at 12:55 am
I agree Rel. I haven’t loved her latest novels :/ Which makes me so sad because I LOVED (um, still love haha) her Uncommon Heroes series. It was definitely my favorite series from her. I’m with you on the cover though – beautiful!!!
February 4, 2016 at 6:09 pm
I loved the O’Malley’s and her Uncommon Heroes series. I’ve read them all multiple times! I think she was really unique in the marketplace at the time, too, which made her books all the more appealing. And I’m talking her first editions…I’m that old ๐
February 4, 2016 at 11:52 am
I haven’t read anything besides her O’Malley series which I really enjoyed! I’m super excited for the novella collection; what a stellar bunch of authors!
February 4, 2016 at 6:10 pm
I’m looking forward to that, too, Alyssaz. The novella format will be interesting given Dee’s recent penchant for super long books. Not that I don’t love a long book!
February 4, 2016 at 4:43 pm
I have only read Dee Henderson’s O’Malley series and one of her Love Inspired books. Since I have only read them once many years ago, I cannot say they made an extreme impression on me. Okay, I did stay up, scared to sleep, after reading The Truth Seeker. My sisters have read and reread the O’Malley books many times. They haven’t been fond of the latest ones either. Maybe I should try some of her others.
Amazon says that this is a reprint. Which book is the original? It must have a different title.
February 5, 2016 at 1:14 am
Hi Sylvia,
Great question! Amazon listing Traces of Guilt that way is an error. This is a new novel with no previous edition. Thanks for helping us catch that!
Amy Green
BHP Fiction Publicist
February 5, 2016 at 8:20 am
You’re welcome. I thought something must have been incorrect.
February 8, 2016 at 10:06 am
So appreciate you stopping by and clarifying this for my readers, Amy! You’re the best ๐
February 5, 2016 at 7:55 pm
When Dee Henderson’s O’Malley series came out and during it’s height, my family had moved from Washington State to Quebec, Canada. Christian books, movies, and music were very hard to find in that province of Canada and I feel like I lost touch during those years. Based on the regard given to that series, I have been making up for lost time. Not just Henderson’s books, but many other author’s, as well. Since we’re back in Washington State and living in a very conservative Christian community, finding a surplus of Christian fiction is easy, cheap and fun. I’ve just
February 8, 2016 at 10:07 am
Catching up on books you haven’t read is great – no waiting for the last in a series to arrive ๐