Friday, June 27, 2008

SRC | Week 3

#7 Before I Wake by Dee Henderson: Before I Wake is twisting story that follows the intertwined lives of three main characters: Sheriff Justice, his friend and private investigator Bruce Chapel and Bruce's former girlfriend, now business parter Rae Gabriella.

Rae left the FBI after years of dedicated service when a case went ugly. She accepts a position as a private detective at Chapel Detective Agency, headed by her former Fed partner Bruce Chapel in Justice, Illinois.

Justice County Sheriff Nathan Justice has his hands full with a strike that could turn violent and his grandfather. However, he soon has more to deal with when Peggy Worth is found dead in her hotel room, five rooms away from where Rae is staying; a woman she met earlier in the day. Peggy's parents hire Rae to investigate what seemed likely a natural death in her sleep of a twenty-eight years old healthy female. Soon Bruce, Rae and Nathan know that a serial killer murders women in their hotel room without a whisper or a hint of a struggle, but never takes their money or jewelry so no motive has surfaced. Whereas she seeks justice, he fears she could be next.

Have you ever had a book that when it finished you sat back and thought oh my? Well, this is one. Dee Henderson, as always, does a fabulous job of pulling the reader into the work and getting them to be part of the story. There is a bit of a triangle developing between Bruce, Nathan and Rae. Bruce is a man she once almost married and Nathan is quickly becoming more than just a friend. The twists and turns the plot takes are great and keep the reader always on their toes. Each word becomes something you focus on so you don’t miss anything. The characters are real and deep as they deal with various situations.

The "oh my" part comes though in that everything isn’t solved by the end. As readers we get very used to everything being wrapped up in a neat little bow by the end of the story. This book is obviously going to be a series with more great installments to come. Now don’t get me wrong, if Before I Wake is the only one you ever read, you aren’t left hanging out in left field. However, it sure leaves you ready for the next book. I know I can’t wait!

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#8 The Marriage Wish by Dee Henderson: A short and sweet review for this little book. Our main character, Jennifer, has lost a husband and child and she's afraid to love again. Since I have two daughters, I look at conflicts involving children differently now. I've never lost a child, but I do know that it would be hard for me to get over losing either of my girls because they mean the world to me! Even with God's grace, getting over the death of a child is would be an extremely hard thing to do. As in most romance novels, there is a happy ending and Jennifer does find the courage to have children. Not as good as some of Dee's other work, but still a good read.

As a sidenote: If you haven't read any of Dee Henderson's other books (The O'Malley Series and Uncommon Hereos Series) you definitely should.

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