The O'Malley Series

by Dee Henderson

The Negotiator

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This was the first book of Dee Henderson's that I read. I absolutely loved it and I do believe she has become my number one Christian Fiction author in the contemporary genre as of today!! I can't wait to read the next in this series and others that she has written as well!

The characters in this novel are well-developed, realistic, and complex. I found the dialogue to be natural and easy to read. The plot line was definitely complex and had me guessing and yet being surprised at the twists and turns within it. I was compelled to keep reading until the wee hours at night and to pick it up off and on during the day when I could snag a few minutes here and there. It was definitely the best of the Christian mystery genre out there!!! Your heart will beat double time in several places and you will feel part of the O'Malley family yourself!!

The gospel message presentation was the best I've seen yet. It was not flowery or sugary sweet, but very realistic in its presentation of someone really struggling and having to come to terms with the reality of what Jesus has done and who He is on their own. I think it reflects contemporary searches and struggles of people who are looking for God and longing to fill the vacancy He creates in their lives until they choose Him. I was very pleased with the author's very real characters and their questions about God. This was not a fake or contrived search for God at all. Hats off to Dee Henderson for taking the Gospel message out of the saccharin set and putting it into the believable and real realm.

This is a definite must read for all Christians who love fiction. This is most-definitely one I would not hesitate in recommending to a non-Christian friend or family member!! Go ahead and read it today!! You won't be disappointed!

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The Guardian

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This book follows in the awesome pattern set by the first of this series, The Negotiator. It tells the story of the mysterious oldest brother in the O'Malley family, Marcus. He is an U.S. Marshall who is responsible for protecting the Judges nominated to the U.S. Senate. His life is seriously complicated by the vicious murder of one Judge and the woman who is a witness to the crime. His feelings for this woman develop into more than those for a person he must protect and he must decide how to proceed in this delicate relationship. His life is further complicated by the rest of the O'Malley family and the trials that they are also going through.

You will definitely love this second book in the O'Malley series by Dee Henderson. It is full of suspense, danger, intrigue, love, and romance. You will find it hard to resist and hard to put down as you turn page after page and delve deeper into the complex plot and spell binding set of characters. You will feel yourself part of the O'Malley family and feel a deeper appreciation for your own family members and a yearning to be as close to them as the fictional O'Malleys are to one another.

I can't wait to read the next book in this series!!

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I haven't had the pleasure of reading this book yet!

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I haven't read this one yet but plan to!

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The Healer by Dee Henderson follows the joys and trials of Rachel O'Malley as she goes about her job as a trauma psychologist. As with the other O'Malley family members, Rachel is a realistic hero with some flaws and imperfections that we get to see as she struggles with trusting others with her life and emotions. She must deal with consoling flood victims who have lost most of their belongings and some their homes. She faces the trauma of a school shooting in which she seeks to help not only those students who were witnesses of the horrific crime, but also family members of victims, and then deal with her own emotions of having been caught in the midst of the gunfire. Along with all the stress and trauma associated with her job, she struggles to face Jennifer O'Malley's battle with cancer. As with most of the O'Malley novels, we are introduced and meet briefly with the other O'Malley family members off and on throughout the course of the storyline. This novel depicts Rachels joys and sorrows within a brief several month span of her life.

I am disappointed to say that I found The Healer had way more sorrows than joys in this fifth book in the series. The author deals with some pretty heavy issues such as bullying, school shootings, domestic violence, and the trauma of living through a destructive flood. In most of the earlier books, I felt Dee Henderson did a really thorough and sensitive job of depicting the characters on both sides of the trauma, but I felt this novel was rushed and never really stopped long enough to develop the reasons some of the crimes were committed. Perhaps, as in real life, we often don't fully understand the rationalizations a person goes through before committing some horrendous crime such as murdering an ex-wife, or bringing a gun to school to kill classmates. Perhaps that was what Dee Henderson meant to portray in this novel. However, I'm not sure I wish to give her the benefit of the doubt in this case. I think that some of these character motivations were barely touched upon for the sake of brevity. I feel the novel lacked the 360 view of the situation that other novels portrayed. For example, why did Carol's ex-husband want her dead? How exactly did this send the son over the edge as well? The author hints that Carol's ex-husband's actions were the ones that started the whole series of events, but fails to tell how.

Besides the sorrow in all of the above scenarios, the sorrow in facing the decline of Jennifer O'Malley was a huge emotional drain. I was angry with how the novel ended although it was really beautiful. I guess that could be a point for Dee Henderson for drawing me into the bonds of this family so well that I felt their agony over Jen's cancer as well.

I also felt this novel was missing a bit of the "heart stopping" suspense that most of the others contain. The mystery of the murders certainly had you guessing, but the outcome wasn't extrodinary in any way. I was kind of left saying, "Yeah. No surprises there. But why???" I'm also beginning to get a little impatient with the "too perfect" O'Malley family. The way that the heroines are so beautiful, accomplished, and intelligent and the heroes are so handsome, strong, and sensitive is beginning to seem contrived to me. I am hoping that we see a bit more rebeliousness or failure in the next novel about Stephen O'Malley who has decided to take off on a journey of his own to find answers to his questions on life. This one seems to offer some promise of something a little different.

So, would I recommend this book to others? That is the question. As I reread what I have written above, I realize I may have been a little dark in my critique of this book. I was a little disapointed in some "perceived" failures in the story line and in the too perfect characters, but again I must say that Dee Henderson is still leading the pack in suspenceful contemporary Christian fiction and this series continues to be a must read. YES - go out and read this book! You may even disagree with me on some of my critiques!

~ Tracy